Early Education Spending on Children Under Five: An Analysis of Influential Political and Economic Factors

Early education (pre-Kindergarten) is a building block to academic success for many students, especially those who may be at risk of not succeeding in school. However, not all students have access to early education, and if they do it might not be of favorable quality. This thesis examines the driving forces behind why early education programs are funded in some areas and not others. An analysis of all 50 US states sheds light on what political and economic factors are influencing spending per child under the age of five on preschool. The economic model shows both the percentage of women working in the year 2000 and the change in median household income from 2000 to 2017 having a statistically significant negative relationship with spending per child under five on preschool. This paper also takes an in-depth look at New Jersey, Connecticut, and Utah as case studies to analyze their funding of early education, with attention to the role of legislation and court action to remedy inequality in those states.