How do we pay for PreK-3rd?
- If full-day PreKindergarten and Kindergarten are already being implemented, then the cost of PreK-3rd is much less.
- You can combine funds from Head Start, Title I of ESEA, special education funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and child care subsidies to fund PreK-3rd. A school district like Independence, Missouri did just that.
- PreK-3rd pays for itself. Research on the Chicago Child Parent-Centers finds that children attending PreK-3rd programs do better in school, earn higher wages, and are less likely to commit crimes. As a result, PreK-3rd pays for itself over time due to reduced costs for special education, grade retention, welfare and other social service payments, and criminal justice.
- You can reallocate existing resources once core elements for PreK-3rd have been rolled out. School districts can shift federal and state dollars from areas where they are ineffectively spent.
Learn how to finance PreK-3rd with these studies.