Court Mandates, Free Markets and the Lottery

Court Mandates, Free Markets and the Lottery: An Exploration of Facilities Development in States with Expanded Preschool

This report explores how California can build, renovate, or expand preschool facilities to meet the demand of California’s half-million four-year-olds. Facilities development (i.e., the expansion, renovation, or creation of spaces designated as preschool classrooms) is one of the most challenging hurdles that universal preschool faces. Two key areas of facilities development are addressed: (1) how to ensure that there are enough high-quality physical spaces for the number of children whose parents want them to attend preschool and (2) how early care and education establishments handle the facilities development process. The report captures the experiences of six other States (New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Colorado), which have implemented expanded preschool programs. Their experiences can improve California’s facilities development efforts. States that focused on facilities improvements before implementing preschool reported relatively seamless launching of the preschool initiative. A bibliography, list of interviewees, and interview questions are appended.