Percentage of 3- and 4-Year-Olds Enrolled in State-Funded Pre-K Programs
What is this measure, and why is this measure important? This indicator measures the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds in state-funded preschool education programs. The measure presents an overview of data representing enrollment in state-funded child care for 3- and 4-year-olds at the state level. It is important because it represents the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds who have access to state-funded pre-K programs.
What are the policy issues associated with this measure? The commission notes the importance of states developing funding formulas to assist communities in establishing high-quality preschool programs. Also, the commission recommends that local school boards and districts play a role in helping to establish preschool programs. Local school boards can do this by offering space for preschool programs to operate and by utilizing best practices for the alignment of a preschool curriculum with the learning expectations in kindergarten.
When interpreting this measure, what should be kept in mind? The State Preschool Yearbook data provide information for each state on access, quality standards and resources for state-funded preschool programs.1 It is important to note that preschools are only one type of educational program that districts can target with Title I funds. The Title I funds are to support schools and districts with the highest percentage of low-income students, which can include all K–12 students. In addition, there are several states that do not offer state-funded pre-K programs: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Other states did not provide data about their enrollment disaggregated by age, including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin.
1 Barnett, W., Epstein, D., Carolan, M., Fitzgerald, J., Ackerman, D., and Friedman, A. “The State of Preschool 2010” (New Brunswick, NJ: NIEER, 2010).