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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2012

For More Information, Contact:
Lisa Gardiner (916) 651-4011 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phil Yost (650) 688-6384 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

SIMITIAN NAMED ‘EDUCATION ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR’ FOR KINDERGARTEN LAW


SACRAMENTO – Early Intervention for School Success (EISS), a statewide program dedicated to increasing student achievement and lowering retention rates, has named State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) “Education Advocate of the Year” for his work authoring Senate Bill 1381, the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010.

Senate Bill 1381 gradually increases the minimum age eligibility for entering kindergarten to 5 years old by September 1, and establishes a Transitional Kindergarten for those born between September 2 and December 2.

The award was given at the organization’s annual Research Institute for Grantees in Palm Springs on Wednesday.

“Senator Joe Simitian was unanimously selected as the 2012 EISS Education Advocate of the Year for his dedication to supporting California’s youngest learners through his work to pass and protect the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010,” said Cathy Wietstock, Director of Early Intervention for School Success.  “This commitment reflects the core philosophy of EISS.”

Simitian said, “It’s particularly gratifying to receive this recognition from educators working on the front-lines to ensure success for these younger kids. They ‘get it.’ They know how critical these early learning years are.”

EISS has provided grants to improve early learning in more than 32 California counties. For more information, go to http://www.ocde.us/eiss/Pages/default.aspx.

For more information on Simitian’s legislation, go to http://www.senatorsimitian.com.

 

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