Regional Differences in Kindergartners’ Early Education Experiences
This report describes kindergartners’ early education experiences in each of the four regions of the United States. Findings from this report indicate that kindergartners’ preschool experiences and kindergarten program type vary by the regions in which their schools are located and by the regional characteristics of these kindergartners, their families, and their schools. This report identifies common regional patterns in early childhood experiences and notes exceptions to the general findings. Overall, 68 percent of kindergartners attended preschool the year before entering kindergarten. However, kindergartners in the West were less likely to have attended preschool than kindergartners in the South, Northeast, or Midwest. This report also found that kindergartners in the South were more likely to attend full-day kindergarten programs than kindergartners in any of the other regions, and kindergartners in the West were the least likely to attend full-day kindergarten programs.