Report: Nevada lags in preschool funding
By Paul Takahashi, Las Vegas Sun
Nevada continues to have one of the lowest preschool spending and enrollment levels nationally, according to a Rutgers University report released this week.
The National Institute for Early Education Research, a nonpartisan research organization at the New Jersey university, has tracked student enrollment levels and state spending on preschool programs since 2002. The group’s “2013 State Preschool Yearbook” looked at spending and enrollment levels from the 2012-13 school year.
Just 3 percent of Nevada 4-year-olds — 1,272 children — attended preschool that year, according to the report. The Silver State ranked 36th in student enrollment among 41 states with pre-kindergarten programs.
Nationally, 28 percent of 4-year-olds — 1.1 million children — attended preschool that year. Enrollment levels ranged from 94 percent in Washington, D.C., to 1 percent in Minnesota and Rhode Island.