Some believe every child in the state should attend pre-k on the state's dime, others think the focus should be on low-income families.

In 2014, Pence stopped the Indiana Department of Education from applying for an $80 million grant that would have established a similar system.

More kids in Indiana are enrolling in preschool programs and more are attending a program accredited through the state's Paths To Quality ranking system. The annual Kids Count report from the Indiana Youth Institute released these figures Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is making a stop at Purdue University in West Lafayette and Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis today as part of the department's sixth annual back-to-school bus tour. WFYI Public Media spoke with Duncan in advance about some local and state issues.

The thousands of poor Indiana children who will attend new publicly funded preschool programs this year through Gov. Mike Pence's state preschool pilot and an Indianapolis program sponsored by Mayor Greg Ballard all have one thing in common. They all must be legal U.S. residents.