Research

Research Says PreK Programs Will Reap Billions in Benefits

In his research study, Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation: Public Investment in High-Quality Prekindergarten, economist Robert G. Lynch finds that investment in high quality prekindergarten programs will generate billions of dollars in economic and other benefits for the federal and state governments.

The study published by the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute shows huge benefits whether programs are universal or targeted to three- and four-year-old children from poor families. September 2007

Another Study Shows PreK Programs Reduce Future Crime

A longitudinal study of participants in a Chicago public schools program serving preK through third grade students reported that at age 24 program participants had acquired more education and were less likely to commit crimes than those who did not receive the same level of service.

"Effects of a School-Based, Early Childhood Intervention on Adult Health and Well-being" is a 19-year followup report in an ongoing study of Chicago's Child-Parent Center program, which appears which appears in the August 2007 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a monthly journal.

Arthur J. Reynolds, a child-development professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and the director of the study, told Education Week that "these findings are especially relevant to schools and policymakers in decisions about modifying existing programs or expanding access to early education."  August 2007

PreK Program Pays Off in Academic Development

New Mexico's preK initiative is paying off for its four-year-old participants in greater improvement in early language, literacy and math development.

That's among the findings of a study, "The Effects of the New Mexico PreK Initiative on Young Children's School Readiness," released Aug. 2, 2007 by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. The research was conducted by Jason T. Hustedt, W. Steven Barnett, and Kwanghee Jung. Find out more.  August 2007

Study: Policy Makers Should Consider Full-Day Preschool

A study by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) finds that the benefits of full-day preschool over half-day programs are significant and concludes that "policy makers should strongly consider implementation of full-day preschool."

The NIEER report discusses a randomized trial that compared children from low-income families in half-day and full-day public preschool programs.

Results show that children attending full-day programs did better on mathematics and literacy tests than children in a 2.5 to 3-hour public preschool program and the achievement gains continued at least until the end of first grade. Read more.  May 2006

Study Backs Benefits of Preschool

The journal Developmental Psychology has published new research that confirms that Oklahoma's pre-kindergarten program is successfully helping kids prepare for school. (Oklahoma is one of the few states to offer preschool to every four year old.) While learning gains were made by children of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, the study found the most significant improvements among Hispanic children. Researchers made a point of noting that the preschool program was staffed by well-educated, well-trained teachers who earn regular public school salaries. Listen to the NPR story by Michelle Trudeau or read a news release about the research report, entitled "The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development." You can find a link to the full study from there.  October 2005.

Survey Finds Wide Disparity in Preschool Availability

NEA leader Patricia Reeves, a long-time advocate of early childhood education, was on hand to help announce the results of the second annual survey of state preschool programs, which found a huge disparity in availability from state to state.

The report concludes that "across our nation, high-quality and readily available state-funded preschool programs are the exception rather than the rule." February 2004 .

Studies Show Long-Term Benefits

The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project and Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention Project  are perhaps the two most-often cited studies thought to prove the long-term benefits of early childhood education.

Child Trends Offers Range of Research Services

Child Trends, a nonprofit and nonpartisan children's research organization, provides research and data on the benefits of early childhood education, a description of practices that support school readiness  and more. It collects and analyzes data; conducts, synthesizes, and disseminates research; designs and evaluates programs; and develops and tests promising approaches to research in the field.

Founded in 1979, Child Trends is supported by foundations, government agencies, private organizations, and individual donors. Child Trends has achieved a reputation as one of the nation's leading sources of credible data and high-quality research on children.

Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers

Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers  provides an in-depth perspective on the components of quality preschool programs; principles of learning that should be incorporated into preschool curriculum (without endorsing any particular curriculum), and appropriate use of early childhood assessments. The report includes recommendations regarding professional development, development of curricula and assessment tools, and public policies at the state and federal levels. The report is from the Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy of the National Research Council's Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

Early Childhood Research & Practice

Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP), a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, covers topics related to the development, care, and education of children from birth to approximately age 8. ECRP emphasizes articles reporting on practice-related research and development, and on issues related to practice, parent participation, and policy.

Study Shows Importance of Early Experiences

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) is an ongoing effort by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The study follows a nationally representative sample of approximately 22,000 children from kindergarten through fifth grade in an effort to increase public awareness of the importance of children's early experiences in care and education evidenced by the National Education Goal on school readiness.

Fact Sheet: Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation

Costs & Benefits

• The total annual benefits of a universal program would begin to pay for itself within nine years and would do so by a growing margin every year thereafter.

• By the year 2050, the annual benefits of a universal program would total $779 billion, exceeding the costs of the program ($95 billion) in that year by a ratio of 8.2 to 1. By state, that ratio would vary from 6.1 to 1 for residents of Alabama to 11.4 to 1 for those in Wyoming.

• The total annual benefits of a targeted program would surpass costs within six years and would do so by a growing margin every year thereafter.

