CARSON CITY - Nevada ranks near the bottom nationally for enrollment and funding of early-childhood education, according to the latest "State of Preschool" report from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.
The institute's director, professor Steven Barnett, said Nevada ranked 34th in the 2013 study for funding pre-kindergarten programs, out of 40 states and the District of Columbia that have early-education programs. He said the ranking is even lower when it comes to enrollment.
"Nevada only enrolls 3 percent of 4-year-olds," he said. "The average across all programs in the states is 30 percent."
Nevada spends about $3,300 on each child enrolled in a pre-kindergarten program, according to the report, but Barnett said the state should be spending about $4,800 per child to achieve higher standards. The study showed that the District of Columbia, which ranks first in the nation for early-education enrollment, spends nearly $17,000 per student.
Barnett said research shows that investing in early-childhood education helps ensure that more children graduate from high school and go on to attend college and get good jobs - milestones that benefit the whole state.
"Reduce your crime rate. Increase your graduation rate," he said. "Attract employers, because you're going to have a workforce that knows how to work together, is more productive on the job, better educated."
Barnett also noted that Nevada's funding for early-education programs has continued to decline over the past decade.[[In-content Ad]]
