Table 4.1. State prekindergarten standards and teacher qualifications, by state: 2020

Compiles and disseminates data on state education practice activities

Table 4.1. State prekindergarten standards and teacher qualifications, by state: 2020–21


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 (CDA) credential or equivalent

United States¹	41		30		23		33		11

Alabama	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes
Alaska	Yes		No		Yes		No		No
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		Yes
District of Columbia	Yes		No		No		No		No
Florida	Yes		Yes		No		No		No

Georgia	Yes		No		Yes		Yes		Yes
Hawaii⁷	Yes		Yes		No	⁸	Yes		Yes
Idaho	†		†		†		†		†
Illinois	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		No
Indiana	†		†		†		†		†

Iowa⁹	Yes		Yes		No	¹⁰	Yes		No
Kansas	Yes		Yes		Yes		No		No
Kentucky	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		No
Louisiana¹¹	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		No	¹²
Maine	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes

Maryland	Yes		No		Yes		Yes		No
Massachusetts¹³	Yes		No	¹⁴	No	¹⁵	Yes		No
Michigan¹⁶	No	¹⁷	No	¹⁸	Yes		No	¹⁹	No	²⁰
Minnesota²¹	Yes		Yes		No		No	²²	No	²³
Mississippi	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes

Missouri²⁴	No		No	²⁵	Yes		Yes		Yes
Montana	†		†		†		†		†
Nebraska	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		No
Nevada	Yes		Yes		No		Yes		No
New Hampshire	†		†		†		†		†

New Jersey²⁶	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	Yes		No		Yes		No		No

Ohio	Yes		No		No		Yes		No
Oklahoma	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		No
Oregon²⁷	Yes		Yes		No		Yes		No	²⁸
Pennsylvania²⁹	Yes		No	³⁰	No	³¹	No	³²	No	³³
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	No		Yes		No		No		No

Vermont	Yes		Yes		No		Yes		No
Virginia	Yes		Yes		No		Yes		No
Washington³⁴	Yes		No	³⁵	No	³⁶	No	³⁷	No	³⁸
West Virginia	Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes		Yes
Wisconsin	No		No		Yes		Yes		No
Wyoming	†		†		†		†		†

† Not applicable. State did not operate a program in 2020–21 that met the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) definition of a state-funded prekindergarten program.
¹ National total reflects the number of "Yes" responses for each column. States with multiple programs only partially meeting the requirement are excluded from the total.
² California has two prekindergarten programs: California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program.
³ In California, the TK program requires that prekindergarten 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 funds three prekindergarten programs: Child Day Care Contracts (CDCC), School Readiness Program (SR), and Smart Start.
⁶ In Connecticut, the Smart Start program requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the CDCC and SR programs do not have this requirement.
⁷ Hawaii operates two prekindergarten programs: the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) Public Prekindergarten Program and the Hawaii State Public Charter School Early Learning Program.
⁸ In Hawaii, the EOEL Public Prekindergarten Program requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the Hawaii State Public Charter School Early Program does not have this requirement.
⁹ Iowa has two prekindergarten programs: Shared Visions and the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP).
¹⁰In Iowa, the SWVPP requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but Shared Visions does not have this requirement.
¹¹Louisiana has three prekindergarten programs: the 8(g) Student Enhancement Block Grant Program (8(g)), the Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program (LA 4), and the Nonpublic Schools Early Childhood Development Program (NSECD).
¹² In Louisiana, the NSECD program requires that the assistant teacher has a CDA credential or equivalent, but the 8(g) and LA 4 programs do not have this requirement.
¹³Massachusetts supports two prekindergarten programs: the Chapter 70 program and the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program.
¹⁴ In Massachusetts, the UPK program requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the Chapter 70 program does not have this requirement.
¹⁵ In Massachusetts, the Chapter 70 program requires that prekindergarten teachers have a bachelor's degree, but the UPK program does not have this requirement.
¹⁶Michigan funds two prekindergarten programs: the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) and the Developmental Kindergarten (DK) program.
¹⁷ In Michigan, the GSRP has comprehensive early learning and development standards, but the DK program does not have this requirement.
¹⁸In Michigan, the GSRP requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the DK program does not have this requirement.
¹⁹In Michigan, the GSRP requires specialized teacher training in prekindergarten, but the DK program does not have this requirement.
²⁰ In Michigan, the GSRP requires that the assistant teacher has a CDA credential, but the DK program does not have this requirement.
²¹ Minnesota has two prekindergarten programs: Head Start and Voluntary Prekindergarten/School Readiness Plus (VPK/SRP).
²²In Minnesota, Head Start requires specialized teacher training in prekindergarten, but the VPK/SRP program does not have this requirement.
²³In Minnesota, Head Start requires that the assistant teacher has a CDA credential, but the VPK/SRP program does not have this requirement.
²⁴Missouri supports two prekindergarten programs: the Missouri Preschool Program (MPP) and the Missouri Pre-K Foundation Formula program.
²⁵The MPP requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the Missouri Pre-K Foundation Formula program does not have this requirement.
²⁶New Jersey funds three prekindergarten programs: the Preschool Expansion program (formerly the Abbott Preschool Program), the non-Abbott Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA) program, and the Early Launch to Learning Initiative (ELLI).
²⁷ Oregon has two prekindergarten programs: the Oregon Pre-Kindergarten (OPK) program and Preschool Promise.
²⁸In Oregon, the OPK program requires that the assistant teacher has a CDA credential, but Preschool Promise does not have this requirement.
²⁹Pennsylvania oversees four prekindergarten programs: the Ready to Learn (RTL) Block Grant, the Pennsylvania Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (PAHSSAP), the Pennsylvania Kindergarten for Four-Year-Olds and School-Based Pre-K (K4/SBPK) program, and the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program (PAPKC).
³⁰In 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.
³¹In Pennsylvania, the PAPKC program requires prekindergarten teachers to have a bachelor's degree, but the RTL, PAHSSAP and K4/SBPK programs do not have this requirement.
³²In Pennsylvania, the RTL, PAHSSAP, and PAPKC programs require that teachers have specialized training in prekindergarten. The K4/SBPK program does not have this requirement.
³³In Pennsylvania, PAHSSAP requires that assistant prekindergarten teachers have a CDA credential or equivalent, but the RTL, K4/SBPK, and PAPKC programs do not have such a requirement.
³⁴Washington operates two prekindergarten programs: the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program.
³⁵In Washington, the ECEAP requires a class size of 20 students or lower, but the TK program does not have this requirement.
³⁶In Washington, the TK program requires prekindergarten teachers to have a bachelor's degree, but the ECEAP does not have this requirement.
³⁷In Washington, the ECEAP requires that teachers have specialized training in prekindergarten, but the TK program does not have this requirement.
³⁸In Washington, the ECEAP requires that assistant prekindergarten teachers have a CDA credential or equivalent, but the TK 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 2021: State Preschool Yearbook, retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks-yearbook2021.