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“Even at 200 percent, we’re still not going to be reaching enough of the low-income families that should have access to preschool,” Rafael Otto, senior communications and policy associate with the Children’s Institute said.
In its first year, Preschool Promise enrolled 1,300 kids.
“That’s a clear impact and a very positive impact, but it’s also a small sliver of the kids who would be eligible,” Otto said.
He, too, acknowledged the concern that families that qualify for Preschool Promise but not Head Start may be getting bumped when families with lower income choose Preschool Promise providers over Head Start programs.
“We’ve seen that, and we know that’s being raised by Head Start now,” Otto said. “Some families are choosing by location. We want to ensure families have as much choice as they can … That’s sort of a recognized tension in the system.”