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The Latest Notes
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The National Institute for Early Education Research has released its 2012 “State of Preschool” Yearbook which reports key indicators for the nation – and each state – on early childhood education access, quality, and resources. The numbers are in for Colorado and it’s not pretty: Our state Preschool Program serves 13.7% of 3 and 4 year olds, while the national average is 16.1%. When it comes to the amount of state resources being spent per enrolled early childhood education student, Colorado ranks 38th of the 40 states who have state preschool programs. Notably, per pupil funding for the Colorado Preschool Program is calculated by taking 50% of the K-12 per pupil funding amount. As Colorado has made deep cuts to K-12 education over the past four years, CPP preschoolers have seen a requisite drop in state funding: adjusting for inflation, Colorado spent $196 less per preschooler in 2011-12 than in 2010-11.
While there is much need to invest further in our students’ critical early learning, the state legislature did make progress in the 2013 legislative session at the urging of the Year of the Student Coalition, adding 3,200 new preschool slots.
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