WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Enrollment in preschools stalled over the past year as states recovering from the recent recession struggle to fund early education for the nation’s youngest students, researchers said.

In a report to be released later on Monday, education experts pointed to a record drop in state funding to serve the nation’s 3- and 4-year-olds, citing a drop of more than half a billion dollars in the 2011-2012 school year from the year before.