Mississippi again receives high marks for pre-K programs, but access remains spotty
By Devna Bose | Originally published by Mississippi Today
Mississippi’s state-funded preschool programs have once again received national recognition for their high quality. However, despite increased enrollment, only a quarter of 4-year-olds are accessing them.
In a new report, the National Institute for Early Education Research identified Mississippi as one of only six states where pre-K programs meet all 10 of its quality standards for early childhood education such as class sizes and teacher qualifications. Georgia, Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan and Rhode Island also met those benchmarks.
Research shows that the impact of high-quality preschool can follow children into adulthood, making them better prepared for kindergarten and more likely to graduate high school and to find work.
“We have a lot of kids who still do not fulfill their potential,” said W. Steven Barnett, NIEER founder and senior co-director. “We have evidence — very strong evidence — that preschool programs substantially improved the foundation for later success.”
For years, Mississippi has received high marks from the institute, which judges the quality of state-funded education for 3- and 4-year-olds. This year, the state inched higher in preschool enrollment to 29th from 31st. That’s because preschools in Mississippi enrolled 8,076 children in the 2024-25 school year, an increase of 931 children from the previous year.
However, that enrollment is just 23% of the state’s 4-year-olds. Mississippi’s neighbors fared better: Alabama served 40% of its 4-year-olds in state-funded preschool programs, Arkansas served 33% and Louisiana served 35%.
Mississippi’s pre-K programs do not serve 3-year-olds.
Currently, 44 states and Washington, D.C. fund preschool programs, which primarily or exclusively serve 4-year-olds. Nationally, the number of 4-year-olds attending state-funded preschools reached record highs last school year, driven by states embracing universal access and an unprecedented $14.4 billion in spending.
In 2024-25, enrollment reached 37% of 4-year-olds but only 9% of 3-year-olds across the country. In total, states added 44,000 students to their preschool enrollment. But the NIEER report’s authors said that the gains were smaller than the previous year and said preschool access remains wildly uneven from state to state.
The Mississippi Department of Education noted in a press release that when counting enrollment in Head Start, which is federally funded, and other types of pre-K programs, 55% of the state’s 4-year-olds were enrolled last school year.
“Mississippi continues to see rewarding outcomes for ongoing investments in providing quality education for the state’s youngest children,” State Superintendent Lance Evans said in a news release. “Expanding children’s access to quality preschool programs supports long-term academic success.”
The uneven pre-K access across states can exacerbate disparities. Wealthier families can often afford private preschool tuition. In 2024, private child care centers, which often use preschool curriculum, averaged annual tuition of more than $12,000 for 4-year-olds, according to Child Care Aware of America.
For families that can’t afford preschool tuition, the options can be limited. State-funded preschool programs often have waitlists.
If a family’s earnings are low enough, they can qualify for programs like Head Start, which provides early education for the neediest Americans. But the number of children in Head Start is falling, in part due to staff shortages. Lower-income families may also qualify for state or federal child care subsidies that can help with private preschool, but those have growing waitlists, too.
READ MORE: Thousands affected by state’s hold on child care financial assistance
Mississippi offers two types of state-funded pre-K. The Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 created education partnerships in communities across Mississippi. The program has high academic standards, and it brings together child care centers, nonprofit organizations, school districts and Head Start agencies. It also compensates the groups for partnering.
Mississippi also funds a state-invested pre-K program, or SIP, which doesn’t require collaboration with Head Start centers.
The programs receive millions in support from the Legislature. For fiscal year 2027, the Legislature allocated $29 million for early learning collaboratives and $13 million for state-invested pre-K programs. Last year, Mississippi shifted funding from the SIP program to ELCs, increasing ELC funding per student from $2,500 to $3,500.
House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville, said that in the future, he hopes to funnel even more money to the state’s early education programs.
Receiving quality preschool instruction is a strong indicator of children’s future academic success in kindergarten and first grade, Roberson said.
“We’ve got to continue looking at those programs, and I hope we’re able to do more in the future,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
