By Debra J. Ackerman, W. Steven Barnett, Laura E. Hawkinson, Kirsty Brown and Elizabeth A. McGonigle
NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 18, March 2009)
Summary
Over the last decade, state-funded preschool education programs have grown and now enroll more than one million children. However, preschool access in most states is limited to at-risk children. Three states currently offer “preschool for all” – Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. Three other states are slated to have preschool for all by the next five years – Illinois, New York and West Virginia. This policy brief examines the journeys of these six states in achieving a plan for preschool for all.