Ohio Preschool Efforts Hampered by Budget Cuts (OH)

April 27, 2011

Ohio enrolled 75% fewer kids in its public preschools last year than it did a decade ago according to a report by the National Institute for Early Education Research. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio led the nation in the amount of funding cut from its early education programs. The situation is not likely to improve in the future as legislators try to fill budget gaps that result from the loss of federal stimulus money.

The Institute, which is based at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, found that only 2% of the 4-year-olds eligible for Ohio’s Early Childhood Eduction program have been able to take advantage of it. NIEER’s co-director W. Steven Barnett called it a “double-whammy,” saying that the recession and parents’ job losses already have long-term negative consequences on children:

    “What do we see as the government’s response? They make it worse. At just the time that your parents have less, the state pulls the rug out from under you. Ohio this year spent a billion and a half on new tax credits for business … that’s probably not the smartest investment when they are cutting pre-K and other programs.”

Officials at the Ohio Department of Education say they have no choice in light of the state funding cuts. Patrick Galloway, the department spokesman, said that while everyone tries to cut the per-student expense to a ccommodate more children, until more money is made available, there’s really nothing to be done.

The state budget has reduced program funding the past two years, and new budget proposal by Governor John Kasich would continue the same level of funding and enrollment for two more years.

The report shows that nationally 27,000 more 3- and 4-year olds were enrolled in tax-funded preschools this year, but the per-student spending fell by $114 to $4,028.