Preschool Cutbacks | Study shows 1 in 7 children living with unemployed parent

Washington, D.C. (May 2) – In an odd twist, an annual survey shows national totals for enrollment and spending on state-funded, pre-Kindergarten classes increasing, but with so many states in budget free falls, the number of enrollees in various states face cut backs. For those in need of jargon translation, this means that public access requirements for pre-school enrollments are becoming more stringent; more money, yet reductions in the number of students accepted into pre-K programs.

Not only are looming budget cuts to blame, but pre-K quality itself is suffering. Add to the mix the fact that one out of every seven children lives with a jobless parent, and education cuts and education access restrictions could not come at a worse time.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), a Rutgers University Graduate School unit in New Brunswick, New Jersey, plans to release its full findings at a news conference on May 4 in Washington, D.C. Their findings will reveal the ranks of all 50 states based on the criteria of quality standards, funding, and access to state preschool programs.

Further information about the upcoming news conference can be found at nieer.org.

Posted by on May 2, 2010. Filed under economy,Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.