The National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) releases annual survey of state pre-K programs showing severe cuts to some state preschool programs

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The annual survey of state funded pre-K programs shows the recession has turned into a depression for young children in many states. The national total for spending on state-funded pre-K decreased for the first time since NIEER began tracking the data.  As states coped with budget shortfalls, some cut enrollment to the lowest levels in years. Other states cut funding and quality.  Looking ahead, several states already have proposed preschool cuts for next year, with more cuts looming as federal stimulus funds run out and legislators face budget shortfalls.

Investments in state pre-K are an important strategy for closing the opportunity gap and raising achievement. Yet, cuts in state preschool are coming at a time when more families than ever must depend on publicly funded preschool because of the recession. Research shows 1 of every 7 children are living with an unemployed parent, and the consequences may affect those children all their lives.

WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE at a Washington, D.C. preschool to release the findings of the 2010 edition of the annual State of Preschool report.  The report ranks all 50 states on quality standards, funding and access to state-funded preschool programs. Secretary Duncan will comment on the report's findings.

WHO: ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. Secretary of Education, will discuss the implications of the report and the Obama administration's early education agenda;
W. STEVEN BARNETT, Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University, will discuss the findings and their implications;
MARCI YOUNG, Project Director, Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the States, will discuss the federal role in helping states protect and expand their pre-K programs.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, 2801 Calvert St., NW, Washington, D.C.

VISUALS: The press conference will take place in the school cafeteria

The National Institute for Early Education Research (www.nieer.org), a unit of the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. NIEER is supported through grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and others.

SOURCE National Institute for Early Education Research