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Table 3.15. State prekindergarten standards and teacher qualifications, by state: 2016–17

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State State has
comprehensive
early learning
standards		 Class size of
20 students
or lower		   Teacher has
a bachelor's
degree		   Teacher has
specialized
training in
prekindergarten		   Assistant teacher
has child
development associate
credential or
equivalent		  
   United States1 44 33   23   35   13  
                   
Alabama Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Alaska Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Arizona Yes No   No   No   No  
Arkansas Yes Yes   No   Yes   Yes  
California2 Yes No   No 3 No 4 No  
                   
Colorado Yes Yes   No   Yes   No  
Connecticut5 Yes Yes   No 6 Yes   No  
Delaware Yes Yes   No   Yes   No  
District of Columbia Yes No   No   No   No  
Florida7 Yes Yes   No   No   No  
                   
Georgia Yes No   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Hawaii Yes Yes   Yes   No   No  
Idaho † †   †   †   †  
Illinois Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
Indiana Yes No   No   No   No  
                   
Iowa8 Yes Yes   No 9 Yes   No  
Kansas10 Yes No 11 Yes   Yes   No  
Kentucky Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
Louisiana12 Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No 13
Maine Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
                   
Maryland Yes No   Yes   Yes   No  
Massachusetts14 Yes Yes   No   Yes   No  
Michigan Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Minnesota15 Yes Yes   No   No 16 No 17
Mississippi Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
                   
Missouri Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
Montana † †   †   †   †  
Nebraska Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Nevada Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
New Hampshire † †   †   †   †  
                   
New Jersey18 Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
New Mexico Yes Yes   No   Yes   Yes  
New York Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
North Carolina Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
North Dakota † †   †   †   †  
                   
Ohio Yes No   No   Yes   No  
Oklahoma Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
Oregon19 Yes Yes   No   Yes   Yes  
Pennsylvania20 Yes No 21 No 22 No 23 No 24
Rhode Island Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
                   
South Carolina Yes Yes   No   Yes   No  
South Dakota † †   †   †   †  
Tennessee Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   No  
Texas Yes No   Yes   Yes   No  
Utah † †   †   †   †  
                   
Vermont Yes Yes   No   No   No  
Virginia Yes Yes   No   Yes   No  
Washington Yes Yes   No   Yes   Yes  
West Virginia Yes Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes  
Wisconsin25 Yes No 26 No 27 Yes   No 28
Wyoming † †   †   †   †  
† Not applicable. State does not have a prekindergarten program.
1 National total reflects the number of "Yes" responses for each column.
2 California offers two prekindergarten programs: California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and Transitional Kindergarten (TK).
3 In California, the TK program requires that teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the CSPP does not have this requirement.
4 In California, the CSPP program requires specialized training in prekindergarten, but the TK program does not have this requirement.
5 Connecticut offers three prekindergarten programs: Child Day Care Contracts (CDCC), School Readiness Program (SRP), and Connecticut Smart Start.
6 In Connecticut, the Smart Start Program requires that teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the CDCC and SRP programs do not have this requirement.
7 Data on Florida's quality standards are from the 2013–14 school year. However, no policy changes have been reported that would change the benchmarks met.
8 Iowa offers two prekindergarten programs: Iowa Shared Visions and Iowa Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP).
9 In Iowa, the SWVPP requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the Shared Visions program does not have this requirement.
10 Kansas offers two prekindergarten programs: the Kansas Preschool program and the Kansas State Prekindergarten program.
11 The Kansas Preschool Program requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the Kansas State Prekindergarten program does not have this requirement.
12 Louisiana offers three prekindergarten programs: Louisiana 8(g) Student Enhancement Block Grant Program, The Cecil J. Picard LA4 Early Childhood Program (formerly LA4 and Starting Points), and Non-Public Schools Early Childhood Development program (NSECD).
13 The NSECD program in Louisiana requires that the assistant teacher has a Child Development Associate credential or equivalent; the 8(g) and the Cecil J. Picard LA4 do not have this requirement.
14 Massachusetts offers two prekindergarten programs: Inclusive Preschool Learning Environments (IPLE) Grant, or the Grant 391 program and Massachusetts Universal Prekindergarten.
15 Minnesota offers two prekindergarten programs: Head Start and Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK).
16 In Minnesota, Head Start requires specialized teacher training in prekindergarten, but the VPK program does not have this requirement.
17 In Minnesota, Head Start requires that the assistant teacher has a Child Development Associate credential but the VPK program does not have this requirement.
18 New Jersey offers three prekindergarten programs: the Abbott Preschool Program, the Non-Abbott Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA) program, and the Early Launch to Learning Initiative (ELLI).
19 Oregon offers two prekindergarten programs: the Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten (OHSP) program and Preschool Promise.
20 Pennsylvania offers four prekindergarten programs: Ready to Learn (RTL) Block Grant, Pennsylvania Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (PAHSSAP), Pennsylvania Four-Year-Old Kindergarten and School-Based Prekindergarten Program (K4/SBPK), and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program (PAPKC).
21 In Pennsylvania, the RTL, PAHSSAP, and PAPKC programs have a class size of 20 students or lower. The Pennsylvania K4/SBPK program does not have this requirement.
22 In Pennsylvania, the K4/SBPK and PAPKC programs require teachers to have a bachelor's degree. The RTL and HSSAP programs do not have this requirement.
23 The Pennsylvania RTL, PAHSSAP, and PAPKC programs require that their teachers have specialized training in prekindergarten. The K4/SBPK program does not have this requirement.
24 The Pennsylvania PAHSSAP requires that assistant prekindergarten teachers earn a Child Development Associate credential or equivalent, but the RTL, K4/SBPK, and PAPKC programs do not have such a requirement.
25 Wisconsin offers two prekindergarten programs: the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) program and the Wisconsin Head Start (HdSt) program.
26 In Wisconsin, the Head Start program requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the 4K program does not have this requirement.
27 In Wisconsin, the 4K program requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the Wisconsin Head Start program does not have this requirement.
28 In Wisconsin, the Head Start program requires that the assistant teacher has a Child Development Associate credential or equivalent, but the 4K program does not have this requirement.
NOTE: For states with multiple prekindergarten programs, the table reflects the collective responses for each item. To receive a "Yes" response, all programs in the state must adhere to the requirement.
SOURCE: National Institute for Early Education Research, The State of Preschool 2017: State Preschool Yearbook, retrieved June 6, 2018 from http://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks/yearbook2017. Data Source.

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