Competing for 4-year-olds: Public Discourse on the Impact of Pre-kindergarten on Private Child Care

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Markets, Media, and the Politics of School Choice

Abstract

Public investment in pre-kindergarten (pre-K) has expanded across the United States, improving access to early learning but raising concerns from private child care advocates. This study examines the discourse of child care advocates regarding the impact of public pre-K expansion on private child care, using an institutional logics framework. Findings reveal advocates employ a combination of market logic, state logic, and professional logic to frame public pre-K as an unfair competitor, emphasize their unique expertise, and call for state intervention to protect private child care. The analysis highlights tensions between public and private provision in early childhood education. Implications for future research and policy development are discussed.

Author

• Lauren C. McKenzie, University of Texas at Austin