National Institute for Early Education Research

08/28/2026

Are recent declines in public elementary school enrollment entirely attributable to the pandemic? A new data analysis from NIEER suggests a more nuanced story.

Enrollment declines didn't start with COVID. New NIEER analysis finds public K-3 enrollment was already trending downward before 2020, and current enrollment levels largely reflect those pre-existing trajectories.

Before 2020, public K-3 enrollment was already trending downward nationally, and state pre-K enrollment growth had slowed significantly compared to the 2000s. Our research finds that both current public K-3 and pre-K enrollment levels largely reflect those pre-existing trajectories.

Recognizing these pre-existing trends is vital for accurate district-level projections and resource allocation. Public pre-K programs may help support stable funding and encourage long-term enrollment recovery.

Read the full report:

NIEER conducts academic research to inform policy supporting high-quality, early education for all young children.

08/27/2026

NIEER’s report, "Licensed Center-Based Child Care Providers in New Jersey: Characteristics and Enrollment," part of the Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative, highlights several key findings, including:

Licensed center-based child care providers in New Jersey primarily served preschool-age children, with 2 out of 3 providers also serving infant- and/or toddlers.

More than half of centers were for-profit and/or independently owned and operated.

Three out of 4 centers were open 43 or more weeks per year. Most centers were open 5 days per week, and 81% of centers were open 9 or more hours per day.

Less than a quarter opened before 7 AM, and only 17% were open through 6 PM.

The Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative is funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.

🔗 Read the full report: https://nieer.org/research-library/licensed-center-based-child-care-providers-new-jersey

08/26/2026

In 2024, NIEER, with the support of Home Grown, launched the Enriching Public Pre-K Through Inclusion of Family Child Care (EPIC FCC) initiative. Through this effort, we worked with pre-K system leaders and FCC educators in Alabama, Nevada, Durham, North Carolina, and Michigan as the established advisory groups, examined their pre-K and FCC systems, and/or developed policies and funding streams to support FCCs in their pre-K systems. These Data Snapshots are a part of the FCC & Pre-K Policy Guides series, which were developed as a result of some of the discussions that occurred during the EPIC FCC initiative.

Check out our latest data snapshot, "Curriculum and Family Child Care: Guidance for Mixed-Delivery Pre-K Programs," and the full FCC & Pre-K Policy Data Snapshots series, here: https://nieer.org/research-library/fcc-pre-k-policy-data-snapshots

08/25/2026

NIEER is thrilled to participate in the The National Association of State Leaders in Early Education (NASLEE) Roundtable Oct 7-9 in Scottsdale, AZ!

It's not too late to register for the Roundtable and hear from these and other state and national ECE leaders. Register now: https://app.glueup.com/event/naslee-2026-roundtable-185415/

08/21/2026

SXSW EDU PanelPicker: Voting ends August 23!

What if we’ve been trying to improve early childhood quality by optimizing the parts, when we should be strengthening the system that connects them?

NIEER’s Allison Friedman-Krauss and Praidea’s Crystal Xu Rose have proposed a fireside conversation at SXSW EDU 2027 that explores how standards, curriculum, assessment, accountability, and evidence can work together to create more coherent early learning systems—and what happens when the evidence we rely on isn’t designed to support the decisions we’re making.

If this is a conversation you’d like to see next year in Austin, vote for the session in the SXSW EDU PanelPicker by August 23! You must create a free universal SXSW online account (or sign in with an existing one) to vote, which prevents duplicate voting.

Click here to vote: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784909506406001cVCm

08/20/2026

NIEER's new brief, "An English-Only Mandate for Head Start Will Harm Children," by Alexandra Figueras-Daniel and Christina Stephens, summarizes what policy makers should know about the research examining best practices for supporting Dual Language Learners, who account for 36 percent of Head Start enrollment and 40 percent of Early Head Start enrollment across the U.S.

Findings from the new brief include:

✅ Emergent bilingual children served in programs that use the home language for instruction grow in their academic skills and learning outcomes faster and better than those that are served in English-only settings.

☑️ Further, research suggests that 4-year-old children with stronger proficiency in their home language are more quickly able to learn English language skills. The faster children acquire English, the better their outcomes for later academic achievement.

Link to the new brief in comments.

08/14/2026

What if we’ve been trying to improve early childhood quality by optimizing the parts, when we should be strengthening the system that connects them?

NIEER’s Allison Friedman-Krauss and Praidea’s Crystal Xu Rose have proposed a fireside conversation at SXSW EDU 2027 that explores how standards, curriculum, assessment, accountability, and evidence can work together to create more coherent early learning systems—and what happens when the evidence we rely on isn’t designed to support the decisions we’re making.

If this is a conversation you’d like to see next year in Austin, vote for the session in the SXSW EDU PanelPicker by August 23! You must create a free universal SXSW online account (or sign in with an existing one) to vote, which prevents duplicate voting.

Vote here: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784909506406001cVCm

08/12/2026

NIEER's director, Steve Barnett, speaking to Texas Standard about the recent Head Start changes proposed by the Trump administration:

"Deregulation, per se, is great. But there are a number of key proposals the administration has made that don’t seem to have anything to do with deregulation or giving states a say in how the program is run.

There is a comprehensive set of regulations for Head Start. But at the same time, the program is supposed to be flexible to meet local needs.

The program has evolved over the past 60 years. One of the things that we’ve learned is that the program’s goal of getting kids in poverty ready to succeed in school and breaking the cycle of poverty, that’s much more difficult than we thought back in the 1960s, or even in 2000.

And so there have been a series of changes moving the program to pay teachers more, to have stronger curriculum, to align with state early learning standards, and to offer more hours. And the current proposals roll some of that back and make it much more unlikely that the program will actually achieve its goals."

An early education expert says looser federal ratios, smaller overhead budgets and English-only rules could undercut a program serving thousands of low-income kids.

08/12/2026

COULD ALABAMA TAXPAYERS FOOT THE BILL? ⚠️ Sweeping new federal changes to the Head Start program are causing concern for early childhood education experts who warn classroom quality and safety could be at risk.

Under a new proposal from the Trump administration, federal oversight would shift to state minimums, meaning some Alabama Head Start classrooms could balloon to 36 children for every two adults.

Experts warn this reduces a proven child development program to basic "custodial childcare" and could cost Alabama taxpayers millions to make up the difference.

"Am I going to be able to hire more teachers with lower pay and a harder job?" asks Dr. Steve Barnett, founder and director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, pointing to an already severe teacher shortage.

State officials say they are now actively reviewing the "extensive" proposal.

More tonight at 10 on WSFA 12 News

08/10/2026

Subscribe to NIEER's e-news for weekly updates on early childhood education policy and research, including our research-based take on the Head Start changes proposed by the Trump administration. Link to read and subscribe in comments.