Inside the Pre-K Classroom

Inside the Pre-K Classroom: A Study of Staffing and Stability In State-Funded Prekindergarten Programs

The present study aims to document the current state of staff qualifications, stability, turnover and compensation in state-funded prekindergarten programs, and to identify the conditions under which Pre-K initiatives promote a more skilled and stable, and better compensated, early care and education workforce. We selected a sample of programs in five states: California, Georgia, Illinois (Chicago only), New York and Texas. In addition to profiling Pre-K staffing in each state, we have also explored variations in staffing among Pre-K programs housed in different auspices, including publicly-operated programs (based in public school districts or community colleges) and privately-operated programs (based in community-based nonprofit agencies or for-profit organizations).

Most Pre-K research to date has focused on describing program content, identifying recipients of services, or assessing educational outcomes, without addressing how to recruit, train and retain the workforce necessary to implement such programs effectively. To begin this project, the Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW) conducted a preliminary survey of state Pre-K program administrators that found wide variations among the states in terms of these staffing issues.

Given the rapid expansion of prekindergarten programs at the state level, the current national staffing crisis in early childhood care and education, and the heightened interest among politicians and policy makers in making prekindergarten education universally available, CCW conducted the present study to obtain more in-depth data that can inform a variety of Pre-K policy, planning and assessment efforts.