Using The State of Preschool 2009

Each year, when we publish the NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook, we rank the various state pre-K programs based on children’s access to them and resources allocated to pre-K in each state. Beyond these rankings, however, there’s lots to learn from the print edition and even more in the online edition, which contains an informative appendix.

For each pre-K initiative, the print edition has a profile page with an overview of the program’s evolution and specific information on access, quality standards, and resources for the program. What many may not realize is there is also a multitude of additional information that we collect, analyze, and post online. That’s where we make available data on policies pertaining to eligibility criteria, operating schedule, program standards, early learning standards, personnel, monitoring, and family engagement. There’s also supplementary information on access, quality standards, and resources.

For the first time, these online data are available in an interactive format that enables users to access state-specific information on a variety of measures. With this tool, they can see where their state ranks, gather information on specific topics of interest, or look at pre-K programs in a particular region of the country.

To view the interactive dataset and see how your state is doing, you can go to http://stateofpreschool.org/. The entire report can be found at www.nieer.org/yearbook. In future blog posts, we’ll be looking at how the new yearbook data inform such topics as ELL standards, teacher pay and qualifications, curriculum, monitoring, and quality.

Dale J. Epstein

Assistant Research Professor

NIEER