According to the Young Learners, Missed Opportunities: Ensuring That Black and Latino Children Have Access to High-Quality State-Funded Preschool report released on Wednesday November 6, 2019 by The Education Trust, only one percent of Latino children and four percent of black children are enrolled in high-quality state preschool programs.

None of the 25 states and Washington, D.C. included in the study, provided three and four year-old black and Latino children in state-funded preschool programs with sufficient access to high-quality programs.

“Our data is devastating. No state provides the two essential elements for a strong early start for our nation’s Black and Latino children — quality and access. Despite overwhelming research on the value of high-quality preschool, states continue to willfully neglect our youngest students of color” stated Dr. Carrie Gillispie, The  Education Trust’s senior analyst for P-12 policy.

Heather Rieman, The  Education Trust’s director of P-12 policy also stated that                “Over and over again, we see children who deserve these important learning opportunities the most are being shut out due to systemic barriers, which can have a cascading effect throughout their K-12 education and beyond. State leaders must work to ensure that, among other key learning opportunities, their states’ 3- and 4-year-old Black and Latino children have access to high-quality ECE as it provides a solid foundation for prolonged academic and personal achievement.”