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“2024 State of Preschool” Report: Access and Quality Issues Linger Despite Record Enrollment and Investment

By Heising-Simons Foundation

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Publicly funded preschool provides children with vital educational opportunities at some of the most consequential stages in their cognitive and social development. While most U.S. states and the District of Columbia have state-funded preschool programs, a new report by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University finds that in 2024 preschool enrollment reached just 37 percent of four-year-olds and a mere 8 percent of three-year-olds, and that only five states met all 10 of NIEER’s recommended benchmarks for preschool quality.

Percent of Population Enrolled in State-Funded Preschool

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program supports policies and practices that nurture and enrich early learning experiences across the United States. Access to affordable and high-quality preschool options for young children is an important piece of that puzzle, ensuring our youngest children experience positive learning environments that set them up for success later in life. To that end, NIEER’s annual State of Preschool Yearbook is a valuable resource for advocates and policymakers to measure the effectiveness of their state’s preschool policies and services, and to learn from what’s working in other states.

NIEER’s 2024 report paints an uneven picture of state-funded early childhood education programs. The report illustrates that access to quality preschool remains a challenge in many areas, despite strong demand for preschool programs. Enrollment and funding for preschools have increased overall nationwide, though the data is skewed by a small number of leading states, including California.

Meanwhile, many states and counties are struggling to meet national quality standards. Only five states—Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island—meet all 10 of NIEER’s recommended benchmarks for preschool quality. These benchmarks measure critical indicators such as class sizes, program assessments, and teacher qualifications.

Progress is Needed to Provide Quality Preschool in More States

The 2024 report has been released in the shadow of a key issue in 2025: drastic federal cuts proposed by the current administration to education, health, and human services across the country. Media reports have noted a number of facilities relying on Head Start funds have temporarily shut their doors due to the funding freeze.

“While California continues to increase state investments in preschool, nearly 50,000 three- and four-year-olds in California could lose access to Head Start if federal funding for that program is eliminated,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, PhD, lead author of the report. “Increased uncertainty about federal funding underscores the urgency for California leaders to continue to prioritize and expand early childhood investments.”

While 44 states and Washington D.C. fund preschool programs in some way, enrollment reached just 37 percent of four-year-olds and a mere 8 percent of three-year-olds. Assessing that funding, NIEER’s Yearbook found that states spent more than $13.6 billion on preschool in the 2023-24 school year—an increase of nearly $2 billion over the prior year—a trend experts say is unlikely to continue given national shifts in policy. Of significance too is the finding that just four states—California, New Jersey, New York and Texas—accounted for over 50 percent of all state spending on preschool.

The 2024 State of Preschool Report includes the full research methodology and findings, as well as individual state profiles with interactive maps and rankings.

Federal cuts to education funding will make the future of preschool in the U.S. even less predictable for families—making this annual report even more vital for those working to safeguard and expand access to opportunity so our children may thrive.

Figures taken from the National Institute for Early Education Research 2024 State of Preschool Report.

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