The report by the nonprofit early education advocacy group Pre-K Now identifies Utah as one of 10 states that provides no state funding for pre-kindergarten, and minimal funding for full-day kindergarten.

"Such findings serve to underscore both the urgent need for pre-K in these states and the scope of gubernatorial negligence," says the report, which calls on states to fund pre-kindergarten programs.

Christine Kearl, Huntsman's deputy for education, says the governor is not being negligent, but rather trying to ease Utah into pre-K programs. She says most Utahns are hesitant to support early learning programs, but Huntsman fully supports them.

"The politics in Utah are pretty conservative with pre-kindergarten programs, but if we could get a voluntary, full-day kindergarten program in the state first, that would allow the governor to gauge how much support there is for earlier programs," Kearl said.

Mike Mower, Huntsman's deputy chief of staff, said the governor is committed to implementing voluntary full-day kindergarten in schools for disadvantaged students and is open to discussing other ways to bridge the achievement gap between Utah's have and have-not students. Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, cites research that says many students, especially those in rural areas, are entering kindergarten, full- or half-day, unprepared.

"Full-day kindergarten only works if the students arrive prepared," she said. "You need full-day kindergarten options and pre-kindergarten, and they shouldn't be competing. You need both."

Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, proposed funding statewide full-day kindergarten programs during the 2006 Legislature, taking his lead from Huntsman's State of the State Address, in which he proposed a $7 million voluntary full-day kindergarten program.

"This is an issue the governor and I are committed to," Holdaway said.

The bill failed because lawmakers were too busy working on tax reform, he said.

Doggett was "pleased" to hear that Huntsman addressed the need for full-day kindergarten in his State of the State, but she wants to see him take action.

Patti Harrington, state schools superintendent, calls Huntsman the "champion" of full-day kindergarten in Utah.

"In addition to sparking discussion, he is a true believer in early learning," she said.

smcfarland@sltrib.com