Putting preschool into perspective

Preschool and childcare can be difficult to navigate for parents, as Spectrum News 1 Ohio recently reported. Waitlists are long, and factors like cost, location and transportation can limit options. According to a recent study published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, only 41% of 3- to 4-year-olds in Ohio were enrolled in preschool between 2020 and 2024 — a 4% decrease from pre-pandemic numbers.

For University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services and Information Technology (CECH) faculty member Chad Nunamaker, that statistic has caveats.

He explained that the data for the five-year period was partially captured during the pandemic, when many childcare staples were closed or extremely limited. It also doesn’t take into account other extenuating circumstances.

“I think it's important to make a delineation between a choice that families are making on their own versus a constrained choice,” said Nunamaker, a School of Education early childhood education faculty member.

Nunamaker added that a considerable number of Ohio residents live in what’s called a “childcare desert,” places with limited access to childcare options. It’s not just a problem of access, Nunamaker said. It’s a problem of information.

“It’s not really just whether a seat exists,” Nunamaker said. “A family has to know that the program exists. They have to understand whether they qualify for the program in different ways.”

The information is just a foundation, though, Nunamaker said. Those programs also need to have open spots for families.

“That's a tall order,” Nunamaker said. “But it's work that a lot of advocates and early childhood professionals in Ohio are doing every day.”

Watch the full Spectrum News 1 Ohio story.

Featured image at top: iStock/Luidmila Chernetska.