Colorado's preschool enrollment more than doubles under Universal Preschool Program
The number of 3- and 4-year-olds attending preschool in Colorado more than doubled in 2023-24, when the state launched its Universal Preschool Program, according to a new national report.
Colorado had 52,617 children ages 3 and 4 in preschool in 2023-24, an increase of 31,277 from the previous year, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, said in a news release.
The state moved from No. 27 nationally to No. 3 in the number of 4-year-olds in preschool with the increase, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research's annual report. Nearly 70% of eligible 4-year-olds in the state enrolled in the Universal Preschool Program, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood said in a news release.
Registration for the 2025-26 school year is continuing, with direct enrollment now available at upk.colorado.gov.
That program, approved by voters as Proposition EE in the November 2020 election, has saved families an average of $6,100 annually on preschool expenses for 4-year-olds, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood news release said. UPK, as the program is known, reimburses nearly 2,000 participating providers for up to 15 hours of preschool each week during the school year for children in the year before they begin kindergarten. The program provides additional hours of coverage for children, including some 3-year-olds, who meet certain qualifying criteria.
Preschool enrollment nationally increased 7% from 2022-23 to an all-time high of more than $1.75 million, report found. More than 60% of that increase came from two states, California and Colorado, 'with ambitious plans for universal preschool.'
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: State-funded program more than doubles Colorado preschool enrollment
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21-05-2025
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Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
Arizona ranks among the lowest in the nation for public preschool enrollment of 4-year-olds, according to a recently released study. During the 2023-24 school year, only 4% of 4-year-olds in Arizona were enrolled in public preschool, falling far below the national average of 35%, according to the 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. Arizona now ranks 44th and 27th for pre-school enrollment among 4- and 3-year-olds, respectively, down from 43rd and 24th in the 2022-23 school year. Despite stagnant preschool enrollment numbers, Arizona saw major increases in overall preschool spending and per-student spending largely due to COVID-19 recovery funding from the federal government, according to the latest State of Preschool Yearbook. Except during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average of 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool has steadily increased since the 2001-02 school year, going from 14% to 37% in the 2023-24 school year. In Arizona in the 2023-24 school year, the share of 4-year-olds enrolled in a public preschool remained similar to pre-pandemic numbers at 4%, but fell below the 6% of 4-year-olds enrolled during the 2001-02 school year. Arizona saw a minimal increase in the number of 3- to 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool in the 2023-24 year compared to the previous year: an uptick of 369 students for a total of 6,323. The total does not include the roughly 9,000 students enrolled in special education and 12,000 students in Head Start. Including special education and Head Start students, only about 13% of 3-year-olds and 18% of 4-year-olds in Arizona are enrolled in public early childhood education. These percentages are still lower than the national average of 17% of three-year-olds and 47% of four-year-olds. Arizona does not support universal preschool, fully-funded preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of income. Washington, D.C., and Vermont have the highest preschool enrollment rates for 3- and 4-year-olds in the nation, and both offer universal preschool. Colorado rocketed from 27th to 3rd place for access to preschool among 4-year-olds after launching its universal preschool program. Arizona also does not require schools to offer full-day kindergarten, and only provides 2.5 hours of state-funded kindergarten, also known as half-day kindergarten. The National Institute for Early Education Research's State of Preschool Yearbook has 10 recommended benchmarks that states should follow for successful and high-quality public preschool. Arizona meets three benchmarks: a comprehensive standard for learning, a strong curriculum and a system designed to continuously improve. The seven benchmarks Arizona does not meet are: a required bachelor's degree and specialized preschool training for preschool teachers, a Child Development Associate credential for assistant teachers, recommended professional development for preschool staff, maximum classroom sizes of 20 students, a 1-to-10 teacher-to-student ratio and annual student health screenings. The benchmarks are only minimums, however, and 'if programs are adequately funded, they're not constrained to do the least that they can do,' said Steve Barnett, the National Institute for Early Education Research's founder. States spent over $13.6 billion in preschool funding in the 2023-34 school year, a 17% increase compared to the previous year. Arizona spent $50.4 million, a 56.4% increase from the previous year. Arizona increased its per student spending for preschoolers by $2,585 to a total of $7,972 and was one of only five states in the country to increase preschool student spending by over $2,500. The National Institute for Early Education Research estimates $10,865 per student would be required for Arizona to deliver high-quality preschools. Arizona's increases were primarily due to the use of COVID-19 recovery funds to expand Quality First Scholarships by First Things First, an early childhood agency. Quality First Scholarships allow families enrolling their child in a participating preschool to help cover some or all of the expenses. First Things First was created to allocate funds from tobacco tax revenues to health programs and early childhood development. With declining sales of tobacco, revenue has dropped 37.9% since 2008, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Despite the declining pool of available funding, First Things First has been spending more on each student's scholarship over the years, which can negatively impact overall enrollment. Coverage of education solutions on and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
