Despite $127 million in federal stimulus funds, state spending for pre-kindergarten programs dropped by almost $60 million in 2010-11, according to the annual State of Preschool report published by the National Institute for Early Education Research. From 2001 to 2011, spending per child declined by about $700 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
"We've got to get preschool education right in this country," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in response to the report. "We know these are tough economic times, but we know there are smart ways, and not-so-smart ways, to trim funding."
In California -- one of the first states to offer subsidized preschool -- the financial picture for early education has grown even starker than is reflected in the report. During the 2011-12 budget cycle, California cut its preschool funding by $70