North Dakota preschool enrollment drops even as state spending increased

(The Center Square) – Preschool enrollment dropped from 12% to 3% in North Dakota last year while state spending per child increased, a new report found.

The National Institute for Early Education Research examined preschools nationwide in its 2022 State of Preschool Yearbook, which focuses on the 2021-2022 school year.

States spent almost $10 billion on preschools during the 2021-2022 school year, the report found. Only six states do not fund any preschool programs.

While preschool enrollment is still below pre-pandemic levels nationally, there was a 13% increase in enrollment at state-funded preschools.

North Dakota enrolled 371 children in its new Best-In-Class program last year. Previously, there were over 1,000 children enrolled in the state’s Early Childhood Education Grant Program, which was sunsetted after the 2020-2021 school year.

North Dakota spent $300,000 in state money and $2,045,174 in federal recovery funds on the Best-In-Class program, or $6,321 per child, the report said. That’s up from $5,867 in state spending per child the previous school year.

The legislature authorized the Best-In-Class program for 4-year-olds in 2021. It is meant to serve at least 50% of children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, come from lower-income families or have a developmental delay or disability, according to the report.

Other early childhood education initiatives in the state include grant opportunities for educators and school districts and an at-home early learning program that saw participation for 1,000 preschool students.

The report’s authors recommended the expansion of universal preschool and more federal funding and involvement.

“Every state could improve quality standards, with even those meeting all 10 quality standards benchmarks acting to ensure they apply to all classrooms and moving beyond the minimums needed for quality preschool,” the report said. “Finally, adequate funding is needed to support expansion and higher quality including salary parity for all teachers. Funding is the lynchpin. Few, if any, states provide adequate funding for a full-day, high-quality program and those that come closest reach only a fraction of age-eligible children,” the report said.

NIEER conducts research to influence policies directed at early childhood education. According to its website, it is partly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the US Department of Education.