• By 2050, the annual benefits of a targeted program would total $315 billion, exceeding the costs of the program ($26 billion) in that year by a ratio of 12.1 to 1. By state, that ratio would vary from 8.1 to 1 for residents of Alabama to 29.1 to 1 for those in Delaware.

• Prekindergarten investments present much higher returns than the stock market. A Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (2003) study  determined that the total annual real rates of return (adjusted for inflation) on public investments in the Perry Preschool program  exceeded 16%. The highly touted real rate of return on the stock market that prevailed between 1871 and 1998 was just 6.3%.

Government Budget Benefits

• By the year 2050, a universal program would generate government budget benefits of $191 billion.

• Comparing government budget benefits alone (excluding benefits to individuals from less crime and higher compensation) to program costs, a universal program would pay for itself within 17 years. By 2050, the ratio of government budget benefits to program costs would be about 2 to 1.

• Even if states paid almost all the costs of a universal program - with the federal government simply maintaining its current commitments to pre-K education - the annual state government budget benefits of the program after 44 years would outstrip the annual state program costs by a ratio of 1.26 to 1. When compensation and crime reduction benefits are added to the state budget benefits, total annual benefits in 2050 would exceed the program costs in every state, by a minimum of 5.9 to 1 in Alabama and by as much as 11.2 to 1 in Wyoming.

• By the year 2050, a targeted program would generate government budget benefits of $83 billion.

• Comparing government budget benefits alone (excluding benefits to individuals from less crime and higher compensation) to program costs, a targeted program would pay for itself within 9 years. By the year 2050, the ratio of government budget benefits to program costs would be 3.18 to 1.

• Even if states paid almost all costs of a targeted program - with the federal government simply maintaining its current commitments to pre-K education - the annual state government budget benefits of the program after 44 years would surpass the annual state program costs by a ratio of 2.15 to 1. When compensation and crime reduction benefits are added to the state budget benefits, total annual benefits in 2050 would exceed the program costs in every state, by a minimum of 7.9 to 1 in Alabama and by as much as 28.8 to 1 in Delaware.

Earnings Benefits

• Universal pre-K investment can increase future compensation (wages and benefits) of participants and their guardians. While the total increase in compensation by 2050 will be $432 billion total, increased compensation will vary from $540 million in Wyoming to $64.4 billion in California.

• By the year 2050, a targeted pre-K program would increase the combined compensation of workers who participated as children by $156 billion. The increased compensation will vary from $154 million in Vermont and Wyoming to $25.7 billion in California.

Crime Benefits

• Investments in pre-K programs are likely to substantially reduce crime rates and the extraordinary costs of criminality. The crime-related savings to individuals from a universal pre-K program would total $156 billion nationwide in 2050 and would range from $99 million in Vermont to $17.9 billion in California.

• The crime related savings to individuals from a targeted pre-K program would total $77 billion in 2050 and would range from $34 million in Vermont to $9.9 billion in Texas.

Source: Economic Policy Institute; Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation  (PDF, 45KB, 2 pages)

September 2007

Billions Are at Stake in the Push for PreK

That's the unambiguous conclusion of research by economist Robert G. Lynch and published and distributed by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a Washington-based nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.

The research shows that high-quality programs would save states and the federal government billions of dollars over decades.

Lynch studied the costs and benefits of preK programs and their positive impact over time on federal and state budgets, crime costs, and the earnings of participating children and adults. He examined the impacts of high-quality universal programs that serve all 3- and 4-year olds, as well as those targeted to 3- and 4-year old children from families in the lowest quarter of income distribution.

According to the study, the total annual benefits of a universal program would begin to pay for itself within nine years and would do so by a growing margin every year thereafter.

Among the highlights included in a fact sheet provided by EPI about the research is:

"Even if states paid almost all costs of a targeted program -- with the federal government simply maintaining its current commitments to pre-K education -- the annual state government budget benefits of the program after 44 years would surpass the annual state program costs by a ratio of 2.15 to 1. When compensation and crime reduction benefits are added to the state budget benefits, total annual benefits in 2050 would exceed the program costs in every state, by a minimum of 7.9 to 1 in Alabama and by as much as 28.8 to 1 in Delaware."

The initial study released in the spring of 2007 was significantly augmented over the summer with the release of fact sheets for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia .

According to the data, investment in preK programs would almost immediately pay for itself.

In Connecticut a targeted program would begin to pay for itself just a year after implementation. In several states like Minnesota, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alaska, a similar targeted program would beign to pay for itself after three years.

In another example, investment in universal preK in Texas would generate $75.9 billion in total benefits by 2050.

State policy makers apparently are finding this and other research showing similar results to be compelling. Moves to offer more preK programs and expand half-day to full-day kindergarten are being made in many states.

The Wall Street Journal reported in August:

In Washington and statehouses across the country, preschool is moving to the head of the class.

Florida and Oklahoma are among the states that have started providing free preschool for any 4-year-old whose parents want it. Illinois and New York plan to do the same. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to spend $15 billion over five years on universal preschool funding. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke calls preschool one cure for inequality.

