Survey Finds Wide Disparity in Preschool Availability

NEA leader Patricia Reeves, a long-time advocate of early childhood education, was on hand to help announce the results of the second annual survey of state preschool programs, which found a huge disparity in availability from state to state.

The report concludes that "across our nation, high-quality and readily available state-funded preschool programs are the exception rather than the rule."

The State of Preschool: 2004 State Preschool Yearbook reports that nationally, total enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds in state-funded programs rose in the past school year, but spending per preschool student fell. Twenty-one states actually cut funding to preschool programs. Twelve states had no state-financed programs at all.

 The Yearbook is a project of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), established by The Pew Charitable Trusts to support early childhood education initiatives by providing objective, nonpartisan research-based information.

Reeves, a kindergarten teacher for 29 years and current chair of NEA's Early Childhood Education Caucus, said students who come to kindergarten without preschool education are behind already and usually end up staying behind for the rest of their school careers.

"A child who enters kindergarten educationally behind other children not only has problems but creates problems for the whole class," she said. "That child needs extra attention and takes time away from the rest of the class."

Shyrelle Eubanks, NEA specialist in Early Childhood Education, said, "The State of Preschool Yearbook highlights the fact that access to a quality preschool education largely depends on where a child lives and family income. The NEA believes that all three and four-year-old children should have access to high quality preschool programs regardless of where they live or their parents' income."

Find out more about the 2004 State Preschool Yearbook findings.