States Press Ahead on Preschool Programs

But policymakers struggle over funding of initiatives, which children will qualify.

As many state legislative sessions come to an end, several governors are celebrating the success of their preschool funding proposals, a sign that the expansion of early-childhood education continues to be a major priority for state leaders.

But the practical challenges are on display in Arizona and in the city of Denver, where a variety of issues—including which children will qualify for services and how the revenue will be distributed—remain unsettled as officials work to get new, voter-adopted early-childhood initiatives off the ground.

In Arizona last November, voters approved an 80-cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to pay for the state’s new Early Childhood Development and Health Initiative , which is expected to raise about $150 million a year for services such as child-development information for parents and grants to preschool...