Progress on expanding high-quality early learning in Arizona

June 05, 2025

State Strategies

Education Forward Arizona recently hosted a discussion on the Arizona Education Progress Meter indicator for quality early learning, which tracks the percentage of Arizona 3- and 4-year olds in high-quality early learning settings that support school readiness and early literacy development.

The quality early learning indicator jumped by five percentage points last year, up to 32%, the largest year-over-year increase of any Progress Meter indicator since its inception. The long-term goal is 45%.

Read On Arizona calculates the indicator annually based on the number of young children participating in four categories of quality early learning programs in Arizona:

Head Start programs
Child care and preschool programs participating in Quality First with star ratings of three stars or higher
Early learning programs with national accreditation
Preschool programs overseen by the Arizona Department of Education

Expanding access to high-quality early learning is one of four strategic priorities for improving early literacy outcomes in our state. The skills and abilities children need to be proficient readers start developing from birth, and the learning that happens before kindergarten prepares children for school success. High-quality early learning programs support language and literacy development and help young children be ready for school and ready to learn to read.

The May 2025 edition of the Education Power Hour featured updates from Read On Arizona’s director of early learning, Lori Masseur, as well as representatives of Read On Arizona’s advisory board.

In addition to recent successes, the conversation also highlighted serious challenges facing early childhood education in Arizona, including uncertainty around state and federal funding.

Participants included: