1. Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Efforts In Early-Childhood Education With Support From the Pew Charitable Trusts Building Blocks For Success

2. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts Special theme each year Focus on state policy Comparable state-by-state data Analysis of research and trends States graded on standards and accountability, improving teacher quality, school climate, and adequacy and equity of education resources

3. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Why early-childhood education? Children learn from the moment they are born Just like in K-12 education, when we look at early care and education, quality counts Research shows that young children benefit academically and socially from high-quality early- childhood programs The reality today is that the majority of preschool-age children are cared for outside the home for at least part of the day by someone other than their parents

4. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 During a typical week, about 62 percent of children under age 5 spend part of their day cared for outside the home – 30 hours per week, on average …

5. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 These almost 12 million children are cared for in a variety of settings – from public schools and Head Start centers to churches and private care homes …

6. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 What are states doing to ensure quality in early-childhood education and care? Access Funding Program standards Teacher quality School readiness and assessment

7. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Education Week’s Report Card on the States For the 6 th year, Quality Counts tracks the health of public education systems in the 50 states and, for the first time this year, the District of Columbia This year, states are graded on standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, and education resources States averaged a C across categories States earning the highest overall grades include Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina

8. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts provides a wealth of information, not only on early-childhood policies, but on K-12 education – including how states will measure up on the new ESEA testing requirements …

9. Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Efforts In Early-Childhood Education With Support From the Pew Charitable Trusts Building Blocks For Success

10. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts 2002 takes a look at the uneven landscape of state efforts in early-childhood education and care …

11. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Kindergarten Every state and D.C. provides at least some funding for kindergarten But 9 states – Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania – still don’t require districts to provide kindergarten Only 8 states and D.C. require districts to provide full-day kindergarten Just 13 states and D.C. require children to attend kindergarten

12. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Prekindergarten 39 states and D.C. have state-financed pre-K programs for 3- and 4-year-olds In all, states are investing about $1.9 billion to help more than 765,000 children attend pre-K But efforts are uneven – per-child expenditures range from just a few hundred dollars in Minnesota to almost $8,000 in Oregon A quarter of the states with pre-K programs are serving at least 20,000 children. Four states are serving 500 or fewer children

13. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Head Start In 2000, states received approximately $4.5 billion in Head Start grants 21 states and D.C. are supplementing Head Start with state funds – Ohio has made the largest commitment to expanding Head Start access with about $100 million in added state funds Head Start provides access to early care and education to more than 760,000 poor children

14. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Child Care In 2001, states received $4.4 billion from the federal Child Care and Development Fund to subsidize child care States transferred about 14 percent of their $24 billion in welfare funds (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) to bolster child- care efforts States spent about $1.5 billion of their 2000 welfare allocation directly on child care 26 states and D.C. provide child-care tax credits to families

15. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Are state efforts adequate to meet children’s needs? In 19 states, a family of three earning as little as $25,000 per year could not qualify for child-care assistance in 2000 A 2000 study by the federal Child Care Bureau indicates that nationwide, only about 12 percent of children eligible for federal child-care subsidies receive them. No state did better than serve 25 percent of eligible children with federal subsidies Pre-K programs serve a range from about 2 percent to 50 percent of 4-year-olds in the states

16. Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Efforts In Early-Childhood Education With Support From the Pew Charitable Trusts Building Blocks For Success

17. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts 2002 finds great variability in states’ efforts to ensure quality across early-childhood settings …

18. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Licensing Standards Traditionally, “quality” in early-childhood education has focused on ensuring basic protections such as physical safety – not on learning 20 states have no regulations for the maximum group size of child-care centers 18 states do not regulate child-care providers who care for up to four children In many states, certain settings are exempt from state licensing entirely

19. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Standards for Pre-K Almost all states have standards for elementary school, and 19 states and D.C. have specific expectations for kindergarten Only 15 states and D.C. have specific standards for pre-K 5 states are drafting pre-K standards But many of those states don’t require pre-K programs to adhere to the standards. Only 6 states – California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, and Washington – require programs to follow pre-K standards

20. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Efforts to Improve Program Quality The federal government requires states to use 4 percent of their Child Care and Development Fund grants and 25 percent of new Head Start dollars for quality initiatives 7 states require state-financed pre-K programs to earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children 26 states and D.C. offer tiered reimbursements to child- care providers that meet quality standards

21. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 As a nation, the U.S. pays about as much to parking-lot attendants and dry-cleaning workers as it does to those who care for children …

22. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Teacher Training Every state requires teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but only 20 states and D.C. with state-financed pre-K programs expect the same from pre-K teachers With the exception of Rhode Island, no state requires teachers in child-care centers to hold a bachelor’s degree and have early-childhood training 30 states don’t have ANY preservice education requirements for child-care workers

23. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Efforts to Improve Teacher Quality By 2003, 50 percent of Head Start teachers must have at least an associate’s degree in early childhood 18 states have Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) programs. States spent more than $17 million to provide more than 14,000 scholarships in 2000-01 9 states have compensation programs that reward child-care providers for improving their education credentials

24. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Ensuring School Readiness 17 states mandate readiness testing for kindergartners, primarily to identify children with special needs or help plan instruction 6 states use kindergarten assessment to provide a snapshot of school readiness statewide 15 states and D.C. require diagnostic or developmental testing of prekindergartners No state uses these assessments for high- stakes purposes

25. Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Efforts In Early-Childhood Education With Support From the Pew Charitable Trusts Building Blocks For Success

26. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts 2002 grades the states on standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, and the adequacy and equity of education resources …

27. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Student Achievement New math and science scores released in 2001 17 states showed significant gains in the percentage of 4 th or 8 th grade students scoring at or above proficient in math since 1996 – 9 states showed significant improvement for both 4 th and 8 th graders 7 states showed significant improvements in the percentage of 8 th graders performing at or above proficient in science

28. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Quality Counts continues to track developments over time on state accountability policies...

29. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Improving Teacher Quality 11 states have policies to encourage pay-for-performance 11 states have incentives to encourage teachers to teach in low-performing schools 44 states provide professional development funds – three- fourths provide such funds to all districts Up from 10 states in 1999, 15 states now have induction programs for new teachers Three states have added subject-knowledge tests to their basic-skills tests required of teachers – bringing the total to 32 All but 2 states – Nebraska and Texas – have incentives for teachers to obtain National Board certification

30. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 School Climate Ungraded for 2002 while we improve our indicators Current topics include: student engagement, parent involvement, school safety, choice and autonomy, class size, and school facilities 19 states require school safety information to be included on school report cards 31 states have implemented a class-size reduction program or limit class size by law 22 states track the condition of all school facilities in the state

31. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 Resources Education Week refined the adequacy measures this year All 50 states and D.C. increased their average per-pupil spending from 2000 to 2001, but only 31 states increased spending enough to outpace inflation 4 states received a perfect score on the adequacy index: Delaware, New York, Wyoming, and New Jersey

32. Q U A L I T Y C O U N T S 2 0 0 2 State Efforts In Early-Childhood Education With Support From the Pew Charitable Trusts Building Blocks For Success