NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.
Hispanic children lag behind other ethnic groups in access to preschool education, according to a recent report from researchers at Rutgers University.

Overall, those with less access are children from low-income, poorly educated families who live in the West and Midwest, said the study from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers.

Using data from the National Household Education Surveys, the NIEER analyzed differences in how income, education, ethnicity, family structure, mothers’ employment and geography affect participation in preschool.

The report, issued Nov. 8, “Who Goes to Preschool and Why Does it Matter?” said two-thirds of 4-year-olds and more than 40 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in some kind of preschool program in 2005. In 1965, only 5 percent of 3-year-olds and 16 percent of 4-year-olds were in a preschool. The report was edited by Drs. Ellen C. Frede and W. Steven Barnett.

It said that while attending pre-school “is increasingly seen as a middle-class essential,” many children do not attend, and most programs other than Head Start and state-funded pre-K are “educationally weak and ineffective.”

From 1991 to 2005, participation rates increased for all ethnic groups, but Hispanic children had by far the lowest pre-K participation rate. African Americans had the highest participation rates, the study said.

During that time, the percentage of White 4 year olds who went to preschool rose from 59 to 69 percent. The rate for African-American 4 year olds rose from 68 to 75 percent, while the rate for Hispanic 4-year olds rose from 50 to 59 percent for Hispanic. In the “other” category, including Asian Americans and American Indians, the figure rose from 62 to 81 percent.

For 3 year olds, from 1991 to 2005 the percentage for White children remained at 44 percent. Preschool enrollment increased from 44 to 53 percent for African-American children; 21 to 31 percent for Hispanic; 43 to 47 percent for “other” children.