How states are excelling in quality preschool and reducing inequality

Alabama is scoring high marks for supporting children in preschool.

That’s no surprise to Keri Lee, a lead pre-K teacher at Good Times Center YMCA of Greater Montgomery.

“The state of Alabama doesn't get much recognition for education besides our football programs. We do football very well in the South,” Lee says. “But for Alabama, our pre-K in the State Department of Early Childhood really has done a great job with this program. And it is one of the best things that Alabama is doing right now for our young children.”

Researchers at The National Institute for Early Education Research say Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi and Rhode Island are the only five states to meet all 10 of their minimum quality standards for state preschool in the latest State Preschool Yearbook.

NIEER releases its findings each year for state preschools across the country with guidance on everything from a teacher’s education level to classroom size.

A map of the 2022-2023 school year data shows how schools in each state are doing.

Alison Friedman-Krauss, an assistant research professor at NIEER, says state funding is up broadly and so is enrollment. But she worries about a widening gap in inequality.

“While many states are moving ahead, and states really have recovered from the pandemic at this point, this is leaving other states behind,” she says.

6 questions with Alison Friedman-Krauss

Why is Alabama a leader in preschool education?

“Alabama is one of five states that meets all 10 of [our] quality standard benchmarks. Alabama has been the only state that has met all ten quality standard benchmarks for 18 years.

“Alabama is a model in that it started as a small program with a strong focus on quality, and they've maintained that focus on quality and they've built that program up and expanded access to more and more 4-year-olds.”

Which states could use improvement? 

“There are six states right now that still don't have any state-funded preschool programs. That includes Indiana, Idaho, New Hampshire, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana. So children in those states don't have access to any state-funded preschool programs.

“[There are] other states, too, like Florida, that [are] serving a very large portion of their 4-year-olds, but they are not really investing in quality. They're not putting the money behind it. Their per-child spending is very low. They're making some progress in the last year to put in some quality improvement systems… maybe we'll see movement there.

“Florida and Texas, two of the largest states serving the most children, look pretty bad on the quality front.”

Why does access matter for three and 4-year-olds?

“Two years of quality preschool can have larger impacts… We've seen only D.C. and Vermont can be considered truly universal for three and 4-year-olds. Illinois, New Jersey and Arkansas also have sort of equal access for three and 4-year-olds. We see New Mexico is moving in this direction. Their new universal preschool initiative is for both three and 4-year-olds. So two years of preschool can have larger impacts than one.”

How available is half-day versus full-day preschool?

“We saw some great news on this front. So since 2010, the percentage of children in full-day preschool programs has increased from 40% to 70%. That’s of the children who do attend preschool.

“We've seen a similar shift in Headstart enrollment as well, from part-day programs to full-day programs. And this is really important not just for the developmental benefits for children, but also to support the needs of working families.

“We hear a lot in the news about the need for child care, but it's rarely mentioned that full-day preschool is quality child care that supports both the children and the families. And when programs can also provide before and after care to extend the day further, that's even more support for working families.”

How do preschools support the complex needs of young children post-pandemic?

“I really do think this comes back to supporting teachers and having qualified teachers in the classrooms. Teachers who understand the unique developmental needs of three and 4-year-olds, how to support them social-emotionally and academically or cognitively.

“Teachers also need support from coaches, from principals, from some directors to be able to make those connections, to have time to really provide individualized attention to each child.

“I've talked to people in Mississippi lately, which is another state that's really making some great progress in preschool, both increasing access over the last few years, but also really committed to supporting their workforce through coaching.”

What is the role of the federal government moving forward?

“We think the federal government does have a role to support equal access to quality preschool. We estimate that it's about $3 billion …  to serve all additional 4-year-olds in high-quality, full-day preschool.

“If the federal government could pitch in about $1.5 billion a year over the next ten years, with states matching that, they could make a big dent and really help states come a long way and reduce the inequality that we're seeing and access to quality preschool.”

Ashley Locke produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Michael Scotto. Locke also adapted it for the web.