With funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, AIR has developed an assessment of preschool supply and demand to support preschool planning for all 58 counties in California. The supply and demand data provide a realistic assessment of the current profile of early care and education in each zip code and county, and in the State as a whole. The data can help planners target new resources to the communities where they are most needed.
County Supply and Demand Data.
For each county and zip code in California, AIR has compiled early care and education supply and demand data, accessible through AIR's Data Browser and County GIS Maps. This needs assessment includes demand data (e.g., using births and school enrollment as proxies) and licensed supply data (e.g., three- and four-year-old enrollment in State Preschool, Head Start, General Child Care, and other licensed programs). To help counties prioritize high-need areas, the needs assessment includes enrollment in low Academic Performance Index (API) 1 - 3 and 1 - 5 schools, the percentage of three - and four-year-olds who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch, the percentage of English Language Learners, and the estimated percentage of three- and four-year-olds living in Title I school attendance areas. Data is also available on the number and percentage of three - and four-year-olds eligible for public preschool programs.
AIR's policy brief, Preschool Supply and Demand in the State of California: An Assessment of Preschool Enrollment in Publicly Contracted and Privately Operated Preschool Programs, presents the challenges associated with conducting a needs assessment, findings from other studies of preschool supply and demand, and a summary of how the Preschool Provider Survey has helped AIR refine its needs assessment.
