WASHINGTON IS A LEADER IN HIGH-QUALITY PUBLIC PRESCHOOL, BUT MOST FAMILIES CAN’T ACCESS IT
It’s springtime, and that means the release of the 2023 State of Preschool Yearbook.
Each year, researchers at the National Institute for Early Education Research author a report that takes an in-depth look at public preschool programs across the country. The report is helpful to track state and national trends, while also providing information to help organizations build data-informed advocacy. You can jump directly to Washington’s state profile on their interactive website here or head to page 153 of the full report for a deeper dive. In the meantime, we want to highlight a few important developments for our state-funded preschool program across the state.
An important note:
In Washington state, most young children are cared for privately, either by a family member or in private early learning programs. The 2023 State of Preschool Yearbook only focuses on states’ public preschool programs. Washington’s public preschool program is called the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). Children who attend private preschool, Head Start (which is funded by the federal government), or only receive special education services (but not ECEAP) are not included in this report. As a result, the information in this report is helpful to understand how Washington is doing as a state to provide a preschool program as a public service; however, there are many other ways families can access preschool.
We’re investing in high-quality early learning through ECEAP.
ECEAP meets 9 out of 10 benchmarks for high-quality early learning. Although the report recommends more formal training for preschool teachers, it also notes that Washington is generally providing high-quality preschool through ECEAP. ECEAP has small classes (no more than 20 students), with at least one teacher for every 10 children. There are also efforts in place to make sure that ECEAP is comprehensive and uses data to help identify areas of improvement.
Across the country, Washington is ranked 5th for per-child funding for children enrolled in the state public preschool program. In 2023, that was estimated at about $13,500 per child. That’s just over 82% of the amount NIEER estimates is needed to cover the true cost of high-quality child care and sets Washington apart as a leader in funding its preschool program for students who are already enrolled.
However, state-funded preschool remains inaccessible for most families.
Washington state ranks 33rd in accessibility for 4-year-olds, or in the bottom 40% of all states. Although Washington has made early learning more of a legislative priority in recent years, most families with young children still do not have access to public preschool.
In fact, the vast majority of 3- and 4-year-olds in Washington are NOT enrolled in Washington’s ECEAP preschool program, and there is a substantial gap between Washington and the U.S. average for 4-year-old enrollment. Many states have moved towards expanding access to allow most or all 4-year-olds to attend state-funded preschool/pre-kindergarten. However, 84% of our state’s 4-year-olds are not enrolled in ECEAP.
ECEAP has strict income limits, commonly 36% of the state median income. Within these limits, DCYF estimates that a family of 3 would need to make $36,408 or less to qualify for ECEAP.
A lack of access exacerbates early learning gaps and inequity in education. State data show that Black and Latino families enroll in ECEAP programming at higher rates compared to Asian/Pacific Islander, White, and Indigenous families. However, DCYF reports that less than 40% of eligible children are enrolled in ECEAP in the 2023-2024 school year. There simply are not enough spaces available.
Notably, the report does not cover private preschool programs. However, the gap in state-funded preschool leaves parents of young children to make challenging financial decisions to either pay high costs of private preschool or enlist a family member or friend to care for their children at home. By 2019, the median cost for private preschools exceeded $11,000 per year for each child.
NIEER estimates it would cost $988 million to fund universal preschool for all of Washington’s 4-year-olds and meet the quality guidelines discussed in the report.
What did policymakers do in 2024?
The 2024 session was a supplemental budget year. Although we still have a lot of work to do, policymakers took impactful steps that will benefit families and children across the state, including:
Simplifying child care subsidy requirements for families receiving food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Expanding Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) eligibility to help more child care teachers qualify for subsidies to enroll their own children in high-quality early learning programs
Supporting early intervention services by adjusting how the state counts Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) services to help ensure children and providers have access to sustainable funding
Investing in early learning infrastructure by improving funding awards through the Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program
Making background checks more accessible by increasing the number of locations for applicants who are applying to early learning positions
For more information on policy changes during the 2024 session, you can view our full 2024 Legislative Report here!
Why Early Childhood Education?
Early childhood care and education is important to equity and child well-being. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) explains that early childhood education helps young children establish a strong foundation for their lifelong development of mental health, social skills, reading, math, and complex problem-solving. Preschools provide a safe community for children to play, explore, and learn.
Preschool is also an important space to identify children who may need early intervention support. Zero to Three estimates that approximately 1 in 6 young children experience a developmental delay, and early learning spaces can both help ensure that children get the support they need when they need it.
What about the rest of the United States?
On the national level, funding remains a challenge. Preschool programs are not available to every child, and those that are most often do not meet high quality standards.
Unfortunately, preschool education remains underfunded across the country. When we consider rising costs of all goods and services (i.e., inflation), real spending for each preschooler has remained essentially the same for about 20 years; meanwhile, K-12 funding per student has increased by about 30%.
NIEER estimates that it would take a $30 billion nationwide investment to provide high-quality pre-kindergarten for 90% of 4-year-olds. In the meantime, many families across the country are struggling to find reliable care and education for their youngest children.
So, what can we do?
Our team is working with communities and advocates across the state to prepare for Washington’s 2025 legislative session. You can follow our team’s updates here. In the meantime, if you want to share your story, please email us at action@childrensalliance.org!