The United States Needs to Catch Up to Other Countries on Preschool

The United States needs to invest more in and improve access to preschool in order to build a globally competitive workforce.

Part of a Series

Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

Early childhood education and school readiness is essential to preparing our children to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. Compared to other countries, however, the United States lags far behind on preschool, trailing a number of other countries in enrollment, investment, and quality.

In February 2013, however, President Barack Obama put forth a bold plan to significantly expand access to preschool. His plan would invest $75 billion in high-quality preschool, helping our nation catch up with other countries.

The numbers below show how far behind the United States is on preschool and make it evident that we need to implement the president’s plan. If the United States is to train a world-class workforce, we have to catch up to the rest of the world on pre-K.

For more on this topic, please see:

The United States Is Far Behind Other Countries on Pre-K by Juliana Herman, Sasha Post, and Scott O’Halloran

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