1. Inside the State of Pre-K Steve Barnett, NIEER, Rutgers University
Presentation to EWA
Baltimore, MD June 7, 2019
Steve Barnett, NIEER, Rutgers University

2. A Peek Inside the Yearbook
Executive Summary
Tables
Maps
Figures
Special Report: Supporting Teachers in State-Funded Preschool
What Qualifies as State Pre-k?
Roadmap to State Profile Pages
State Profiles
Methodology
Appendices (coming soon!)
Developed by the National Institute for Early Education Research to provide information on state-funded prekindergarten programs. We recognize that children are served in many settings, both publicly and privately funded. State-funded pre-K programs included in the Yearbook are those administered and primarily funded by the state with an educational - not child care - goal for predominantly 3 and/or 4 year olds.
This first State Preschool Yearbook in the 2001–2002 school year established a baseline against which to compare future progress. Information is presented on three key characteristics of prekindergarten programs: access, quality standards, and resources. Annual data collection has continued with the most recent report covering the school year, giving NIEER a dataset set covering a decade and a half. Last year year NIEER introduced a new set of quality standards benchmarks to shift the focus from structural to process quality.
This report was the 16th -
Three general sections to yearbook
- National level data in Executive Summary, with information tables comparing across states. Also recommendations, methodology and background on research based on pre-K.
- State specific profiles covering program structure, major changes, funding, enrollment, and quality standards. Rich data source for information on your state or others in region
Appendices. Full dataset of Yearbook questions, including some not in profiles, plus additional data on Head Start, Special Education, and Census figures by state.
Funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation

3. Complex Preschool Landscape
State and Local Pre-K ~$13 billion ($9b state Pre-K)
Vast majority use mixed delivery— Pub. & private
School districts/cities serve more on their own
Preschool Special Education $? billion
Head Start ~$7 billion
Federally funded, direct federal to local mixed delivery
Child Care ~$3 billion
Complex, data systems not comparable so not in YB

4. State Pre-K Policy Survey
Annual survey of state-funded preschool serving 3s and 4s
Since 2002, latest is ,
Access (Enrollment)
Resources (Spending by state and local partners)
Quality Standards (10 Benchmarks, but many more policies)
Special section on Preschool Workforce
Policies on every aspect of program design from eligibility to funding
44 states, D.C., and Guam have 62 programs
6 “no program” states: Information on Head Start and Preschool Special Education provided
Montana and North Dakota are included for the first time
Indiana no longer met the definition of a state-funded preschool
Not just progress, who is falling backwards and why?

5. Change over time

6. 2018 Enrollment Overview
Enrollment nearly 1.6 million children, overall change is very slow, but individual states can move quickly
Some states claim to have “universal” pre-K but reality?
DC, VT, FL, OK yes v. GA, IA, NY, WV no
Some states essentially vouchers—FL & VT
Who goes and who doesn’t, why? How does this vary by income, ethnicity, geography?
What about starting at 3? FL, VT, IL, NJ

7. Disparities in % of 4-year-olds enrolled in state-funded pre-K

8. Most states serve few 3-year-olds in state-funded pre-K

9. “New” Quality Standards Benchmarks
Change
Comprehensive Early Learning Standards
Enhanced
Curriculum Implementation Support
New
Lead Teacher Degree (BA)
None
Lead Teacher Specialized Training
Assistant Teacher Degree (CDA)
Staff Professional Development
Maximum Class Size (20)
Staff:Child Ratio (1:10)
Screenings and Referrals & 1 support service
Slight change
At least one meal
DELETED
Monitoring  Continuous Improvement

10. 2018 Quality Standards Benchmarks Overview
AL, MI, RI met all 10
12 programs met fewer than half
Includes biggest states (CA, FL, TX)
Professional Development benchmark is the most difficult to meet: Only 9 programs met it
What about actual quality and outcomes? How is the state observing and responding?
Local control is a major reason for not meeting benchmarks. Which local communities raise standards & quality? How? Which don’t?

11. 2018 Spending Overview
Total state pre-K spending exceeded $8.1 billion
Inflation-adjusted increase of $284 million (3.6%)
Who went down? Inflation (money illusion) causes confusion
State $/child = $5,174
Inflation-adjusted decrease of $9
What are the consequences of per/child increases or decreases?
How will they replace federal PDG that will go away?
Many have PDG planning grants, what is the plan?

12. State Spending per Child Varies

13. Work force issues: Low wages, high stress, high turnover

14. Questions and Resources
Additional Information
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