麻豆精品

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

Whenever a new presidential administration arrives in D.C., it鈥檚 natural that they promise dramatic policy changes. It鈥檚 normal that the breadth and scope of these proposals can make it hard to of things that are actually likely to happen.

Looks like we鈥檙e going to spend 2025 debating which bathrooms different kids should use when they need to relieve themselves and whether we really want to follow through on the administration鈥檚 plans to allow armed immigration enforcement actions on school campuses. Jury鈥檚 still out on whether or not the U.S. Department of Education survives the year 鈥� let alone Trump鈥檚 entire term. 

One thing鈥檚 certain, though: the biggest issue facing U.S. public schools will remain fiscal. As Chad Aldeman has repeatedly noted here at 麻豆精品, falling enrollment is a problem for local education leaders across the country 鈥� and most haven鈥檛 confronted the ensuing budget problems because those make for difficult politics. 

This is only going to get worse: the Biden administration鈥檚 pandemic recovery funds are and increased public investment in private school choice programs is putting pressure on public K鈥�12 budgets . What鈥檚 more, falling birth rates were already producing drops in U.S. K鈥�12 enrollment in communities across the country.

Long story short: whatever鈥檚 happening in national education politics, the central education dilemma for many school districts will be trying to attract and retain students so that they don鈥檛 face stiff cuts in state and federal funding. suggests that pre-K programs could be a useful tool in that effort. 

The analysis explores whether Washington, D.C.鈥檚 universal pre-K system for 3- and 4-year-olds could be part of the reason why 鈥渢he District of Columbia (DC) stands out as one of the few jurisdictions that did not experience declines in public K鈥�12 enrollment between fall 2019 and fall 2021.鈥� 

D.C.鈥檚 pre-K program was a leader that just preceded in public early education investments. It as part of District of Columbia education reforms designed to improve outcomes and raise enrollment. This was years ahead of similar efforts in , , , and . 

The program isn鈥檛 just old 鈥� it鈥檚 compared to its peers. The city per pre-K student than any U.S. state, serves both 3- and 4-year-olds and integrates the large majority of its programs into K鈥�12 campuses. That means that pre-K students generally continue into kindergarten (and first grade, and beyond) classrooms that are overseen by the same leaders who run their pre-K programs. This permits for greater from early childhood into elementary school 鈥� and, to drop the jargon, it makes parents鈥� lives way easier. 

Using D.C. enrollment lottery data, the Urban Institute paper found that students who attended pre-K as 3-year-olds before the pandemic 鈥渨ere 9.8 percentage points more likely to remain enrolled鈥� in D.C. schools between 2020 and 2022 than children who did not attend. This was especially true for students who were in kindergarten or first grade during the pandemic period. Further, the enrollment boost effect was particularly strong for D.C. pre-K alumni from low-income communities; they were 25% more likely to remain enrolled, compared to students from higher-income communities

鈥淧ublic prekindergarten 鈥� especially when starting as early as 3 years old 鈥� can promote student persistence by providing early exposure to a classroom setting and fostering foundational academic and nonacademic skills,鈥� the researchers conclude. 

The Urban Institute鈥檚 findings also echo prior studies indicating that D.C.鈥檚 pre-K program has impacts well beyond improving children鈥檚 development and well-being. Others have found that it shapes a wider range of families鈥� decisions and behaviors. It offers a full-day schedule that matches the city鈥檚 K鈥�12 schools and their academic calendars. A 2018 study linked this breadth of coverage to 鈥� that is, D.C.鈥檚 pre-K investments made it easier for moms to work. 

As noted above, the program is relatively well aligned with research on quality early education, so it鈥檚 no surprise that it鈥檚 producing a host of positive effects for kids and families. I鈥檝e written about the program from that standpoint. 

But I鈥檓 also a father of three D.C. pre-K alumni, and as their primary caregiver (over most of our parenting journey), I鈥檝e gotta tell you: these effects almost assuredly underestimate the program鈥檚 benefits. D.C. pre-K has saved our family immeasurable money and stress over the years. By the end of the pandemic 鈥� when our youngest was due to enroll 鈥� we knew that leaving the city for almost any other community would have meant paying for two more years of private early childhood care. In D.C., average child care costs are , and costs in nearby towns are only slightly lower 鈥� staying in the city saved us tens of thousands of dollars. 

Shoot, without the four years (two per child) of child care savings D.C. pre-K had bestowed upon us when we enrolled our two older children, we might never have gone ahead and chosen to have that third kid at all. 

Which, incidentally, brings us back to 2025 education politics and how the country鈥檚 shrinking pool of children is going to produce smaller K鈥�12 enrollments and school budgets. While other urban school districts are shrinking, , with a third consecutive year of enrollment growth bringing the total to just shy of 100,000 students. 

If civil rights advocates are able to stop the administration鈥檚 from sending ICE agents to K鈥�12 campuses and making LGBTQ students , leaders curious about how to better support families in having children 鈥� and enrolling them in public schools 鈥� might take a look outside the White House at the innovative pre-K program surrounding them.

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 麻豆精品鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.