Preschool Programs

In the United States, preschool is an educational program that purportedly comprises professionally qualified teachers who facilitate the learning of young [Page 601]children between the ages of 3 and 5 preceding kindergarten. The purpose of a preschool education is to prepare children for success in kindergarten and beyond. A quality preschool education is considered key to achieving two important goals:

• Bolstering school readiness for children
• Narrowing later achievement gaps among children from varying racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, as promoted by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

While public preschool programs have been funded through several streams, from the federal government, the state government, to the local district, most have been supported and regulated at the state level. The high demands for early childhood education has considerably ...