Screenshot: NIEER’s “The State of Preschool 2018”

“The State of Preschool 2018,” an annual look at pre-K programs in all 50 states, has just been released by NIEER (the National Institute for Early Education Research).

The 2018 yearbook, which analyzes data from the 2017-2018 school year, is a mix of good news and unmet challenges.

Across the country “more children are attending state-funded pre-K,” NIEER says in a press release, “but state funding is failing to keep pace, resulting in low compensation for pre-K teachers that too often undermines classroom quality…”

“Close to 1.6 million 3- and 4-year-olds attended state-funded pre-K programs in the 2017-18 year, with 85% of those children being 4-year-olds,” Education Dive reports. “This year’s report also includes two states — Montana and North Dakota — that operated pre-K programs for the first time last year. Overall, however, there has been little growth in enrollment — half of a percentage point for 3-year-olds and less than a percentage point for 4-year-olds.”

The 74 Million adds:

“At the current enrollment expansion rate, it would take 75 years to get 70 percent of 4-year-olds across the nation enrolled in state-funded pre-K programs, and 175 years to enroll the equivalent amount of 3-year-olds, Barnett said on the call.”

The yearbook also points to the looming problem of expiring federal preschool grants.

The current, 2018-2019 school year is the last year for these federal funds, the yearbook notes, adding:

“Of the 18 states with PDG funding, eight reported that they have a plan to sustain PDG funding using state or other sources; nine reported that they are working on a plan, and one reported that they did not have a plan. It remains to be seen how the loss of federal PDG funding will affect access to high quality preschool for children in low-income families.”

In the good news category are the states that the yearbook says are“On the Move.” These states — Massachusetts as well as Alabama, California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington — “do not yet provide universal access to 4-year-olds, but have committed to improving access, funding, and/or quality standards.”

In addition to the yearbook, press releases and profiles for each state tell local stories.

Specifically, in Massachusetts, for example:

• enrollment of 3-year-olds in the state increased by 12 percentage points (to 17%)

• enrollment of 4-year-olds increased by 22 percentage points (to 30%)

• spending on preschool increased by over $40 million, though average state spending per child declined by more than $1,000.

• pre-K programs met an average of 6.2 of NIEER’s quality standards benchmarks, and

• Boston leads in providing high-quality preschool, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh recently announced plans to provide $15 million to move closer to universal access to high-quality preschool for all 4-year-olds

Source: NIEER’s Massachusetts Profile

The Massachusetts press release is posted here.

According to the Massachusetts profile, the state ranks an impressive 6^th in the nation in access to pre-K for 3-year-olds, but a less impressive 22^nd for access for 4-year-olds.

Summing up the importance of pre-K, Mark Shriver says in the NIEER press release:

“We know that investing in high-quality early childhood education is one of the most effective ways to break the pervasive cycle of poverty and ensure equal opportunity for all families in America.” Shriver is the senior vice president for Save the Children’s U.S. Programs and Advocacy. He adds:

“Effective pre-school programs are a long-term investment in our nation’s future and our most precious resource: our children.”