2017

The State of Preschool 2017 annual report, based on 2016-17 academic year data, finds states heeding the demand for pre-K and expanding access to publicly funded programs in a variety of settings. But instead of supporting quality early learning with adequate resources, most state programs invest too little to help children catch up with their more advantaged peers by kindergarten.

“Recent changes in federal policy–including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)–make it clear that progress in early education depends more than ever on the states,” said NIEER Senior Co-Director Steven Barnett. “Our report highlights which states invest best in their young children and which leave too many children behind.”

The NIEER State of Preschool yearbook is the only national report on state-funded preschool programs. This year’s report includes a special section on policies affecting Dual Language Learners (DLLs), and also highlights changes since 2002, when NIEER began tracking state pre-K.

Nationwide, state-funded preschool program enrollment exceeded 1.5 million children, 33 percent of 4-year-olds and 5 percent of 3-year-olds. State funding for preschool rose two percent to about $7.6 billion, an almost $155 million increase (adjusted for inflation), since 2015-2016. State funding per child was $5,008, a slight decline from 2015-16 adjusted for inflation. Three state funded preschool programs met all 10 new quality standards benchmarks. Ten programs met fewer than half, and seven states do not invest any state dollars into preschool.

Yearbook Contents

• Full Report
• Executive Summary
• Dual Language Learners Special Report
• What Qualifies as a State Preschool Program?
• Roadmap to State Profile Pages
• Methodology
• Appendices
• National Press Release / en español
• Dual Language Learners Press Release / en español

State Profiles

Click a state below to view its profile as a PDF document.

American Samoa

Guam

Northern Mariana Islands

Palau

Puerto Rico

Virgin Islands

Appendices

• Appendix A: State Survey Data 2016-2017
• Appendix B: Head Start Data
• Appendix C: U.S. Census Population Data
• Appendix D: Pre-K Special Education Enrollment Data

Suggested Citation: Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Barnett, W. S., Weisenfeld, G. G., Kasmin, R., DiCrecchio, N., & Horowitz, M. (2018). The State of Preschool 2017: State Preschool Yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.

NIEER Pre-K Data Snapshots

Policy briefs addressing specific topics based on State of Preschool yearbook data.

• Maps showing state comparisons based on State of Preschool 2017 data (August 2018)
  Pre-K Enrollment Change 2002-2017
  Quality Standards Benchmarks Met
  State Pre-K Spending per Child
  Percent of 4-year-olds enrolled in State Pre-K
  National Overview
• Opportunities & Policies for Young Dual Language Learners en español (July 2018)
• State Policies Supporting Comprehensive Preschool Services (June 2018)
• State Policies that Support Curriculum in Preschool (May 2018)
• Lead Teacher Workforce: Qualifications, Pay and Parity (May 2018)