Preschool And Socioeconomic Status

by Kalliope Bessler

Children begin learning and developing from birth. As they grow, children need social interaction with other children, as well as an environment where they can learn foundational knowledge to help them succeed as they continue through life. According to the First Five Years Foundation, “The overwhelming evidence shows that children who enter kindergarten behind are likely to remain behind throughout their educational careers and beyond”  However, even with the knowledge, attending preschool gives children the foundations to thrive socially and academically throughout their lives.  Preschool is still not widely accessible throughout the United States.

The map below shows the ways that preschool access varies across the U.S. 

Source: Parker, Emily, et al.

State-funded preschool programs in most states are non-universal, which means that access to preschool remains a challenge for many U.S. American parents. States without universal preschool programs typically only provide some low-income families with state-funded preschool. It is not inherently problematic that state-funded pre-k programs are mainly for low-income children. However, it does mean that those state-funded programs can fill up quickly and have stipulations for who can enroll because they exist to serve one demographic. Additionally, in the majority of states with non-universal state-funded pre-k, state-funded preschools are not evenly spread throughout the state, further limiting their accessibility.

Due to the small number of states in the U.S. that provide truly universal preschool, many children, predominantly low-income children, are left struggling when it is time for kindergarten. New York Times correspondent Claire Cain Miller wrote of this, “Achievement gaps between rich and poor children are evident by kindergarten, and classrooms with children from various economic backgrounds have been found to improve children’s learning, particularly for lower-income children.”.

The inconsistent state funding for universal preschool in the United States has put low-income children at a disadvantage in their academics, development, and life-skills. The American Public Health Association has found that, “high-quality early childhood preschool education is pivotal for a child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. In the absence of a universal preschool program, students enter kindergarten with varying levels of social and academic development, creating an educational achievement gap.” When a child does not receive enrichment through schooling from an early age, they are likely going to struggle academically and developmentally for the rest of their lives. Expanded, universal access to early childhood education can give all children in America the tools that they need to learn, grow, and live life to the fullest.

Sources:

APA. “Children, Youth, Families and Socioeconomic Status.” American Psychological Association, 2010, www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/children-families.

First Five Years Fund. “Quality Early Childhood Education: School Readiness.” First Five Years Fund, First Five Years Fund, www.ffyf.org/why-it-matters/school-readiness/.

Miller, Claire Cain. “Public School Is a Child's Right. Should Preschool Be Also?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/upshot/universal-child-care-democratic-platform.html.

Parker, Emily, et al. Education Commission of the States, 2018, How States Fund Pre-K, www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/How-States-Fund-Pre-K_A-Primer-for-Policymakers.pdf.

Sanchez, Claudio. Pre-K: Decades Worth Of Studies, One Strong Message. 3 May 2017, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/05/03/524907739/pre-k-decades-worth-of-studies-one-strong-message.