Summary

Children who attend high-quality pre-K are more successful in elementary school and beyond because some of the most important learning takes place in the years before kindergarten. Every child in America should have the opportunity to attend high-quality pre-K, but with a limited supply of publicly funded pre-K and the high cost of high-quality private pre-K, many children are being left out. This paper examines the limited supply of publicly funded pre-K, how the cost of high-quality private pre-K fits into the budget of low-income, working families, and what this means for pre-K participation.