When Public School Starts at Age 3

A comprehensive effort by civic and business leaders to expand access to preschool education in Charlotte-Mecklenburg county resulted in a property tax that pays for high-quality preschool. The program is now serving over 600 students in 33 pulic pre-K classrooms.

Since 2014, low-income parents who enroll their children in Indiana's state grant program, On My Way Pre-K, have watched their students gain important literacy skills and self-confidence. However, only four percent of the state's qualifying four year olds currently participate in the initiative. Teachers are now brainstorming strategies to eliminate barriers to parents applying for the funding.

Recognizing the barriers posed by lack of access to adequate transportation, a preschool in Portsmouth opened a second location next to the Housing Authority's Gosling Meadows neighborhood. “If you build it, they will come,” one teacher said. “Well we built it, and they came.”

In the United States, African American students are disproportionately placed into special ed tracks based on behavior issues. In an attempt to reverse this trend, the Shoestring Children's Center helps kids aged three to five, many of whom are black, learn to focus and manage their emotions.

Philadelphia looks to Oklahoma and New York City to close the achievement gap for kids from low-income areas. Both Oklahoma and NYC have implemented universal Pre-Kindergarten programs and have increased kindergarten readiness levels for children attending pre-school -- including children from disadvantaged communities that otherwise would not be able to attend.

Gus the Bus, Magic Bus, El Busesito, and other traveling classrooms are working to fill the persistent preschool gap in Colorado's childcare deserts. Most days the mobile preschools park near apartment complexes or mobile home parks and offer instruction to neighborhood children. In the coming years, providers hope to be able to use the same quality ratings as stationary schools and expand from rural areas into Denver and other urban centers throughout the state.

Steele Academy is "Montessori education for students who don't normally get it," according to Laura Christenberry, the driver behind San Antonio's first public Montessori school. Drawing on detailed census information, leaders at the combined preschool and kindergarten ensure that 50 percent of the population comes from the bottom of the income spectrum. Now, the challenge is building trust and making a diverse group of families aware of the nontraditional model.

The Parent-Child Home Program in the Seattle area is helping close the achievement gap in poor and at-risk families by giving 2 and 3 year-olds a jump start in early education. By pairing parents with a trained educator, the program is helping children in low-income and immigrant families perform on par with their white and wealthier peers years later, improving graduation rates and potentially even salary and healthy lifestyles in the long term.

Although Silicon Valley is full of high-end preschool options, the surrounding low-income areas have been deemed child care deserts, with most families resorting to informal care options. Educare, a model that has spread to 14 states, is trying to change that. Serving as both a preschool and a community gathering center and funded largely by public preschool funds, Educare brings play-based preschool to local students so they can enter kindergarten on a level playing field with their wealthier peers.

Norway’s approach to early childcare, rooted in its Kindergarten Act, prioritizes inclusivity and the value of childhood and unstructured play, where children receive social, emotional and cognitive support. Evidence suggests long-term positive impacts, including improved academic and workforce outcomes when they reach adulthood. Investments in the country’s unique approach to childcare and kindergarten contribute to Norway's top global rankings in child well-being compared to other countries like the U.S.