Pre-K Education

Pre-kindergarten is one of the most well-researched public education strategies of the last forty years.  Children who complete quality pre-k programs are more academically and socially prepared when they enter school and more likely to complete high school and contribute to their community as adults.

Despite substantial budget shortfalls for FY 2010, most governors and state legislatures continue to invest wisely in pre-k education for three- and four-year-olds.  A new analysis by Pew’s Pre-K Now campaign  shows that, this year, 29 states and the District of Columbia chose to increase or hold steady funding for pre-k.  Leading economists have found that each dollar spent on quality pre-k saves taxpayers later costs in remedial or special education, public benefits and the criminal justice system.

Download the 2010 “Votes Count” report (Adobe PDF).

What We Do

Pew’s Pre-K Education projects—rigorous, policy-focused and research-based—demonstrate the value of quality early education for all three- and four-year-olds.

Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the States, collaborates with advocates and policy makers to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-k for all.  To fulfill this mission, Pre-K Now:

  • provides targeted financial and technical assistance to advocates and other leaders working to secure policy changes and public funds that will improve the availability and quality of
    state-funded pre-k programs; and
  • educates policy makers and the public about the evidence showing quality pre-k for all will improve children’s school readiness and raise student achievement.

Visit the Pre-K Now Web site  for more about our mission, research and advocacy.

Pew works with a variety of groups to advance access to pre-k programs, including:

  • The National Institute for Early Education Research  (NIEER), which conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children.  NIEER publishes an annual report about enrollment and quality in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs. The institute was established at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education with Pew’s support.

 

 

Reports

Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2010
Oct 22, 2009 - “Votes Count” analyzes states’ pre-k budgets and reveals which legislatures and governors are committing the resources necessary to develop the successful students central to tomorrow’s work force.


Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
New Beginnings: Using Federal Title 1 Funds to Support Local Pre-K Efforts
Sep 01, 2009 - With an infusion of Title I dollars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, school leaders have an opportunity to expand local pre-k programs to more children. This policy paper outlines the increased federal investments in Title I and highlights districts that have used this funding stream successfully to establish and strengthen their early education programs.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Beyond the School Yard: Pre-K Collaborations with Community-Based Partners
Jul 01, 2009 - When state and federal funding for pre-k falls short, school administrators can collaborate with community-based programs to expand higher-quality early learning opportunities to more young children. This report highlights the benefits and challenges of collaboration between K-12, Head Start, faith-based organizations and other community-based groups.  

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Leadership Matters: Governors’ Pre-K Budget Proposals Fiscal Year 2010
May 05, 2009 - "Leadership Matters" evaluates budget proposals for the next year and governors’ remarks in recent state of the state addresses to determine which leaders count voluntary, high-quality pre-k among their top education and economic development strategies.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
The State of Preschool 2008
Apr 08, 2009 - The 2008 State Preschool Yearbook is the sixth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Reading, Writing and Hungry
Nov 19, 2008 - Rising food and energy costs are making food insecurity an increasingly alarming issue for everyone, especially children.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education and the Middle Class
Nov 01, 2008 - This report reveals how eligibility requirements and prohibitively high costs for private pre-k education lead many middle-class families to sacrifice basic household needs to pay for early education and care for their children, or to settle for low-quality options with unproven benefits.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2009
Sep 24, 2008 - This report highlights the business community's interest in pre-k as a strategy to build human capital and the workforce of the future and also ranks – from a parent's perspective – the places families would have the best and worst chances of enrolling their children in a high-quality, state-funded pre-k program; ten states make the notable lists.


Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Meaningful Investments in Pre-K: Estimating the Per-Child Costs of Quality Programs
May 01, 2008 - When state leaders seek to increase investments in pre-k, they face a number of choices and potential tradeoffs. This brief, written jointly with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and Early Childhood Policy, examines the costs associated with quality in pre-kindergarten programs.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Leadership Matters: Governors’ Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2009
Apr 24, 2008 - For fiscal year 2009, 16 governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia acted boldly to protect and grow high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. Their proposals total $261 million in increased funding for pre-k and would make early childhood education programs available to 60,000 more children, if passed by state legislatures. Tested by fiscal challenges, these leaders remained committed to pre-k. Others named here failed to recognize that pre-k is vital to both children’s success in school and the health of the economy.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
The State of Preschool 2007
Mar 19, 2008 - The 2007 State Preschool Yearbook is the fifth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2006-2007 school year. The first report in this series focused on programs for the 2001-2002 school year and established a baseline against which progress may be measured over six years. Tracking these trends is essential, since changes in states' policies on preschool education will influence how successfully America's next generation will compete in the knowledge economy.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Funding the Future: States' Approaches to Pre-K Finance
Feb 01, 2008 - This report highlights strategies and sources that states and some cities are tapping in order to expand and supplement current pre-k funding during tough fiscal times.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality
Oct 31, 2007 - A report from The National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force that details their final set of recommendations for state early childhood accountability systems, and for linking such efforts to standards-based assessment efforts in kindergarten and the primary grades.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2008
Oct 24, 2007 - In fiscal year 2008, high-quality, voluntary, state-funded pre-kindergarten again received substantially increased financial and legislative support from lawmakers in the majority of states. New state pre-k funding exceeds $525 million, an increase of more than 12 percent over FY07 expenditures, bringing total state investments in early education across the country to $4.8 billion.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Pre-K for Military Families: Honoring Service, Educating Children
Jul 03, 2007 - This report recommends that state policymakers help the children of our nation's military personnel meet the unique social, emotional, and education challenges of the military lifestyle by providing them with high-quality pre-k.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Report: Dollars and Sense: A Review of Economic Analyses of Pre-K
May 01, 2007 - This Pre-K Now report reviews 10 studies on the economic impact of pre-k and shows why a growing number of business leaders and economists are increasingly convinced that high-quality pre-k is a sound investment.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Report: The State of Preschool 2006
Mar 14, 2007 - The 2006 State Preschool Yearbook is the fourth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. The 2006 Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2005-2006 school year.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Funding the Future: States’ Approaches to Pre-K Finance
Feb 08, 2007 - The year 2005 saw more than $600 million in funding increases for pre-kindergarten. To better understand this substantial new investment, Pre-K Now presents an in-depth look at the diverse sources tapped by states to fund pre-k.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
Pre-K Education
Jan 01, 2007 - The Pew Charitable Trusts seeks to fundamentally change the way this country invests in education for its young children.  This brochure describes our pre-K strategy and investments.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)
The State of Preschool 2005
Mar 23, 2006 - The third in a series of annual reports produced by the National Institute for Early Education Research that profile state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States.

Read: Summary View: Full Report (Adobe PDF)

News

News Article
Oct 28, 2009 - Preschools, Parents Forced to Adjust Amid Cuts
Opinion Editorial
Oct 26, 2009 - State Wrong to Dispute Pew Report on Spending Cuts
News Article
Oct 22, 2009 - Pre-K Funding Up, Despite State Budget Woes
Press Release
Oct 22, 2009 - Pew Report: Facing Historic Budget Gaps, Most States Protect Pre-Kindergarten
Opinion Editorial
Oct 07, 2009 - Fund Early Childhood Education
News Article
Sep 21, 2009 - Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs
Press Release
Jul 31, 2009 - Pre-K Now Recognizes the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition and United Ways of Texas as Pre-K Champions
Press Release
Jul 20, 2009 - Pew's Pre-K Now Campaign Welcomes Congressional Action on President's $10 Billion Early Learning Pledge
Press Release
May 12, 2009 - Pew Center on the States Comments on President Obama's FY10 Budget Request
Press Release
May 05, 2009 - Pew Study: Despite Budget Shortfalls, the Majority of Governors are Increasing or Protecting Pre-Kindergarten Funding
News Article
Apr 10, 2009 - The State of Preschool 2008 on the NBC Nightly News
Press Release
Apr 08, 2009 - Pew Statement on Report Assessing Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment and Quality
Press Release
Apr 08, 2009 - Economy Threatens Impressive Expansion of State Pre-K Programs
News Article
Mar 24, 2009 - Goal of Preschool for All Tests Education System
News Article
Dec 16, 2008 - Obama Pledge Stirs Hope in Early Education
Press Release
Sep 24, 2008 - Report: Despite Grim Economy, Most State Legislatures Continue to Prioritize Pre-K
Opinion Editorial
Sep 23, 2008 - A New Convert's Views on Early Childhood Education
Press Release
Sep 22, 2008 - Business Leaders Agree Increasing Investment in Nation’s Youngest Children Should be National Economic Priority
Press Release
Mar 19, 2008 - State-Funded Preschool Enrollment Passes One Million Mark
Pew in the Media
Dec 01, 2007 - A Movement Transformed
Press Release
Oct 31, 2007 - Task Force Issues Recommendations to Help States Assess and Improve Early Education Programs
Press Release
Sep 25, 2007 - Report Highlights Record-Breaking Increase in Pre-K Funding
Press Release
Sep 10, 2007 - State and Business Leaders Gather to Discuss How Early Childhood Investments Can Improve American Economy
Pew in the Media
Aug 29, 2007 - As States Tackle Poverty, Preschool Gets High Marks
Opinion Editorial
Jul 19, 2007 - Support Pre-K
Press Release
Aug 16, 2005 - Pew Center on the States Co-Hosts NCSL Seminar on Returns for Investment in Quality Pre-Kindergarten

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Votes Count

Votes Count Cover promo bar Pre-K Now’s newest report finds that 29 states and the District of Columbia increased or protected funding for pre-k, even while they faced budget gaps of up to 35 percent.

The Pre-K Promise

Brochure Cover  promo bar  Download a brochure about why Pew invests in early childhood education.

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