Yahoo
21-05-2025
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Free VPK helps ready young children for school, but for some families it's unavailable
This story was updated to correct a misspelling. Five-year-old Marlaina Paulding likes playing in the tents in her VPK classroom at Felix A. Williams Elementary School in Martin County. She likes learning the alphabet and numbers, and the Spanish she learns from her teacher. "I like the color of the tents," said Marlaina. Marlaina and her classmates rotate around different stations in the room, some playing in tents, others putting together blocks and some drawing pictures. Every aspect of the voluntary pre-kindergarten class is designed around education, explained Jennifer Corkern, Martin County school district VPK director. "Some people might call this play, but there's so much learning going on," Corkern said. "Teachers are very intentional on what they set out." When Marlaina and her classmates begin kindergarten in the fall, they will be ready to learn the first day. They already will know the school routine of going to the cafeteria for lunch and how to sit still during story time. They'll know about class rules. Some already will know how to read. Since Florida's first VPK program began in 2005, more than 2.6 million children have enrolled. The voter-approved program provides for 540 instructional hours, about three hours a day, for 4-year-olds during the school year, or 300 hours during the summer, which often is a full-day program. Nationwide, though, Florida ranks 45th in paying for its VPK program, despite being in the top three for the number of children enrolled, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research 2023 State of Preschool report. The report, issued in 2024, points to the fact that states have increased funding, enrollment and quality since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but urged states to do better. During the 2022-2023 school year, 155,668 Florida 4-year-olds were enrolled in VPK. Florida spent about $440.3 million, and an additional $48.9 million from the federal government, for the VPK program, or about $3,142 per student. The 2024 State of Preschool was due out in late April. While some studies show VPK prepares young children for kindergarten and beyond, others are inconclusive about any long-term effects of the program. Factors such as the quality of students' elementary schools need to be considered, said Karyn Allee, a Mercer University elementary education assistant professor and co-author of the 2019 study "Direct and Indirect Impacts of Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Readiness and Achievement," written when she was a University of Central Florida doctoral student. "We could not find any (long-term) effect," Allee said. The state Department of Education was not forthcoming with data needed for the study, she said. That made determining whether Florida's program was effective either short- or long-term difficult, she said. "We might hypothesize it is, but we can't verify that," Allee said. Scores on standardized test show children enrolled in the program show up for kindergarten better-prepared for school. About 70% of Martin County children who completed the VPK program in 2023 tested as-ready for kindergarten, while 63% in Indian River and 57% in St. Lucie scored as school-ready, according to scores from the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking given to kindergarten students. In contrast, 35% of those in Martin County who did not attend VPK were school-ready, 48% in Indian River and 31% in St. Lucie, When students arrive in kindergarten without VPK, teachers in kindergarten through the primary grades work to catch them up on the literacy skills they missed, such as letter recognition and sounds. Educators say students can catch up to their peers — some very quickly — but it might take time. Schools are in a race, as the first high-stakes state test is just four years away. Students who fail the state's third-grade reading assessment are at risk of repeating the grade. School and district grades, too, are based on test scores. "That is a challenge," said St. Lucie County schools Deputy Superintendent Helen Wild. The district uses interventions to provide extra help, particularly in the early grades, she said. Emphasis is placed on daily attendance, because every moment is needed. "We do not want to continue to fall behind," Wild said. "The only way we can get their children caught up is if they are in school every day." Districts with a higher number of low-income students are at a greater disadvantage, Wild pointed out. Those children might not have had the same opportunities and exposure to words, vocabulary and learning, she said. "There is no doubt that higher-poverty districts have challenges to get caught up," Wild said. Without a quality elementary school, however, VPK benefits can fade away by the third grade, Allee said. Curriculum misalignment, for example, can impact students if what they learn in VPK is not carried on in kindergarten and throughout their school career, she said. This can be seen particularly in schools with predominantly low-income students and possibly fewer resources, Allee said. Students in more affluent districts, with more resources in elementary school, can bypass their disadvantaged classmates, even without having VPK, she said. Districts need to do a better job aligning educational curriculum for students, she said. It's more than just learning numbers and reading, educators said. VPK teaches children the routine of school and social skills. If students arrive in kindergarten already knowing these basics, teachers can start teaching academics, educators said. In Maria Kammeraad's VPK class at Felix A. Williams Elementary, for example, children can count to 100. They know addition and subtraction and receive daily Spanish lessons. Students learn colors, shapes and how to describe the shapes. "We cover every area. They are ready for kindergarten," Kammeraad said. While many of these children can catch up to their peers' literacy skills within a few weeks, others might spend years struggling to master concepts by the third grade, when reading becomes a high-stakes test. There are reasons why parents choose not to enroll their children in a VPK program. For some working