Public Pre-K Access and Enrollment: Assessing Take-up of Missouri’s Early Childhood Education Funding Expansion

Passed in 2014, Missouri House Bill 1689 provides a new funding source for traditional public school districts and charter schools to enroll low-income pre-K students. While public pre-K enrollment expanded in Missouri prior to the pandemic, many school districts have not leveraged this newly available state funding to support pre-K growth. I find:

• From 2015 to 2019, school district and charter school pre-K enrollment expanded 3.4% per year. 

• Missouri House Bill 1689 was intended to further expand public pre-K access for low-income students through the provision of additional state funding.

• Schools serving more low-income students and schools with higher student-teacher ratios were more likely to access the new state funding.

• Rural schools were significantly less likely to access these new state funds in support of pre-K growth.