State-by-State Preschool Rankings

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released its 2014 State of Preschool report this week. It rates states on preschool access, public funding, and quality measures. Washington’s report card is here. Our state ranks 33^rd in access for 4-year-olds and 8^th in terms of state spending. We also met 9 out of 10 quality standards.

This Associated Press article details current efforts led by State Rep. Ruth Kagi to expand access to quality preschool around the state.

The report also gives a shout out to Seattle for moving forward with its own preschool program in its recommendations section: “When states do not adequately support high-quality pre-K, communities should act on their own as cities across the nation from New York to Seattle have already done.”

NIEER’s director, Dr. Steven Barnett, has presented to the City Council before and is a member of the team selected to evaluate the Seattle Preschool Program.