Early Childhood Education: What Are the Costs of High-Quality Programs?

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the cost of providing high-quality early childhood education, focusing on: (1) the estimated annual average cost per child; (2) a comparison between the annual salaries of public elementary school teachers and early childhood education teachers; and (3) the extent to which costs of a typical early childhood education center vary in response to changes in enrollment or teacher-student ratios.