families, VPK is a free opportunity they are unable to afford, educators said. School districts have limited spaces in their VPK programs during the school year, and before- and after-care is unavailable, Transportation often is not provided to VPK children. "Not everyone ends up having access to VPK," said Kelly Baysura, Indian River County schools' assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Indian River's district-operated VPK, for example, is always filled and has a waitlist, forcing parents to seek enrollment at private day cares or enroll their children in the summer full-day program. "There aren't enough seats in the county for our needs," Baysura said. Private day care facilities designated by the state as VPK providers often offer only a free three-hour VPK, charging parents for any wrap-around care before or after the program. That can be expensive for families. Some working families often have to use a family member to watch children or place children in a day care unapproved for VPK, she said. "It's an unmet need for our youngest children," Baysura said. For those families unable to get students into the district VPK program, Baysura urges them to talk with their children, read to them and engage them in conversation. "The more we talk to (children), the more they learn," Baysura said. Everyday items, such as cereal boxes in grocery stores, can be a reading lesson, she said. "They need to hear us articulate words." Teachers can tell when a child without those conversation skills enters school, Baysura said. "Their vocabulary," she said, "is diminished by thousands compared to their peers." Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers. She covers school districts in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Free VPK prepares for school; but not for all Treasure Coast families
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16-05-2025
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What to know about Iowa's fifth-place ranking for preschool attendance
Iowa ranks fifth in the nation for access to 4-year-old preschool, according to a new report by the National Institute for Early Education Research. During the 2023-24 school year, 67% of Iowa 4-year-olds attended a state-funded preschool program, the "2024 State of Preschool Yearbook" report released April 29 said. Nationally, 37% of 4-year-olds were enrolled. The District of Columbia, Vermont, Colorado and West Virginia beat Iowa for the top four spots. This is the 22nd State of Preschool Yearbook put out by the nonpartisan National Institute for Early Education Research at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. The state rankings were determined using the percentage of 4 and 3-year-old students enrolled in state preschools, state spending per enrolled child and all reported spending per enrolled child. This is the third year that Iowa has ranked fifth in the nation, according to the institute's data. In 2021, Iowa ranked third in the country. During the 2023-24 school year, a total of 28,189 preschool-aged children participated in Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program and Shared Visions Program, the report states. This is a decrease of 5 from the previous year. Preschool is not mandatory in Iowa, but in recent years there has been a push to expand access to all-day classes for 4-year-olds. Des Moines Public Schools and the Iowa Catholic Conference have been among those asking lawmakers for additional funding. Providing all-day care for children has also been a priority of Gov. Kim Reynolds during the 2025 legislative session. Senate File 445 — which has already passed the Senate — would open new grant opportunities for state preschool programs and childcare providers to work together if it were signed into is important that state's invest in their children's futures, said W. Steven Barnett, NIEER's senior director and founder, in the organization's news release. 'Iowa leaders should be proud of the state's ranking of fifth in the nation – and first in the Midwest – in serving four-year-olds in quality preschool," Barnett said. "State leaders can now work to expand preschool access to more three-year-olds while ensuring that per-pupil investments are adequate to help providers meet quality standards." Related: Gov. Kim Reynolds' bill incentivizing preschool-child care partnerships passes Iowa Senate Iowa came in 21st in the nation for number of 3-year-olds enrolled in state-funded preschool programs during the 2023-24 school year, the report states. Only 6% of the state's 3-year-olds were enrolled at that time. Nationally, 8% of 3-year-olds were enrolled in similar programs. Iowa came in 22nd in the 2023 report. During the 2023-24 school year, the state spent $96.6 million on its preschool students, according to the group's findings. That is up 1% or $746,282 from the 2022-23 school year. Per child, the cost was '$3,735 in 2023-2024, up $49 from 2022-2023.' Iowa pays about half of the per-pupil rate for 4-year-old preschool students. Across the U.S., states "spent more than $13.6 billion on preschool in 2023-24, including $257 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars," the institute's news release states. "This represents an increase of nearly $2 billion (17%) over the previous year." California, New Jersey, New York and Texas accounted for 51% of total preschool spending nationally, research showed. Related: Des Moines, DMPS partner to offer free all-day preschool to 4-year-olds The report does raise concerns about how the Trump administration's proposed cuts to federal agencies will impact initiatives like Head Start, a government-funded early learning program. Currently, the Trump administrations is considering a proposed 2026 budget which excludes funding for the decades-old program. Related: Head Start on chopping block despite being a top priority of Kim Reynolds, Iowa leaders "Nearly 5,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Iowa could lose access to Head Start if federal funding for the program is eliminated,' said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report, in the news release. 'Increased uncertainty about federal funding underscores the urgency for states to prioritize and expand early childhood investments.' To read the report go to Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@ Follow her on X at @svhernandez, Bluesky at @ or at This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa ranks fifth in nation for 4-year-old preschool attendance
