The Fiercest Preschool War in the Nation: An Adaptive Analysis of Pre-Kindergarten in North Carolina

North Carolina is facing a crisis in its early childhood education system.  The state legislature approved a 20% funding cut to its successful pre-kindergarten program for at-risk youth, NC Pre-K, formerly known as More at Four.  On a local level, the Durham’s Partnership for Children has four options to counteract the impact of the state funding cuts to the NC Pre-K program and maximize its available financial and community resources.

The first option is to clarify the Partnership’s goals and make a short-term strategy focused on addressing the immediate changing fiscal climate.  The second option is to hire college interns to mitigate the impact of reduced staff capacity with limited costs.  The third option is to create an evidence-based model to systematically select the “neediest” children to receive priority access to pre-kindergarten.  The final option is to identify ‘second best’ alternatives to NC Pre-K for families who were not selected to participate in the program.  These options are not mutually exclusive and may be used together to address Durham’s complex early childhood needs.

Problem Statement: 20% Funding Cut to NC Pre-K Places Strain on Pre-K Programs

In June 2011, the North Carolina legislature cut funding for NC Pre-K, North Carolina’s public pre-kindergarten program for at-risk four year olds, by twenty percent.  Faced with reduced financial resources early childhood administrators, including Durham’s Partnership for Children, were forced to make difficult decisions to decrease their budgets, reduce their staff, restructure their programs, and in some cases, limit preschool enrollment.  Prior to the budget cuts, there were 13,500 children on waitlists for pre-kindergarten in North Carolina.  The decision to slash state funding placed additional stressors on the early education system.

The pre-kindergarten question has also sparked lively political debates.  Following the Republican-led legislature’s decision to reduce funding for early education, Wake County Superior Court Justice Howard Manning ruled that such actions violated the state’s obligation to grant every child access to a basic, sound education.  To comply with Justice Manning’s ruling, Democratic Governor Beverly Purdue requested $30 million from the state to educate 6,300 at-risk pre-kindergarteners starting in January 2012.  The legislature denied her request.

Faced with the conflicting realities of growing community needs and limited funding, Durham County and other local jurisdictions need to plan their programs strategically and resourcefully.  In the state, there may be more than 7,000 eligible, at-risk-four year olds that are not enrolled in any preschool program.  In Durham County, although the funding cuts did not reduce or alter the number of children participating in the NC Pre-K program, the county does not have the capacity to enroll all eligible students.  Eligible families and children often apply to the program, but are often rejected due to limited placements.  Durham County has also felt the impact of the budget restriction in the form of reductions in administrative staffing cuts.  This past summer, the Partnership lay off staff members in order to counterbalance the impact of reduced funding.  In this tight fiscal climate, the Partnership must critically assess its operations and make strategic changes to increase its efficiency and maximize outcomes for young children and their families.