As more public schools offer preschool, a teacher shortage is slowing progress

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As more public schools offer preschool, a teacher shortage is slowing progress

A young male teacher sits on the floor with a tambourine in his hand, surrounded by young children.

Universal pre-K has been shown to prepare children for school, narrow the achievement gap and help reduce child care costs.

But just as state-funded pre-K programs have launched nationwide, with enrollment increasing during the 2022-2023 school year, a shortage of early childhood educators has hampered progress toward providing high-quality , equitable education for every four years thwarted. -old.

The reasons for the shortage are complex. Low wages and burnout have led to high turnover across the board, but departures are especially high among teachers who work with infants and toddlers. Workplace stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and stricter staffing requirements for teachers are making it increasingly difficult to fill vacancies.

Finding qualified teachers is a problem in about half the states. Twenty-two states and Washington DC did not fully meet the credentialing criteria requiring a bachelor’s degree for teachers. In addition, 31 states and Washington DC did so as well do not quite meet the benchmarks for assistant teacherswho must hold a Child Development Associate credential or its equivalent by the 2022-2023 school year, according to a report from the National Institute for Early Education Research. Meeting the student-staff ratio is also a problem nationally.

To attract more candidates, some states are allowing a percentage of their K-12 principal teachers to receive waivers from policies that now mandate at least a bachelor’s degree in the classroom.

During the 2022-2023 school year, 44 states offered some form of public preschool, with 35% of four-year-olds attending state-funded preschool, according to the NIEER. However, because funding varies widely, the quality of these programs – and access to them – varies widely between and within states.

TeacherCertification.com used data from the NIEER to examine how states are moving toward accessible, public pre-K programs.

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Federally funded Head Start programs face even greater teacher shortages

Line chart showing that while the state’s pre-K enrollments have rebounded from the pandemic, the federal Head Start program, however, has seen declining numbers of children attending.

States fund early childhood education across the country in a variety of ways, typically through general purpose appropriations, block grants, and individual spending formulas. For example, Massachusetts spends just $1,939 per child on pre-K programs, while states like Oregon and New Jersey spend more than $16,000 per child. Washington DC, the largest spender of pre-K in the country, allocates $22,207 per child.

In addition to universal state-funded programs, the federal government, through the Head Start program, funds pre-K for children whose families meet federal low-income guidelines. From birth to age five, these children are eligible for the federal program, which is administered by school districts, nonprofit organizations and for-profit child care centers. Faith-based institutions and tribal councils, formed by elected or appointed representatives of a Native American tribe, can also apply for federal Head Start funding.

In 2023, the Biden administration announced increased funding for Head Start programming, focusing on increasing wages for the program’s teachers, who are currently among the lowest-paid workers in America. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnover rate of Head Start teachers and other staff has increased dramatically, from approximately 1 in 5 in 2019 to almost 1 in 3 in 2022according to an analysis of Head Start program data by the Urban Institute.

Teacher compensation remains an obstacle to attracting and retaining qualified Head Start teachers. They earn an average of $35,000 annually, compared to $60,000 and $49,000, respectively, the average annual salary for public school preschool and kindergarten teachers.

In addition, the average number of vacancies for Head Start staff has quadrupled during the pandemic, from more than 2% in 2019 to almost 9% in 2022. In both years, seeking higher compensation elsewhere was the most common reason for leaving, the study found. the analysis.

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Universal pre-K varies widely depending on accessibility, household income and zip code

Scatter plot showing the quality and reach of state Pre-K programs varies widely. Most pre-K programs meet the 10:1 student-to-staff ratio standard, but some states are lagging behind. Washington DC stands out for its high spending and enrollment since its expansion in 2008.

Despite offering universal pre-K, a term based on any government-funded preschool program where age is the only criterion for eligibility, accessibility remains an obstacle depending on where you live. In practice, most states serve only a portion of eligible children. From only funding a limited number of hours per week to not providing transportation, many universal pre-K programs are simply inaccessible or impractical – often for the families who may need them most.

Pre-K participation also varies widely across the country. In Utah, only 3% of children are enrolled in pre-K programs, while 67% are enrolled in states such as Iowa, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Florida.

Staff shortages also prevent states from offering enough spots for eligible children. Critics say credentialing requirements for early childhood educators will reduce the size and diversity of the talent pool. At the same time, advocates suggest that additional qualifications are the first step toward quality education.

Idaho, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming do not offer a pre-K program. Other states, such as Georgia, fund pre-K programs through the state lottery, with funding levels fluctuating based on state and national lottery revenues.

Washington DC offers the closest to true universal pre-K, with 88% of eligible children enrolled in 2023. The district significantly expanded pre-K in 2008, making it the largest program in the country. Although the District’s K-12 test scores have improved since it began offering universal pre-K, allowing it to boast the highest maternal employment rate in the country, Washington, D.C.’s commitment to funding has Spending on pre-K also resulted in child care costs. which are among the highest in the country.

“Given that policies that set low minimum qualifications are often associated with low wages, it is not surprising that turnover among assistant teachers is quite high,” the NIEER report said.

Hopefully, as educators, policymakers, and parents collect more data on the impact of early childhood education, teachers will be compensated accordingly.

Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Janina Lawrence. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

This story originally appeared on TeacherCertification.com and was produced and distributed in collaboration with Stacker Studio.