In recent years, charter schools gained a lot of public and political traction. Now, a growing number of these schools appear to be expanding into preschool and pre-kindergarten.

This week, for example, Sarah Garland reports the student population at early learning programs within Washington, D.C., charter schools soared this decade.

Between 2002 and 2010, the number of children enrolled in District charter preschools and pre-kindergartens jumped tenfold, from 430 to 4,346. – “D.C. Schools Tackle Preschool.” Washington Post, 4/3/11.

“People are starting to realize that you can avoid a lot of the pain” of teaching students who are behind, (Jack) McCarthy (head of the AppleTree Institute) said. “It really dramatically reduces the number of children needing special education if you provide evidence-based interventions in the early years.”

Over at Education Week, early ed expert Sara Mead offers insights into a couple of challenges charter schools face when expanding into early learning.

 (An) issue is that some charter schools (and this applies to traditional schools as well) are adding pre-k without a clear sense of how pre-k is different from the elementary grades or what it takes to offer an educationally strong but age-appropriate pre-k program. – “Information Underload.”  Ed Week, 4/4/11.

Check out both stories.

Business Leaders Rally for Early Learning: In North Carolina, the early learning program Smart Start is targeted for cuts in funding, and possibly elimination, as part of efforts to cut state spending.

To rally support for the program, a new video is making the rounds, “It’s My Business.”