The State of Preschool: Comparing the U.S. to Our International Competitors

In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama cited statistics showing that, compared to other developed countries, America is no longer at the front of the pack on several measures of educational success. For anyone interested in early childhood, the comparisons beg the question:  How do we measure up internationally in the pre-k or preschool years? 

It isn’t possible to compare data on student outcomes – such as scores on pre-literacy tests or measures of social development – because standardized data sets do not exist and the early childhood field has understandable qualms about measuring such young children using one-size-fits-all standardized tests in the first place. But there are a few sources for information that compare the United States’ system, or lack thereof, to the way pre-k and preschool look in other countries. 

For example, last fall, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD*) based in Paris, France, released its annual Education at a Glance, 2010. Within it are some details on OECD countries’ investments in pre-primary education, defined as education for children aged 3 to 6. Many of the organization’s 34 member countries, the report states, have recognized the importance of early education by making pre-primary education “almost universal” for children by the time they are 3 years old.

The OECD provided information on three statistics for pre-primary education: per-student expenditures, Staff-to-student ratio, enrollment rates.

For per-student expenditures (including public and private expenditure on educational institutions), the OECD average in 2008 was about $5,000 per student. The U.S. was on top with almost $9,000. It is not clear how OECD arrived at this figure; our best guess is that the figure comes from federal Head Start spending, which in 2009, according to the NIEER State Preschool Yearbook, was $8,369. (Most American state-funded pre-k programs spend much less per child, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER); their average is $4,711.) Countries coming in closest to the OECD 2008 average were Belgium, Denmark, France and Spain.

The staff-to-student ratio includes both teachers and teachers’ aides. The average among OECD countries was about 14 children for every staff member. Mexico had the highest ratio of students per staff at about 28 and Ireland had the lowest at about seven. The United States came in under the OECD average with about 11 children per staff member.

According to the OECD figures, Belgium, Spain, France, Germany and Italy had near 100 percent enrollment for 3 and 4 year-olds in 2008. The OECD average was about 70 percent, the European Union average was nearly 80 percent and the U.S. came in at about 47 percent. (Again, we could not tell how the OECD arrived at the number for the United States, although it does closely align with the American Community Survey’s percent of 3 and 4 year-olds enrolled in what parents reported as nursery or preschool during 2005-2009, which was 47.3 percent.)

Other sources also provide international comparisons.  One is the International Bureau of Education for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  It shows that in Italy, for example, children can attend state-run preschools at no cost; however, parents cover the cost of transportation and meals. Preschools operate about eight hours per day, with two teachers in each classroom working with about 25 children. Preschool education in Italy focuses on building children’s autonomy, creativity and learning capacity as well as ensuring continuity between childcare services and school education. Italy has a national curriculum that sets learning targets, for all grades including preschool. Teaching methods in preschool settings focus on play, exploration, and socialization.

Or consider Singapore, which scores at the top on TIMSS, an often-mentioned international math assessment. You may have also heard about schools and districts here in the U.S. adopting a new approach to teaching math called: “Singapore Math.” Singapore provides a three-year structured preschool program for children aged 3-6. The sections are referred to as nursery, kindergarten 1 and kindergarten 2. Programs run five days a week from two and a half to four hours each day. In 2003, Singapore rolled out a new preschool curriculum, which is based on a holistic approach to children’s development and learning. It focuses on five other principles in addition to the idea of a holistic approach: integrative learning, children as active learners, adults as supporters of learning, interactive learning, and play as a medium for learning. The daily schedule includes activities to develop language and literacy, introduce basic numeracy and simple science concepts, build social skills, creativity, and problem-solving, instill and appreciation of music and movement. Children are introduced to two different languages: English as the first and then Chinese, Malay or Tamil as the second.

And as Early Ed Watch has discussed before, two other interesting cases are Finland, where children under the age of 7 (when compulsory education begins) have access to very high-quality, affordable childcare, and the United Kingdom, which has managed to cut its child-poverty rate in half in part by providing better childcare and preschool services to its residents.

While other countries differ in many ways from the U.S.; including size, population, government structure, we think there is value in learning more about what and how they educate young children. These snapshots provide just a taste. For those interested in more, other sources include the 2005 book, International Perspectives on Research in Early Childhood Education, the academic International Journal of Early Childhood, and many other volumes on comparative education.

* OECD is an international organization that works with governments to tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalized economy. It currently has 34 member countries, including many of the most advanced countries in the world as well as several developing nations. One of the areas within the OECD’s scope is education. In fact, the OECD is responsible for administering one of the international comparison tests in which the U.S. participates.  PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) assesses the math, reading, and science knowledge and ability of 15 year-olds.