Pre-K Programs Expand Across the US, But Quality Falls Behind
Pre-school education programmes in the United States experienced the highest levels of state-level budget increases and enrolment rates in their history last year. According to the 2024 report by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), a leading centre for early childhood education research and policy analysis, total state spending on pre-school education rose by approximately 17 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching $13.6 billion. The number of enrolled children also increased by 7 per cent, rising to 1.75 million.
Despite this expansion, concerns regarding quality standards persist. NIEER expert Allison Friedman-Krauss noted that while the programmes have grown, there has been a decline in quality policies. The report indicated that 44 per cent of enrolled children attend programmes that do not meet NIEER’s established quality benchmarks.
The decline in standards is particularly apparent in high-budget states such as California, Florida and Texas. This trend is attributed to states prioritising enrolment numbers in order to secure greater access to federal funding, while neglecting quality criteria.
In addition, the federal government has ended the emergency funding provided during the pandemic. Furthermore, the Trump administration implemented budget cuts to the Head Start programme, one of the oldest and largest federal initiatives offering comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parental engagement services to low-income children and families. These developments have cast uncertainty over the future of funding allocated to pre-school education.
NIEER director Steven Barnett emphasised that expanding enrolment without simultaneously improving the quality of education is insufficient. He called on states to raise their standards in order to deliver meaningful early education.
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