Two states — Florida and Vermont — offer free, universal preschool programs that aren't capped by funding amounts, enrollment numbers or enrollment deadlines. Seven other states have near-universal pre-K and some cities have taken initiatives to establish universal pre-K programs.

But President Joe Biden wanted to make free preschool a reality for all 3-and 4-year olds in the United States.

The idea survived a few rounds in Congress in the first half of Biden's tenure but it hasn't been included in any approved legislation.

Biden initially proposed a $200 billion investment to ensure "low student-to-teacher ratios, high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum, and supportive classroom environments that are inclusive for all students."

The Build Back Better bill that passed the House in November 2021 included the universal preschool provision. But a few Democratic senators objected to its scope. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the bill the Senate ultimately passed and Biden signed, didn't address preschool.

The 2021 American Rescue Plan included about $40 billion for child care, including $24 billion for a new child care stabilization fund that provides subgrants to child care providers, along with money for state Child Care Development Block Grant programs.

In April 2023, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to find ways to make child care cheaper and easier to get. White House officials said the order included more than 50 directives designed to enact new, low-cost regulations and tweak policies, including directing agencies to increase  preschool teachers' pay and benefits. But it didn't deliver on Biden's goal to make preschool free for all 3 and 4-year olds.

The Biden administration has taken no other steps toward advancing this promise. We rate it Promise Broken.

President Joe Biden promised to offer universal preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds. Although the idea survived a few rounds as his agenda was being advanced, it was not in the final bill that passed the Senate. 

Biden's initial proposal called for a $200 billion investment in partnership with the states. It would ensure "low student-to-teacher ratios, high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum, and supportive classroom environments that are inclusive for all students."

The Build Back Better bill that passed the House in November 2021 included the provision on universal preschool.

But, a few Democratic senators, whose approval was essential to the plan's passage, objected to the plan's scope. So, the bill that passed the Senate was limited mostly to elements on climate change, health care and corporate taxation. 

This version of the bill — which is expected to pass the House and be signed by the president — did not address preschool. 

Since this is the last major legislation considered to have a chance of passing before the midterm elections, we rate the promise Stalled.

President Joe Biden has included one of his high-profile campaign promises — to offer universal preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds — in his American Families Plan. 

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to "ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care and offer universal preschool to three- and four-year olds through greater investment, expanded tax credits, and sliding-scale subsidies."

This made it into the American Families Plan almost verbatim.

"The American Families Plan will make transformational investments from early childhood to postsecondary education so that all children and young people are able to grow, learn, and gain the skills they need to succeed," the plan's fact sheet from the White House says. "It will provide universal, high quality preschool to all three- and four- year-olds."

Specifically, Biden called for a $200 billion investment in partnership with the states. It would ensure "low student-to-teacher ratios, high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum, and supportive classroom environments that are inclusive for all students."

Under the plan, all pre-K and Head Start employees would earn at least $15 an hour, and higher if they had relevant credentials.

Whether a $200 billion investment in itself sets the stage for "universal" preschool is under discussion. An Urban Institute analysis estimated that the investment envisioned in Biden's plan would serve about 80% of 3- and 4-year-olds. The analysis characterized that as a significant improvement, but short of universal.

More immediately, the American Families Plan hasn't been put into legislative language yet, and it's far from certain that the entire proposal, or even portions of it, will be enacted by the narrowly divided House and Senate. 

In fact, bipartisan negotiations over a higher-priority proposal from Biden — the American Jobs Plan, sometimes known as Biden's infrastructure proposal — have struggled to produce a workable agreement, amid concerns expressed by Republicans that the program costs too much. In a Senate where support from 60 senators is required to advance to a final vote, the path to passage is difficult.

Still, the inclusion of Biden's preschool promise in a formal proposal from the White House is enough to rate this promise In the Works.