Â鶹¾«Æ·

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for Â鶹¾«Æ· Newsletter

States are investing in expanding their pre-K programs. More than 1.5 million children were enrolled in a state-funded pre-K in , about twice the number who attended in 2002, and thousands more were in programs. An estimated 60% of public elementary schools now have a .

That adds up to 70,000 or more pre-K teachers working inside U.S. public schools — a growing workforce that warrants distinct consideration and research as states seek to make the most of early childhood programs.

Policymakers and district and state education leaders often consider public school-based pre-K teachers part of the early care and education workforce. But in fact, they are distinct in several ways from those who work in community-based programs or child care centers. Public school pre-K teachers have and better .

They are required to attain higher degrees, and they . Still, they are often excluded from K-12 education research. Most federal data collection pre-K teachers in with kindergarten teachers or them entirely.  

Last year, RAND added teachers to its to learn more about this overlooked population. , revealed that many public schools aren’t yet making the most of their pre-K programs.

For example, our survey found that there is not as much coordination happening between pre-K and elementary grades in the same school building as one might expect. In theory, putting pre-K inside a local school would ease kids’ transition into kindergarten and increase instructional alignment across early elementary grades. We found that only half of pre-K teachers reported having dedicated time to coordinate instruction with early grades; less than one-third had dedicated time to coordinate kindergarten transition. Just sharing a building is not enough, as other research has also shown. Principals and educators have to consciously work at producing the benefits of coordinating with their pre-K program.

Pre-K programs in public schools also need high-quality educators. Yes, school-based pre-K teachers typically earn much higher wages than other early childhood educators. But full-day pre-K teachers were paid, on average, $7,000 less annually than elementary teachers — despite working similar hours and experiencing similar workplace stressors.

States that want to expand pre-K access through school-based programs will need to recruit and retain during a period of already high turnover. They may also have to resolve disparities in pay, benefits, and other working conditions to make sure they don’t lose pre-K teachers to better-paying elementary jobs.

Teachers who lead the of public school-based pre-K programs that are part-day have even greater challenges. Part-day pre-K teachers in our study were less likely to report having adequate time for planning or to complete administrative tasks than those who work a full school day. They were also less likely than full-day teachers to have gotten curriculum-based professional learning, even though both groups use similar materials. These are important differences to consider, especially for states that are expanding their pre-K programs by adding or that guarantee funding for only a few hours per day.

As more young children enroll in school-based pre-K, understanding the experiences and needs of their teachers will be crucial. We hope our ongoing surveys can inform all those working to implement high-quality early learning programs as they consider how to recruit, train and retain pre-K teachers, and how their school will coordinate learning from pre-K through elementary classes.

Pre-K expansion in public schools, a bipartisan policy priority for years, has tremendous potential to . But public school leaders and pre-K program administrators can do more to ensure they’re getting the most out of this investment.

Did you use this article in your work?

We’d love to hear how Â鶹¾«Æ·â€™s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.