Illinois comes in at No. 1 for 3-year-old programs

Illinois ranks first in educational programs for 3-year-olds in a nationwide comparison of preschools conducted by Rutgers University researchers.

The state enrolls 19 percent of 3-year-olds in preschool. That's according to The State of Preschool report, which was released Wednesday by the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The state ranked 12th in providing preschool to 4-year-olds. About 27 percent are enrolled. The report showed that Illinois met nine of ten academic benchmarks in areas like class size and the number of qualified teachers.

State officials say they've increased education funding by 90 percent, or $164 million, in the past five years.