3- to 5-Year-Olds Enrolled in Preschool Programs

What is this measure, and why is this measure important? This measure is the percentage of children enrolled in center-based early childhood care and educational programs. It presents an overview of national level data on preschool enrollment and high-quality child care for 3- to 5-year-olds. It monitors how many children have access to center-based preschool programs.

What are the policy issues associated with this measure? Access to preschool education can have a direct effect on the ability of children to perform later in school. Many of the educational disparities found in students later in their educational careers can be linked back to preparation disparities in children when they enter kindergarten. Because the experiences of students when growing up are so important to their future development, it is important that children from low-income backgrounds have access to preschool programs to ensure they are ready for the demands of many years of schooling. Many children from low-income families do not have access to high-quality preschool programs. State policy must be developed to provide, on a voluntary basis, universal access to first-class, preschool programs for children from low-income families. States and the nation must ensure that all students have access to preschool programs. This measure assists state policy leaders in identifying how many children from low-income families have access to universal preschool education. Universal preschool programs offer children high-quality education that prepares the foundation that will be important in later school success.

When interpreting this measure, what should be kept in mind? The data provide information on the general enrollment for center-based early childhood care and educational programs for the United States. Child and family characteristics include children ages 3 to 5, race/ethnicity, mother’s highest education, household income and economic status. It is also important to note the data do not show enrollment of students in preschool education programs by individual states, yet this data needs to be collected on a state by state basis.