Files
Abstract
To improve access for Black children and for children from low-income backgrounds, researchers and policymakers have made longstanding calls for increased expansion and funding for state pre-kindergarten programs (Barnett, 2013; Barnett, Carolan, & David Johns, 2013; Bassok & Galdo, 2016; Magnuson, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2007; Magnuson & Shager, 2010; Schweinhart, 2013). To this study, Schulman and Barnett (2005) have encouraged states to increase their funding to expand publicly funded preschool programs, further emphasizing the need for increasing early education access to more children from middle-income households. When preschool slots are inadequate with quality and availability, parents who can afford it turn to private alternatives. Therefore, taking into account both race and class, the focus of this study addresses the factors that contribute to the reasons why middle-class Black mothers choose to enroll their child in private preschool settings, regardless of whether or not publicly-funded preschool is a viable option. I am focusing on mothers specifically because mothers are consistently identified as key decision-makers for their children’s education (Radey & Brewster, 2007; Tang, Coley, & Votruba-Drzal, 2012).