Georgia’s pre-K program is the largest in the country to get a top rating from an organization that tracks early education offerings in each state.
The National Institute for Early Education Research released its 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook Wednesday. For the first time, Georgia has met all 10 benchmarks evaluated in the report.
That means Georgia’s program does all of the things that experts think are needed to make a high-quality preschool program. The benchmarks have to do with things like curriculum, health screenings, teacher education level and class sizes.
Only five other states have met all 10 benchmarks. Georgia serves more students — 70,572 — in its program than any of them.
“Most children do not have access to the kind of high-quality preschool program that Georgia offers,” W. Steve Barnett, the senior director and founder of NIEER, said at a news conference Wednesday. “We think Georgia can serve as a model for the rest of our nation.”
Between 2024 and 2025, lawmakers agreed to invest about $150 million to reduce class sizes, lower staff-to-student ratios and increase salaries for providers. There’s now one staff member for every 10 kids, and classes have no more than 20 students.
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday that it’s appropriate to call the funding for the program an “investment.”
“Students who attend Georgia pre-K take years to fully grow and mature,” he said at a news conference. “But their success on the other side of that decades-long journey is certainly well worth the wait.”
The state offers universal pre-K, meaning 4-year-olds can attend for free. Just over half the 4-year-olds in Georgia are enrolled in a state-funded pre-K program — 53%, compared to 37% of 4-year-olds nationwide.
Despite enrolling more students than most other states, Georgia’s numbers are down from 2014, when 60% of 4-year-olds were enrolled.
Research, families support pre-K
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
A study of Georgia students between 2013 and 2019 found students who attended pre-K had better language, literacy and executive function skills in fourth grade than children who did not attend any pre-K. This backs up a body of research that shows positive academic and behavioral outcomes for students who attended pre-K.
Further, a NIEER study of New Jersey’s pre-K program found students saw “substantial” impacts in academic achievement through the 10th grade. Students who started attending the state-funded program at the age of 3 had roughly twice the achievement gains as students who started at the age of 4.
“The first five years of life lay the foundation for later success in school, success in life,” Barnett said.
Rebecca Ellis said her son, who attends the Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center in downtown Atlanta, knows his letters and numbers now. But she thinks most of his growth has been in social-emotional skills.
She recently watched her 5-year-old, John Patrick, coloring — and watched another child take the crayon out of his hand. In the beginning of the year, John Patrick would have lost it, she said. But he calmly picked up another crayon and kept coloring.
“I was like, look at that,” she said, attributing the growth to his teachers. “He’ll be ready for kindergarten but also ready for life.”
Georgia hits the mark
Here are some of the categories where the National Institute for Early Education Research said the Peach State reached its recommended benchmarks:
Class size: 20 or fewer students
Staff to child ratio: 1 to 10 or better
Teacher Specialized Training: Specializing in pre-K
Continuous Quality Improvement: Structured classroom observations; data used for program improvement
Staff Professional Development: At least 15 hours a year
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
