States increase pre-K funding

Nationwide, state funding for preschool increased by $672 million this year

For the third year in a row, both Republican and Democratic policymakers are making significant investments in state-funded preschool programs, according to a January analysis of 2014-15 appropriations from the Education Commission of the States.

Nationwide, state funding for preschool increased by $672 million this year, to a total of $6.3 billion. This represents a 12 percent increase in state investment over fiscal year 2013-14.

Only six states provide no funding for pre-K: Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Of the 44 states plus the District of Columbia funding preschool programs, 28 states and the District of Columbia increased their total investment in pre-K, with 10 of those states increasing funding by more than 20 percent.