The Huffington Post – Rebecca Klein
“The number of children enrolled in state-funded preschool programs increased modestly during the 2013-14 school year, even as states still struggle to return to pre-recession levels of funding, says a new report. The National Institute for Early Education Research report, which was released Monday and analyzes the preschool landscape in all 50 states, reveals that preschool enrollment is growing — but it is doing so at a tortoise’s pace. Furthermore, there are still many places around the country with deep pockets of inequality, where kids are severely underserved. “There have been some great improvements,” NIEER Director Steve Barnett told The Huffington Post. “But it matters more than ever what ZIP code you live in.” The report found that in 2014, state-funded preschools nationwide added about 8,500 seats, meaning 4 percent of 3-year-olds and 29 percent of 4-year-olds were served by these programs. However, if enrollment growth were to continue at its current rate, the report points out, it would take 75 years for states to reach 50 percent enrollment for 4-year-olds, and 150 years to reach 70 percent enrollment.”(more)