With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023's States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems, as well as expert commentary.
In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.
| States with the Best Early Education Systems | States with the Worst Early Education Systems |
| 1. Arkansas | 42. Wyoming |
| 2. Nebraska | 43. Alaska |
| 3. Maryland | 44. Montana |
| 4. New Jersey | 45. Idaho |
| 5. District of Columbia | 46. North Dakota |
| 6. South Carolina | 47. New Hampshire |
| 7. Rhode Island | 48. Missouri |
| 8. Oregon | 49. Massachusetts |
| 9. Connecticut | 50. Minnesota |
| 10. Vermont | 51. Indiana |
Best vs. Worst
- 13 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have the highest share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, 100 percent. This is 8.6 times higher than in New Jersey, the state with the lowest at 11.67 percent.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education or Head Start programs, 83.60 percent, which is 7.2 times higher than in Idaho, the state with the lowest at 11.60 percent.
- Michigan has the highest income requirement for state pre-K eligibility, $49,300, which is five times higher than in Minnesota, which has one of the lowest at $9,860.
- The District of Columbia has the highest total spending per child enrolled in preschool, $20,442, which is 9.1 times higher than in Florida, which has one of the lowest at $2,254.
- The District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Vermont and Idaho have some of the lowest monthly child care co-payment fees (as a share of family income), 1 percent. This is ten times lower than in Kentucky and North Carolina, the states with the highest at 10 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
More from WalletHub
Expert Commentary
What are the most important factors that influence a child’s educational development?
“Some of the most important factors are family structure, home environment, nutrition, and economics. A child needs to bond with their parents, caregivers, and/or caring adults who can provide stable care in an environment that is safe and clean, who are not food insecure and practice good nutrition, and who have health insurance for everyone in the family. Parents or caregivers who value education, who are literate and active readers, who read to their children, and who expose their children to art, music, and appropriate play are also very important.”
Gina Anderson, Ed.D. – Associate Dean, Texas Woman's University
“A safe, nurturing home environment with supportive adults, responsive caregiving, social and emotional wellness, access to a quality education with qualified professionals, access to quality health and dental services, etc.”
Alferma Giles, Ph.D. – Director, Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office; Assistant Director, Texas School Ready - (MS/PEDIATRICS-CLI), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
What can state and local policymakers do to improve their school systems without raising taxes?
“First of all, we need small class sizes! Children are individuals with individual needs and these cannot be met in a large class. This would not necessitate a tax increase; there are currently funds being used in less impactful ways than limiting class size. Children need lots of outdoor time and teachers should not be able to take away a child’s outdoor time for bad behavior, incomplete work or any other reason. Fresh air and time in the outdoors is beneficial for all areas of a child’s development: physical, social/emotional, language and cognitive development. Just as you would not take away a child’s lunch or bathroom break, outdoor time should not be taken away but should be protected. 15 minutes for recess after lunch is not enough- if a child is a full-time program (7 hours a day), they should be outside 1-2 hours and should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. The outdoors should not be just anchored playground equipment but an extension of the indoor environment. Anything that can be learned inside can be learned outside, and often in more enjoyable ways. The outdoor environment should include different interest areas to foster child development in different developmental domains: there could be an art area, music, dramatic play (house, dolls, etc.), blocks or building materials, sand/water and sensory play, areas for gross motor play, a stage, a garden, areas for reading and natural materials.”
Julia Kroeker, Ph.D., CFLE – Professor, Florida SouthWestern State College
“States and policymakers can prioritize investment in public, neighborhood schools and reduce support for charter schools. They can eliminate support for school vouchers or education savings accounts. They can re-evaluate the purpose of standardized exams. These exams are very costly, and there is ample research and evidence that test scores should not be used for high-stakes decisions. With these savings, states and policymakers can improve their school systems by supporting high-quality educator preparation programs in colleges of education. They can remove unnecessary financial burdens so that the cost of becoming a teacher attracts intelligent, caring, and diverse individuals. Finally, they can pay teachers a competitive salary that is not entirely merit-based.”
Gina Anderson, Ed.D. – Associate Dean, Texas Woman's University
Is education spending a direct measure of education quality?
“Unfortunately, no. Funds are required to have a quality education program, but often, funds are used on things that do not have a direct impact on the children.”
Julia Kroeker, Ph.D., CFLE – Professor, Florida SouthWestern State College
“If and when the spending is geared to meet the most important needs of the children and the staff; otherwise, it is not!”
Alferma Giles, Ph.D. – Director, Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office; Assistant Director, Texas School Ready - (MS/PEDIATRICS-CLI), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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