PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has boosted spending and enrolled more children in prekindergarten, but access to public preschool programs remains low in the Ocean State, according to an annual report by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.
The “State of Preschool” report, based on 2017-18 data, comes as Gov. Gina M. Raimondo is pushing for a universal pre-K program under plan multiyear that would provide preschool for 7,000 4-year-olds by 2024.
For the second consecutive year in the report, Rhode Island is one of three states to meet all 10 benchmarks for quality set by NIEER, noting the state requires that preschool teachers have bachelor’s degrees and they get paid at a rate on par with teachers in kindergarten through third grade.
The report, released Wednesday, found that 33% of 4-year-olds and 5.5% of 3-year-olds enrolled in public preschool programs nationwide – figures that have remained almost unchanged for years.
State funding across the nation failed to keep pace, as spending per child decreased, when adjusted for inflation. NIEER said inadequate funding undermines classroom quality, and most states fail to pay pre-K teachers comparably to K-3 teachers.
In comparison, only 10% of Rhode Island 4-year-olds were enrolled public preschool in 2017-2018, up one percentage point from a year earlier. At the same time, spending per child enrolled in those Rhode Island preschool programs increased to $5,778 in 2018 from $5,284 the year before.
Nationwide, Rhode Island ranks No. 34 in access to state-funded pre-K, No. 18 in terms of spending per child.
“Nationally, we are disappointed by the lack of progress,” said Steven Barnett, NIEER founder and senior co-director. “Rhode Island is moving in the right direction, as one of only three states meeting all NIEER quality benchmarks. However, more work needs to be done so more children can benefit from this quality program.”
According to the NIEER report, Rhode Island met quality benchmarks on maximum class size, staff-child ratio, child screening, staff professional development, teacher training, curriculum support, and early learning and development standards.
In a news release, Raimondo’s office noted that Rhode Island served 1,080 children in state-funded pre-K programs, an increase of 72 children over the previous year. Enrollment has tripled since 2015.
“Rhode Island is already a leader in quality, and we are committed to maintaining those high standards while we push forward to become a leader in equity and access,” Raimondo said.
“The research is clear that getting students into high-quality early learning programs can change the trajectory of their lives,” said Ken Wagner, commissioner of elementary and secondary education. “Children who have access to quality pre-K are more likely to read fluently and joyfully by third grade, a key marker of future success. They’re also less likely to require special education services and more likely to graduate high school. These programs are a high-impact lever to improve student outcomes, and an investment today will pay dividends down the road.”
William Hamilton is PBN staff writer and special projects editor. You can follow him on Twitter @waham or email him at hamilton@pbn.com.
