The State of Preschool in Maine

May 18 2016 15:18

Last week, NIEER released its annual State of Preschool report which unsurprisingly found that many 3- and 4- year olds continue to lack access to high-quality preschool programs. The report examines public preschool access, enrollment, quality and state funding to identify areas of opportunity within each state. Here is what the report means for Maine: [googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1o3o3q3Bx1rXDytdMzArSVt1Ol-A&hl=en&w=500&h=375]

ACCESS & ENROLLMENT

Access to high-quality early education programs, like preschool, plays a critical role in a child’s future social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. A universal public preschool system is just one way to level the playing field for children from all socio-economic backgrounds. Maine Quick Facts:
  • X# of public preschool classrooms;
  • Serves 36 percent of 4 year olds;
  • Available in 88 percent of School Administrative Units (SAU).
In Maine, over 5,000 Maine 4-year olds are enrolled in public preschool programs as of the 2014-2015 school year. While the public preschool program still only serves 36 percent of all 4-year olds in the state, Maine is moving in the right direction as more school districts begin to offer public preschool programs. As a result, Maine needs to continue investing in and expanding public preschool program. Right now, the actual number of preschool classrooms still do not meet the needs of Maine children and families. This is especially challenging in school districts covering larger, geographic areas offering a single preschool classroom, where location and distance can deter enrollment and access. It is clear that Maine still has some work to do around improving access to high-quality early education.

QUALITY

When parents have access to high-quality preschool programs, they can go to work confident in their child’s care and their children can go to kindergarten ready to learn with their peers. The importance of quality in early education programs cannot be understated. According to the NIEER report, Maine met five of the ten quality benchmarks, with an emphasis on teacher education and training. Our preschool teachers can make a big difference in the lives of our youngest children during the most impressionable years of their lives. It is crucial that they meet the highest standards. Maine Areas Needing Improvement:
  • Maximum class size
  • Student/Staff Ratio
  • Meals Available
Unfortunately, our teachers and staff are stretched thin with no maximum class size and a staff-child ration of 1:15. Other opportunities for improvements in this system is screening/referral and support services, meal requirements and monitoring. Hopefully, Maine can use this report to make the necessary improvements to create a more robust public preschool system.

STATE FUNDING

The last critical component in developing a robust public preschool system that works for all Maine children, is securing long-term state funding. In 2014-2015, Maine spent 2,700 thousand dollars per child enrolled in the public preschool program, an increase of 3 percent from the previous year. However, this is simply not enough and with the recent surplus in the budget, there really is no reason not to increase our preschool spending. According to the Nobel Laureate Economist James Heckman, investing in high-quality early education yields 7-10 percent return rate per year for every single dollar invested. This means taxpayers end up paying less money on remedial education, health care and justice system expenditures. Moreover, the cost of early education programs pale in comparison to the state’s incarceration costs. The findings in the 2015 State of Preschool reveal what many Mainers already know: Maine can and should do more to invest in our public preschool program. When we invest in high-quality, early education programs, our children, our communities and our state benefits.

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