NASBE Report Highlights Gap in AI Guidance for Early Childhood Education

Alexandria, VA—As of August 2026, 37 states have adopted guidance for artificial intelligence (AI) use in public schools. Yet few touch on kindergarten, and pre-K is left out altogether. Most children have already spent years with AI before they start kindergarten, often interacting with it daily. Guiding how young learners understand and encounter AI goes beyond debates over screen time and technology use, according to a new analysis from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).

Early educators feel this gap. They see promise in using ed tech for planning, family communication, and documenting student learning, and AI tools could help with paperwork that often cuts into their time with children. But only 37 percent of pre-K teachers have received training on how technology use in preschool settings should account for children’s developmental needs.

While 16 legislatures considered bills in 2026 to restrict educational technology in classrooms, treating all classroom technology as equally harmful sidesteps real problems. “Screen limits do not address the risks associated with AI toys, voice assistants, and algorithms that children encounter everywhere else,” write authors Winona Hao of NASBE and Janice Mak of Arizona State University.

Only a handful of states, including Washington, New Mexico, and California, differentiate AI guidance by age. State boards of education can develop more comprehensive policies by

• adopting an AI literacy framework that starts before kindergarten;
• investing in professional development for early educators;
• equipping new teachers with skills and pedagogical approaches to make informed decisions;
• engaging families around safe, supported technology use; and
• distinguishing screen time from AI.

“[State guidance] ought to spell out what children should learn—and be protected from—at each age, beginning early,” the authors write. “And early educators should receive the same training as their K-12 peers so they can be equipped to help young children and their families navigate the current era.”

Read “Setting Ed Tech and AI Policy for Young Children.”