Early childhood education, for those aged 0-4 years old, has taken center stage as a tool for combatting inequality. Quality child care and pre-K programs are considered game-changers in children’s educational and life trajectories. Improved school readiness and basic achievement are short-term benefits. But long-term benefits have also been linked to early experiences with education; avoidance of criminal justice involvement, greater earning power, and better quality of life in later years.

To understand Early Education in the context of inequality, we used four indicators:

• Race & Pre-K Diversity
• Income & Child Care Facilities
• Income & Pre-K Quality
• Family Composition & Early School Enrollment

Take a look at the chart to your right for an overall picture of this topic, and then go to each indicator and the scores in context for more detail and additional findings.