The State of Preschool Yearbook 2020
The State of Preschool 2020 annual report finds that growth in state-funded preschool had slowed, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. And the COVID-19 pandemic imposed huge setbacks on preschool. Progress had also been uneven across the states, resulting in increased inequality in children’s access to high-quality preschool.
This report focuses on the 2019-2020 academic year but also provides information on the pandemic’s impacts on state-funded preschool into the 2020-2021 school year. Across the 44 states, DC, and Guam that funded a preschool program in 2019-2020, 34% of 4-year-olds and 6% of 3-year-olds were enrolled, essentially the same as last year. Three state-funded preschool programs made changes to gain an additional benchmark for minimum quality standards. States spent $300 million more on preschool (adjusted for inflation) than the prior year and state spending per child increased after two years of stagnation.
However, most states still spend too little per child to support high-quality, full-day pre-K and most do not come close to reaching all 3- and 4-year-olds or even all low-income 3- and 4-year-olds. Now is the time for a renewed commitment to and investment in high-quality preschool. A federal-state partnership can ensure fewer children miss out on the opportunity for a high-quality preschool experience.

Yearbook Contents
- Full Report
- Executive Summary
- Special Report: The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Preschool
- What Qualifies as a State Preschool Program?
- Roadmap to State Profile Pages
- Methodology
- 2020 Survey Data
- Non-Survey Data
- National Press Release / en español
- Pre-release Reporters Briefing (YouTube)
State Profiles
Click a state to view its profile.
Alabama
Profile News ReleaseAlaska
Profile News ReleaseArizona
Profile News ReleaseArkansas
Profile News ReleaseCalifornia
Profile News ReleaseColorado
Profile News ReleaseConnecticut
Profile News ReleaseDelaware
Profile News ReleaseDistrict of Columbia
Profile News ReleaseFlorida
Profile News ReleaseGeorgia
Profile News ReleaseHawaii
Profile News ReleaseIdaho
Profile News ReleaseIllinois
Profile News ReleaseIndiana
Profile News ReleaseIowa
Profile News ReleaseKansas
Profile News ReleaseKentucky
Profile News ReleaseLouisiana
Profile News ReleaseMaine
Profile News ReleaseMaryland
Profile News ReleaseMassachusetts
Profile News ReleaseMichigan
Profile News ReleaseMinnesota
Profile News ReleaseMississippi
Profile News ReleaseMissouri
Profile News ReleaseMontana
Profile News ReleaseNebraska
Profile News ReleaseNevada
Profile News ReleaseNew Hampshire
Profile News ReleaseNew Jersey
Profile News ReleaseNew Mexico
Profile News ReleaseNew York
Profile News ReleaseNorth Carolina
Profile News ReleaseNorth Dakota
Profile News ReleaseOhio
Profile News ReleaseOklahoma
Profile News ReleaseOregon
Profile News ReleasePennsylvania
Profile News ReleaseRhode Island
Profile News ReleaseSouth Carolina
Profile News ReleaseSouth Dakota
Profile News ReleaseTennessee
Profile News ReleaseTexas
Profile News ReleaseUtah
Profile News ReleaseVermont
Profile News ReleaseVirginia
Profile News ReleaseWashington
Profile News ReleaseWest Virginia
ProfileNews ReleaseWisconsin
Profile News ReleaseWyoming
Profile News ReleaseAmerican Samoa
ProfileCommonwealth of The Northern Mariana Islands
ProfileGuam
Profile News ReleasePalau
ProfilePuerto Rico
ProfileVirgin Islands
ProfileNon-Survey Data
- Appendix A: State Survey Data 2019-2020
- 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., Garver, K. A., Hodges, K. S., Weisenfeld, G. G. & Gardiner, B. A. (2021). The State of Preschool 2020: State Preschool Yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.