Children enrolled in preschool and kindergarten in New Hampshire

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Why This Indicator Matters

High-quality early education programs from ages 0 to 5, including preschool and kindergarten, help set the stage for future skill development, health, well-being, and learning. Children in high quality preschool programs, for example, experience benefits in later childhood, including advanced education skills in language, literacy, and math; better social and emotional outcomes; and improved health. Preschool attendance has also been linked to positive effects on adolescent and adult outcomes, including reduced teen pregnancy, higher graduation rates, greater educational attainment, increased earnings, and lower crime rates.*

 

Not all young children have access to or attend early education programs. Under COVID-19, New Hampshire saw an increase in parents opting their children out of public and private preschool, kindergarten, or both. There were 36 percent fewer children attending preschool in 2021, as well as 14 percent fewer attending public kindergarten.**

*Barnett, W. Steven (2008). Preschool Education and Its Lasting Effects: Research and Policy Implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. http://nieer.org/resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf.

**Gibson, Sarah. "Many N.H. Families Opting Out of Preschool and Kindergarten During Pandemic." NHPR, 4 Jan. 2021. https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-01-04/many-n-h-families-opting-out-of-preschool-and-kindergarten-during-pandemic

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Data Provided By

Definitions: Preschool and kindergarten enrollments in New Hampshire public schools.

Data Source: New Hampshire Department of Education Division of Program Support, Bureau of Data Management, Data Reports, Enrollment Data

Footnotes: Data updated January 2023.
N.A. – Data not available.