NH Early Care and Education Research Consortium - Issue Brief 182 - Preschool Availability in New Hampshire Public Schools

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

Issue Brief #182 examines preschool availability across New Hampshire public schools during the 2023–2024 school year. It inventories 144 preschool programs serving 3- and/or 4-year-olds, and analyzes access for children with and without IEPs under IDEA Part B. Findings indicate many programs also serve children without IEPs, with 5,067 enrolled preschool students. The brief further details program scheduling limits, including part-day and part-week options.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Program coverage and IEP access

Enrollment by age

Full-day and full-week options

Capacity for children without IEPs

NH EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION RESEARCH CONSORTIUM Issue Brief \#182 Summer 2024 Preschool Availability in New Hampshire Public Schools Eileen Murphy, Tyrus Parker, Carrie Portrie, and Jess Carson n spring 2024, researchers at the University of INew Hampshirebetter understanudndertook data cthe landscape oofllperctesicohnotool offerings in New Hampshire’s public schools. School districts provide preschool using a variety of models based on local needs. All public school districts must provide access to a free appropriate public education for preschool-aged children with an identified disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B.1 Children identified under IDEA Part B have an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, to support their learning. Some districts receive Title I funding to include preschool opportunities for children who are identified as “at-risk” for learning disadvantages. Still other districts offer limited access to local children via tuition-based slots or wider community access through creative use of local taxes or grant funds.2 This brief includes data collected from all New Hampshire public schools with state-recorded preschool or kindergarten enrollment (see Data & Methods section for details). The goal was to determine the number of preschool slots offered within New Hampshire public schools and whether the school districts serve preschool-aged children with and without IEPs. The data show that programs extending beyond IDEA Part B exist. However, our data collection did not include details on how such programming was funded, nor on the number of children with and without IEPs in specific classrooms or programs.3 Thus, from this round of data collection we cannot fully identify or fully describe the reach of preschool access in New Hampshire public schools for children without an IEP specifically. | Key Findings | | | --- | --- | | | New Hampshire has 144 preschool programs in its public schools, serving 3-and/or 4-year-olds through a variety of funding mechanisms. | | | While such programs are primarily aimed at serving young children with IEPs, 129 of the 144 programs reported also serving children without IEPs.
Preschool enrollment in New Hampshire public schools reached 5,067 children in the 2023–2024 school year—about 20 percent of the state’s 3-and 4-year-olds.
Only 15 percent of programs offer full-day options for at least some children, while 38 percent offer 5-day/ week programming for at least some. Just 14 percent offer both. | |

| | New Hampshire has 144 preschool programs in public schools, serving 3-and/or 4-year-olds to varying degrees New Hampshire is home to 144 preschool programs in public schools. The programs provide access to a free appropriate public education in public school settings for children with IEPs. However, 129 of the 144 programs reported serving children without IEPs too, leaving 15 that New England Center • 15 Strafford Avenue • Durham, NH 03824 (603) 862-2821 • [carsey.unh.edu](carsey.unh.edu) TTY Users: dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-735-2964 (Relay N.H.) 2 C A R S E Y SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY reported serving only children with IEPs. Of these 15, 10 served only children with IEPs ofany age. Five reported serving children with only IEPs in either their 3-year-old or 4-year-old group. Because districts are required to make special education programming available to children with an IEP, a program’s capacity to serve children without IEPs may shift as needs within the community change.4 The programs in this dataset reported 5,067 children enrolled in spring 2024; the number with and without an IEP are unknown. However, the New Hampshire Education Department recorded 2,741 children with an IEP enrolled in all preschool settings, including public schools and community-based settings.5 This suggests that, at minimum, more than 2,300 children in public school preschool settings do not have IEPs and are

FAQs

How many preschool programs are in New Hampshire public schools, and who do they serve?

New Hampshire public schools have 144 preschool programs serving 3- and/or 4-year-olds through a variety of funding mechanisms. The programs primarily aim to serve children with IEPs, but many also serve children without IEPs.

What was total preschool enrollment in New Hampshire public schools in the 2023–2024 school year?

Preschool enrollment reached 5,067 children in the 2023–2024 school year. The brief reports 52% were 4-year-olds and 40% were 3-year-olds, with 8% lacking age data.

Do most programs offer full-day or full-week preschool options?

Only 15% of programs offer full-day options for at least some children, while 38% offer 5-day/week programming for at least some. Just 14% offer both full-day and 5-day/week options.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James