Pre-K and Poverty: The Relationship between Pre-K Spending, Race, and Poverty among Children of Single Mothers

• In Event: 30812 - Social Policy

Abstract

The United States is exceptional among the Western world, particularly when it comes to its rate of child poverty. This exceptionalism is especially pronounced among children of single mothers. The United States is also exceptional for its lack of support for young children and their families, with extremely limited family policies and spending on early childhood education and care relative to its European counterparts. However, even within the United States, across states and over time, both the poverty rate among children of single mothers and the level of spending on young children varies considerably. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between public spending on Pre-K education and poverty among children of single mothers in the United States and how this relationship varies across and within states over time. Using data from the Current Population Survey via the Luxembourg Income Study and the National Institute for Early Education Research we examine the period from 2001-2019 and find increases in Pre-K spending both within and between states to be associated with lower odds of poverty for children of single mothers. When looking at children by race/ethnicity, it is clear the effects are particularly strong for Black children of single mothers. We also examine the geographic context for such spending and find that while Black children particularly likely to benefit from greater Pre-K spending, the size of a state’s Black population is not related to the amount of spending on Pre-K. We argue this is a positive outcome, as it avoids conflating spending with race among the public. These findings are particularly noteworthy and timely given the current political climate and the uncertainty of the future of Pre-K programs in the face of proposed drastic budget cuts to public education.

Authors

• Amie Bostic, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• Regina S. Baker, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill