The Educated Reporter: State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment

The Educated Reporter: State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment:

State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment

by Emily Richmond

Even as President Obama launches a massive push expand preschool opportunities for young children, early childhood education advocates are expressing dismay over a new report that access and funding have hit 10-year lows.

The president's plan would expand opportunities for families that don't have the means to pay for private preschool programs but also earn too much to qualify for existing state programs aimed at children in poverty.

Here are a few of the sure-to-be sound bite statistics in the State of Preschool 2012 Yearbook, compiled by theNational Institute for Early Education Research:

· Among the 40 states that offer pre-K programs, funding dropped by more than $548 million – the largest one-