The recession is over, but its effects are cutting into funding for pre-kindergarten, as total state and per-child spending fell. It would have been even worse without federal economic stimulus dollars, a new report found.
The State of Preschool paints a picture of a difficult 2010 for early education. Total state funding for pre-kindergarten fell for the second consecutive year, dropping nearly $30 million, while state funding per child, adjusted for inflation, fell in nearly half of states with pre-k programs – 19 out of 40, according to the annual analysis released today by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Overall, enrollment of U.S. four-year-old students, however, increased slightly to 26 percent from 25 percent.
The funding situation may get worse even as the economy slowly recovers. Federal funds to help states weather the recession are now gone. Without the aid from the federal economic stimulus, funding per child would have been even lower, approaching its lowest level since 2002 when NIEER began tracking state preschool performance. – “The State of Preschool 2010: State Preschool Yearbook.”
Washington state received a good rating for quality – its preschool programs met nine out of ten of the analysis’s benchmarks. It also ranked sixth among all states in spending per enrolled child.
But, the state’s budget problems cut its ability to serve families. Washington ranked among the worst states in the percentage of its children enrolled in pre-k, coming in 31st out of 40 states, the report said.
Amid all of the state budgetary woes around the country last year there was some good news. Two states, Rhode Island and Alaska, added preschool programs, though those were pilot projects. And overall enrollment across the country rose.
But, it was a tough year:
- Five states (Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio) now enroll fewer children in state preschool programs than they did 10 years ago.
- Enrollment of 3-year-olds decreased across the country with nine states cutting enrollment by 10 percent or more. They were Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington.
- Five state programs met all 10 quality standards. They were Alabama, Alaska, one of the three Louisiana programs, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.
– “State of Preschool”
“Overall, state cuts to preschool funding transformed the recession into a depression for many young children,” Steven Barnett, author of the report and co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said in a statement.
As a journalist I was encouraged to see that the analysis garnered a lot of media attention, with reports in The Washington Post, The Washington Times and The Los Angeles Times, to highlight three. The report also was quickly covered in prominent early education blogs: Early Years, Early Ed Watch and EarlyStories.
Even with these budget cuts, the importance of early education may be gaining traction with the public.