Georgia preschool students listen to a teacher read a book Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alyssa Pointer)2026-04-22T17:03:41Z
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of 4-year-olds attending state-funded preschools reached record highs last school year, driven by states embracing universal access and an unprecedented $14.4 billion in spending. State-funded preschool enrollment in the U.S. rose to 1.8 million kids, reaching 37% of 4-year-olds and about 10% of 3-year-olds, according to an annual report published Wednesday by the National Institute of Early Education Research. In total, states added 44,000 students to their preschool enrollment. But the report’s authors noted that the gains were smaller than the year prior and said preschool access remains wildly uneven from state to state. Some states even lost ground.
“If providing high-quality preschool education to all 3- and 4-year-olds were a race,” the authors wrote, “some states are nearing the finish line, others have stumbled and fallen behind, and a few have yet to leave the starting line.”
Assistant lead teacher Yolanda Maheia reads a book to a group of preschool students at The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alyssa Pointer)
Assistant lead teacher Yolanda Maheia reads a book to a group of preschool students at The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alyssa Pointer)
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Free preschool has expanded in CaliforniaMore than half the nation’s public preschool enrollment gain — some 25,000 students — came in California, which this year made every 4-year-old eligible for its “ transitional kindergarten ” program, or “TK.” The rapid rollout has had its tradeoffs. The national institute outlines 10 quality benchmarks for preschools, related to teacher training, class size and curriculum. California met just two of them last school year. And private preschool owners say the rush of 4-year-olds joining public schools threatens to cripple their businesses. “Universal TK … is a real win, but it’s also just the start of the work and not the end of it,” said Jessica Sawko of Children Now, which advocates on early childhood issues in California. She noted that the state will hit two more quality benchmarks in next year’s report, by lowering its student-teacher ratio to 10-to-1 and by requiring lead teachers to have early education training.
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The report illustrates some of the difficult tradeoffs states face when they scale up programs quickly or have limited funding. Hawaii is one of six states that meet all the institute’s benchmarks. Its state preschool program also only serves 10% of 4-year-olds.
Evidence is mounting that the impact of high-quality preschool can follow children into adulthood, making them better prepared for kindergarten, more likely to graduate high school and more likely to find work. And it is increasingly seen as essential for success in kindergarten and beyond. Educators now also expect youngsters to start their first year of school already equipped to navigate kindergarten. “We have a lot of kids who still do not fulfill their potential,” said Steven Barnett, founder and director of the early education institute. “We have evidence — very strong evidence — that preschool programs substantially improved the foundation for later success.”
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Some states also recognize that free prekindergarten can make a difference for the wider economy, allowing parents to return to work at a time when private child care is becoming less affordable.
Georgia preschool students play in a classroom at The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alyssa Pointer)
Georgia preschool students play in a classroom at The Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alyssa Pointer)
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Preschool means confident kindergartnersHeather Sufuentes witnessed the impact of preschool when she was principal of Parkview Elementary in Chico, California, as it began its transitional kindergarten program. She said students who attended the program, which has a play-based curriculum and runs the length of a workday, arrived with