The South continues to lead the nation in 2010 in only one major area of public education: the enrollment of 3- and 4-year-old children in early education programs.

According to the latest national data, the percent of children in state-supported pre-kindergarten across the 15 states remains twice as large as the rest of the nation. During the last two years, despite a severe recession, Southern states found ways to continue and, in some instances, to expand Pre-K enrollment and funding. In addition, more than half the states with the nation's highest standards for quality in Pre-K programs are in the South.

An overwhelming body of independent research confirms that high-quality Pre-K helps young children become school-ready better than any other single investment. Pre-K's effects in the longer term also make it an essential strategy to help turn around a century-old pattern in which the South lags behind the nation in educational attainment and personal income. High-quality Pre-K is likely the single most effective investment for improving Southern education.

The South's leadership in this field may be in jeopardy. Southern states collectively confront a projected shortfall of at least $25 to $30 billion for 2011 budgets.

In the Southern state capitals, more than 15,000 lobbyists are registered to influence the budget-making process. That is an average of six lobbyists for every single state legislator in the South. Across the region, lobbyists were paid an estimated $500 million by almost 19,000 clients to inform, entertain and influence state policymakers in 2008. In the same year, lobbyists in Southern state capitals contributed more than $7.5 million in campaign contributions, primarily to incumbent state officials, and thousands of their clients likely gave a great deal more money in political contributions to the same state officials.

None of these lobbyists was retained by the South's 3- and 4-year-olds. None was engaged by these children's parents. And, only a handful of nonprofit groups representing the interests of small children today monitor or lobby the Southern state capitals. This update attempts to make clear that the continued education of 3- and 4-year-olds in the South's Pre-K programs represents a very modest but vitally important investment of state funds.

In 2008, Oklahoma (1st), Florida (3rd), Georgia (4th), Texas (6th), West Virginia (7th), and Arkansas (8th) ranked in the top 10 states with the highest enrollment in state-supported Pre-K. . . . Florida and Texas are among the top five states for enrollment rates, but both are in the bottom ranks for high-quality standards.

Deep South states are emerging national leaders in Pre-K. If this trend continues and high-quality programs can become available to a sizeable percentage of the states' 3- and 4-year-olds, the South will have new capacity to spur unprecedented gains in education.