Narrowing the Achievement Gap:
Financing High-Quality Early Education

Many low-income, minority kids enter school behind and stay behind. Research has shown that one of the most effective methods of narrowing the persistent achievement gap is to work to increase access to high-quality early education opportunities.

With the benefits of pre-kindergarten acknowledged by policymakers, educators and business and community leaders, the national momentum for state pre-K expansion has accelerated. To improve and sustain the quality of pre-K programs, states must make them a priority and ensure they receive sufficient funding. States have typically funded their pre-K programs with a combination of general state revenues and an assortment of federal funds.

High-quality public pre-K programs, however, cannot be created solely through better use and coordination of federal funds. As state-funded pre-K programs have grown, policymakers have come to understand the pressing need for more substantial and sustainable pre-K funding that can increase over time to keep pace with demand. To provide these funds, some states have turned to alternative sources such as lottery money, gaming revenues and dedicated taxes to finance the educational needs of young children.

Between 2006 and 2008, state pre-K funding increased by $1 billion.¹ The growing number of children attending pre-K, however, has meant that, overall, average state per-child spending has decreased each year since 2002.² Continued creative thinking about how to fund high-quality pre-K education is clearly necessary.

How Washington Appleseed is Helping

Washington Appleseed and Pre-K Now compiled a series of reports examining the range of different financial approaches states employ, how effective they have been in identifying funds, how sustainable those funding sources are and how investments can be increased to improve pre-K quality and expand program access. The analysis encourages policymakers to think creatively about ways to supplement and sustain current funding streams for pre-K programs in their own states.

Publications

Originally released in 2006, Washington Appleseed and Pre-K Now re-released an updated report in 2008. Download a free copy of the 2006 or the 2008 report here: