Community-Based Pre-K Providers

Community-based providers of pre-k and child care programs play a critical role in the development of a high-quality pre-k system.

Most states deliver pre-k through a diverse delivery system, which offers parents a variety of choices. This means that children attend state-funded pre-k programs in both public and private schools as well as community-based settings such as Montessori centers, faith-based centers, and Head Start agencies. As long as community-based providers meet state quality standards, they can contract directly with the state or local education agencies to provide pre-k, depending on the state’s governance structure.

By using varied settings, state pre-k programs build on the existing early-education system, provide choices for busy, working families, and open opportunities for private providers to benefit from increased training and better pay.

Nationally, about 30 percent of children served by state pre-k are in non-school settings. Nine states serve more than half of their pre-k children in these non-school settings, and two states, New York and West Virginia, require that a minimum percentage of pre-k be delivered in community-based settings.

Several states, including Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Tennessee use “local councils” to help determine which providers receive pre-k contracts. By getting a seat on the local council or speaking at a local-council meeting, community-based providers can ensure that their preference for diverse delivery of pre-k and other concerns are heard.

In states with no state-funded pre-k programs or only small programs, there is an opportunity for private pre-k and child care providers to lead the advocacy effort in support of a state pre-k program delivered through diverse settings. By taking a seat at the table, working collaboratively with community and education leaders, and voicing concerns early, providers can have a positive impact on the development of state pre-k programs.

How do state pre-k programs benefit community-based child care providers? Expanding access to quality pre-k serves the child care system by:

• Generating public support for all early education;
• Attracting media attention to the benefits of early education;
• Increasing early-childhood funding;
• Improving the quality of the entire early-childhood system;
• Expanding job opportunities and raising teacher salaries;
• Cultivating new pre-k champions; and
• Enhancing collaboration with public schools to ensure smooth transitions for children as they move between settings.

High-quality pre-k programs help improve and expand the entire early-education system, and active leadership from across the spectrum of early-childhood education is critical to making high-quality pre-k for all a reality.

For more information about pre-k and community-based providers, Pre-K Now recommends the report "All Together Now", from the Center for Law and Social Policy, and our own report, "A Diverse System Delivers for Pre-K: Lessons Learned in New York State."