Indiana's On My Way Pre-K only meets two of the National Institute for Early Education Research's quality benchmarks for state preschool programs.
(FILE PHOTO: Jeanie Lindsay/IPB News)
Indiana does not compare favorably to other states when it comes to early education, according to the latest report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.
Despite an increase in Indiana’s pre-K spending per child last year, the report shows On My Way Pre-K still only meets two out of 10 benchmarks NIEER uses to judge successful state pre-K programs.
NIEER does not technically qualify Indiana’s On My Way Pre-K as a state-funded pre-K program. Indiana's program requires students’ parents to work, attend school or training, or actively look for a job.
Indiana’s program is the only one listed in the report with those requirements. NIEER evaluated On My Way Pre-K in the report because — aside from the work requirement — it is similar to other state programs. However, Indiana is not included in state pre-K rankings.
NIEER uses 10 benchmarks to evaluate pre-K programs. Those include things like staff professional development, teacher specialized training and staff-to-child ratio.
Indiana’s program only meets benchmarks in two categories: early learning and development standards, and curriculum supports.
Steven Barnett is the founder and senior director of NIEER. He said states with the most successful pre-K programs tend to have a plan. He used Alabama as an example.
“They set very high expectations and standards. They adequately fund that per child, and then they say, well, each year we’re going to grow this program as fast as we can grow it and maintain the quality and funding that we think is needed,” he said.
In Indiana, only 22 percent of 4-year-olds and 10 percent of 3-year-olds are enrolled in public early education programs. On My Way Pre-K currently only serves 4-year-olds.
Last year’s early education report card shows Indiana does very little to make pre-K widely accessible. Some state lawmakers tried to expand access to On My Way Pre-K to 3-year-olds during this year’s legislative session, but those measures did not pass.
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Barnett and Allison Friedman-Krauss, an assistant research professor at NIEER, said Indiana’s preschool programs could struggle even more if they lose federal funding.
Friedman-Krauss said Indiana’s entire early childhood infrastructure is very dependent on federal funding through programs like the Child Care and Development Fund, a federal program that helps low-income families pay for child care.
“Indiana is one of the states that might have the, so-to-speak, carpet square ripped out from under the children if federal fundings go away for early childhood — because of how ingrained those funds are,” she said.
On My Way Pre-K received the majority of its per-child funding from federal COVID-19 relief spending in 2024, according to this year’s report card.
A federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump earlier this month would also eliminate funding for Head Start, an early childhood education program that runs parallel to state-funded pre-K programs and often partners with them.
Barnett said that would directly effect Hoosier kids and families.
“If Head Start were eliminated, that would have an outsized impact on Indiana. There isn’t something else to pick up those kids, even in theory if the money were available,” he said.
