MIAMI, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A first-of-its-kind survey showed Thursday that state preschool programs are not doing their job when it comes to access, resources and quality.
A few states, such as Georgia and Oklahoma, are doing better than others, but there are 10 states that don't provide any funding for the education of pre-kindergartners, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
That wouldn't be surprising 40 years ago, when there was virtually no education for 3 and 4 year olds outside the home. But times have changed, said the institute's study, entitled the 2003 State Preschool Yearbook.
"In the 21st century, no topic in education is more important that the education of our young children, which is far different today than it was just a few decades ago," the study said.
"Today most children attend a preschool prior to kindergarten," it said. "Yet they do so in a system that is highly uneven in access, educational quality and the financial burden imposed on families."
The study said governments are starting to address those problems but that there is a long way to go and that currently the states "are failing our nation's children."
It said the quality standards in many states are "far too low."
"Low quality standards and funding levels in most states means too many kids will start school ill-prepared to succeed or even to behave," said W. Steven Barnett, director of the institute.
"That hurts these kids and all the other kids in their classrooms," he said in a prepared statement. "States need to do more. And, since many states do not have the resources to fully fund good preschools, the federal government also needs to make a major new investment."
The study cited other studies that show that high quality preschool programs increase test scores and decrease the number of disadvantaged children who are held back or put in special education classes.
It said long-term follow-up studies show that high quality preschool programs boost high school graduation rates, college enrollment, employment and earnings while they reduce crime and delinquency.
The study credited Georgia and Oklahoma with providing more access to preschool programs than any other state. Also receiving high marks were Illinois, Arkansas and the Abbott Districts of New Jersey.
Comprising New Jersey's 30 highest poverty districts, the Abbott Districts' full-day preschool program rates as one of the study's stars, ranking above average in virtually all categories.
The states that provide no preschool funding are Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Florida and Rhode Island failed to provide enough data for evaluation.
The Florida Legislature is struggling with the funding required by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2002 that mandates preschool classes for all children.
State programs serve 700,000 students nationwide. Head Start serves 900,000 children, but the study said it is so under-funded that it leaves out four out of 10 children from disadvantaged families.
Only two states spent at least as much per child as Head Start -- New Jersey with $10,088 and Oregon at $7,463. Head Start spent $6,934 per child.
"Even the disadvantaged children targeted by most state preschool programs are not assured of access to high quality programs," the study said. "Most children and their families receive even less help.
"Children's learning and development suffers as a result," it said. "This must change. Several states are leading the way, but the rest must follow if all our children are to receive the early education they deserve."
