If you’ve watched your preschooler light up during a video call with grandparents or navigate a tablet with surprising ease, you’ve seen firsthand how naturally young children can engage with technology. Yet you’ve probably also noticed that same child struggling to sit through a homework session or seeming unusually wound up after too much screen time. Your instincts about finding the right balance are exactly right—and a new national survey reveals that pre-K teachers share your thoughtful approach.
National Survey Reveals Thoughtful Tech Adoption
A comprehensive RAND Corporation survey of approximately 2,000 public school pre-K teachers has uncovered nuanced patterns in how early childhood educators approach technology in their classrooms. The spring 2025 study found that 29 percent of preschool teachers use generative AI tools—the lowest adoption rate among K-12 educators. By comparison, 69 percent of high school teachers, 64 percent of middle school teachers, and 42 percent of elementary school teachers report using the technology.
Yet this lower AI adoption doesn’t reflect technology resistance. Nearly all surveyed teachers (98 percent) regularly use online video or audio with their students, with 92 percent using these tools daily or weekly. Interactive whiteboards have become classroom staples at 77 percent of programs, while 64 percent incorporate device-enabled games and 82 percent use digital platforms for family communication.
29% of pre-K teachers use AI—lowest among K-12 educators. Yet 98% use other edtech daily. The difference? Protecting developmental needs.
Screen Time Concerns Drive Deliberate Approach
The measured adoption of AI tools stems from developmentally-informed concerns rather than technology aversion. Jordy Berne, RAND associate economist and study co-lead, noted that teachers worry about children having too much screen time, which can detract from the human interaction they deem necessary for building social skills.
This concern aligns with what neuroscience tells us about young developing brains. Research on screen time and development confirms that high-stimulation digital activities can affect the brain’s natural motivation and attention systems—something that matters profoundly during the preschool years when foundational learning patterns are being established.
Teachers expressed concerns about children having too much screen time, which can detract from human interaction they deem necessary for social skills. Attribution: Jordy Berne, RAND Associate Economist and Study Co-Lead
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Training Gap Highlights Need for Quality Evaluation
The survey revealed a significant gap in professional preparation. While 70 percent of pre-K teachers received training on using educational technology, fewer than 40 percent received training on evaluating the quality of tech products for supporting learning. As AI tools continue evolving rapidly, this gap becomes increasingly critical.
For parents navigating technology decisions at home, this finding underscores an important truth: even educators need guidance on discerning which tools genuinely support learning versus which simply keep children occupied. Understanding how technology affects attention and motivation systems can help families make choices that protect their child’s developing capacity for focus and engagement.
Key takeaways
- Pre-K AI adoption lowest among educators: RAND survey finds only 29 percent of preschool teachers use generative AI, compared to 69 percent of high school teachers.
- Technology resistance isn't the factor: Nearly all pre-K teachers (98 percent) regularly use video and audio tools, with 77 percent using interactive whiteboards.
- Training gap needs attention: Fewer than 40 percent of teachers received training on evaluating technology quality for learning, despite 70 percent receiving general edtech training.
Moving Forward with Informed Technology Choices
Teachers see genuine value in thoughtfully applied technology. More than 80 percent agreed that tech could help with instructional planning, administrative work, family communication, and exposing children to experiences beyond the classroom—including virtual field trips that bring the world into the learning environment.
The key insight from this research is that effective technology integration in early childhood requires balancing innovation with developmental appropriateness. Pre-K teachers are modeling what intentional technology use looks like: embracing tools that enhance human connection and learning while maintaining healthy boundaries around emerging technologies whose effects on young children remain unclear. Parents can apply this same wisdom at home, using technology as a bridge to learning rather than a substitute for the nurturing interactions that build strong attention foundations.
Every parent knows that young children learn best through connection—through patient reading together, through hands-on exploration, through the irreplaceable warmth of human attention. Pre-K teachers understand this too, which is why they’re taking a thoughtful approach to new technologies while embracing tools that enhance rather than replace meaningful interaction. In a world rushing toward the next digital innovation, these educators remind us that protecting developmental foundations matters more than keeping pace with trends. If you’re ready to build your child’s attention and learning skills through connection rather than screens, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
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