Many states have initiated prekindergarten programs to better prepare young children to enter school. A "blueprint for quality" was used as the basis for evaluating state prekindergarten initiatives; the blueprint focused on four components: (1) ensuring the availability of prekindergarten; (2) ensuring high quality prekindergarten; (3) ensuring accessibility of prekindergarten programs; and (4) integrating prekindergarten initiatives with other early childhood programs. The findings indicated that although 42 states now invest in state prekindergarten initiatives, funding in most states is not adequate to meet the need for high quality programs. The majority of states allow participation by a broad range of providers. However, eight states restrict programs to public schools. Most states limit eligibility to children who are low-income or to four year olds. Most states have adopted quality standards addressing some essential quality components. Nevertheless, many state standards do not address the full range of childhood and family needs. States also vary in the degree to which they promote quality through various means. State prekindergarten initiatives are generally structured to provide part-day/part-year programs. A few states either fund and require full-day/full-year services for some families or coordinate resources to provide such programs. Additional barriers remain in a number of states, including transportation and language barriers. In many states, collaborative efforts enable state initiatives to be coordinated with the federal Head Start and child care programs and others. Based on the findings, it was concluded that although states have made significant progress toward the goal of enabling all children to enter school ready to learn, there is still much work to be done. (Evaluation findings and individual state summary pages are appended. Contains 104 references.) (KB)