Finn Partners National Survey Reveals Three in Four Americans Believe Early Education Should Be Free

Better Teacher Training and School Funding Also Top of Mind

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Apr 18, 2016, 12:40 ET

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans believe early childhood programs – child care and pre-school – should be free, according to a new national survey conducted by Finn Futures^TM, the research arm of Finn Partners.

Seventy-seven percent of those surveyed say early childhood programs should be free and accessible to all, a 24 percent jump compared to responses from a similar survey conducted last year by the Progressive Change Institute and GBA Strategies. In the new poll, the greatest support for universal free early education programs came from Hispanics (87 percent); African-Americans (79 percent); and millennials (83 percent).

Other survey results reveal support for greater educational equity in our nation's communities. Nearly three in four respondents (73 percent) believe public schools should not be financed by local property taxes; instead, all schools should get equitable levels of funding regardless of home values. However, the more money respondents earn, the less likely they are to hold this belief: although 78 percent of respondents with a household annual income of less than $40,000 believe schools should be funded differently, only 60 percent with an annual household income of $150,000 or more hold the same opinion.

More than half of those surveyed (54 percent) also believe teachers in the U.S. are not getting the appropriate level of training needed to be effective in today's classrooms. Just 12 percent believe that teachers are receiving the right amount of training.

"Americans want us to fundamentally rethink how we structure our education system," said Jason Smith, Managing Partner, Widmeyer Communications, A Finn Partners Company. "They're paying attention. They've become aware that early education is just as important as what's being taught in the K-12 system. They know how important a strong teacher is in the classroom, and they recognize the inherent inequity in funding schools by zip code."

The latest findings are part of an ongoing initiative by Finn Partners to assess attitudes, beliefs and behaviors in education and other issues of critical importance to consumers. The survey was conducted online, among a sample of 1,000 American adults nationwide. The data was weighted slightly to ensure it was representative of the population.

About Finn Partners, Inc.
Finn Partners was launched in late 2011 to realize Peter Finn's vision to create a leading communications agency dedicated to shaping a bold new future in which innovation and partnership are strong brand drivers. Finn Partners specializes in the full spectrum of public and corporate affairs services, including digital and social media. Practice areas include arts, consumer, CSR, education, health, technology and travel & lifestyle. Widmeyer Communications, a Finn Partners company, is the PreK-12 education arm of Finn and represents a diverse education client roster.

Since inception four years ago, Finn Partners has received six agency awards that are indicators of client and cultural leadership: "Best Midsize Agency" in 2015, "Best Agency to Work For" in 2013 and "Best New Agency" in 2012 from the Holmes Report and Midsize PR Firm of the Year in 2015 and Top Places to Work in PR in 2013 from PR News. Headquartered in New York City, the company has approximately 500 employees, with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, San Francisco and Washington D.C., and offers international capabilities through its own global network and PROI Worldwide. Find us at www.finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter @finnpartners.