Arizona is 12th most-expensive state for preschool programs

The number of Arizona children under 5 has grown to an all-time high of 531,000 and many middle-class parents are struggling to find quality early-childhood education programs that meet their budget.

The median income for Arizona families with children 17 and younger is $47,406, according to 2005 census figures.

Government-subsidized and regulated preschool programs are available only to those from the lowest income bracket.

"The key challenge for us as a state is equal access to high-quality child care for the working poor and the low- to moderate-income families," said Bruce Liggett, executive director of the Arizona Child Care Association, a non-profit group of 600 centers that works to promote access to quality preschool.

Unlike some other states, Arizona does not have a preschool tax credit to pay for early education, nor does it have a uniform rating system for parents to gauge such programs.

But several recent initiatives aim to improve early education in Arizona, including state lawmakers' putting $160 million toward phasing in statewide all-day kindergarten over the next two years.

In addition, officials are piloting a star system to rate preschools. And in November, voters will decide on Proposition 203, which would add 80 cents to the cost of tobacco products and could generate $150 million a year.

The money would go toward voluntary health screenings and education programs for children from birth to 5 years, whether it be child care; preschool, which is for kids 3 and younger; or pre-kindergarten.

Gov. Janet Napolitano has said her goal is for every child to have access to quality early education.

But Becky Hill, the governor's education adviser, acknowledged that expanding full-day kindergarten has consumed much of the state's attention and that there are still many aspects about preschool to standardize, such as what components make for a quality curriculum to educational requirements for child-care workers.

Hill said Proposition 203 could direct how the governor pursues pre-kindergarten initiatives.

"The first step is to work on quality," Hill said. "Then we can start talking about access."