DC Leads the Nation in Quality Preschool Options

A report released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University notes that Washington, DC led the nation in providing access to quality preschool options during the 2014-2015 school year, which may account for the increase of families with young children moving into the city. Since 2011, the growth rate of children in DC has outpaced the growth rate of the adult population.  In school year 2014-2015, preschool enrollment increased by 186 for a total of 12,612 children, serving the highest percentage of preschool aged children nationally.    

Additionally, for the third consecutive school year, DC ranks first in preschool spending.  According to the NIEER report, DC spends 16,431 dollars a year in preschool per child spending, which surpasses the national average of 4,489 dollars.  In the 2014-2015 school year, DC also increased preschool funding by more than 10 million dollars.  The investment in spending has helped contribute to an increase in enrollment and quality programs. 

The NIEER report shows that DC continues to maintain quality programs, meeting nine of NIEER’s ten benchmarks of quality standards that include class size, support services, staff-to-child ratio, and specialized training for teachers. 

Back in December 2015, the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education released its 2015 Pre-K report, which utilizes the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) to assess the quality of each preschool program in DC.  CLASS focuses on interactions between adults and students and measures how a teacher uses the environment.  The Report found that public charter schools show a substantial increase in all three observed areas – emotional support, classroom organization and instructional support across all eight wards.

We also use the CLASS data as part of our Early Childhood/Elementary/Middle School Performance Management Framework in order to provide families a complete view of the quality of every public charter school in the city, especially since it can reliably be used in a variety of settings with diverse populations, including immersion and dual language learners. 

For more information about the NIEER report and detailed state-by-state breakdowns on quality benchmarks, enrollment and funding, click here. 

A report notes that Washington, DC led the nation in providing access to quality preschool options during the 2014-2015 school year, which may account for the increase of families with young children moving into the city.