The movement represents one of the most significant expansions in public education in the 90 years since World War I, when kindergarten first became standard in American schools. It has taken off as politicians look for relatively inexpensive ways to tackle the growing rich-poor gap in the U.S. They have found spending on children is usually an easy sell.

…"Politicians have a choice to make. They can do things like build sports stadiums that offer virtually no economic return, or they can invest in early education programs with a 16% rate of return," says Art Rolnick, the Minneapolis Fed official, who came up with that number after reviewing a three-decade study of youngsters growing up in Ypsilanti, Mich.

September 2007
 

PreK, Full-Day Kindergarten Programs Are Proliferating

Responding to the research, policy and political leaders in more and more states are investing in early childhood education. Public pre-kindergarten programs are proliferating and thousands of children in more than half a dozen states will move from half to full-day kindergarten classes this fall.

Seven state legislatures set aside money for all-day kindergarten, among them Montana, North Dakota and Utah, which don't have state pre-K programs and a record 29 governors sought and received from their legislatures increased funding for their state preK programs.

In a roundup of state legislative action this past spring, Pauline Vu of Stateline.org reported, "Currently, 39 states have a state-funded preschool program, although the majority of them only cover low-income kids. Only three states -- Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma -- offer voluntary preschool to all 4-year-olds. Illinois last year passed a law to create the country's first universal program for 3-year-olds, as well as 4-year-olds, but the program is being phased in."

According to the report, "It's all part of a push to get more kids learning at a young age when, research has shown, their brains still are developing and they're most likely to soak in information. Advocates also say that students who have attended preschool are less likely to commit crimes later and more likely to attend college, get jobs and pay taxes."

Research Supporting PreK, Full-Day Kindergarten Continues to Grow

Moreover, the research-based evidence of all of the social and economic benefits of expanded high quality preK education continues to roll in.

• A longitudinal study of participants in a Chicago public schools program serving preK through third grade students reported in August 2007 that at age 24 program participants had acquired more education and were less likely to commit crimes than those who did not receive the same level of service.
• Economic Policy Institute (EPI) research updated in July to include fact sheets for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia shows that quality preK programs that either serve all 3- and 4-year-olds or target children in the poorest families begin to pay for themselves in as little as one year and no more than 13 years, while saving states and the federal government billions over decades.
• A study, "The Effects of the New Mexico PreK Initiative on Young Children's School Readiness," released Aug. 2, 2007 by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University, shows that New Mexico's preK initiative is paying off for its four-year-old participants in greater improvement in early language, literacy, and math development.

Findings of the Chicago study on the long-term effects of early childhood education are similar to results consistently reported by other well-known longitudinal study projects including the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention Project and the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project.

The latest EPI information on states shows that Texas, for example, could save billions of public dollars over the upcoming decades by immediately investing in pre-kindergarten programs, which the research contends would pay begin paying for themselves within eight years.

According to the Texas data, investment in quality universal preK would generate $75.9 billion in total benefits by 2050. A more targeted preK program concentrated on vulnerable populations, could yield $37.8 billion in total benefits.

PreK Helps Produce More Productive Citizens

EPI says the data shows that "children who participate in high-quality pre-K programs perform better in school, earn higher salaries when they enter the workforce, and engage in less criminal activity.

The legislative action recorded so far in 2007 continues the trend reported in "The State of Preschool 2006: State Preschool Yearbook" released by NIEER earlier this year. In releasing the authoritative annual review of state preschool programs, NIEER said state-funded preschool is the "most rapidly expanding segment of the U.S. educational system."

However, the NIEER report called states' commitment to early childhood education "fickle," explaining that "funding is as likely to be cut as it is to be increased."

"Lack of stable funding poses an enormous problem for parents of young children and for society generally," said NIEER Director W. Steven Barnett.

This concern did not disappear in 2007. According to the Stateline.org report, South Dakota is only funding a pilot program in the Sioux Falls School District and North Dakota passed a bill allowing districts to create preschool programs, but the state senate failed by one vote to provide $200,000 to the districts.

Stateline.org reported, "In Mississippi, the only Southern state without a program, a bill that would have provided $10 million for the state to set up a pre-K program got further than it ever had by passing the House, although it failed in the Senate."

The Legislative Budget Board in Texas, which prepares budget proposals that then go to the legislature, initially cut preK funding. Though it was later restored by the lawmakers, the process underscored that funding is tenuous.

The Indiana legislature boosted funding for full-day sessions from $8.5 million to $33.5 million this year and $58.5 million next year, but the added revenue still isn't enough to pay for full-day sessions for all students. Some districts will add money from their general funds, while others will ask parents to pay an annual fee if they want their children to attend all day.

Idaho remains without any preK programs after its legislature declined to pass a bill that merely would have allowed local school districts to establish preK programs.

Related materials:

• Study: Policy Makers Should Consider Full-Day Preschool
• NEA's Taking Steps Toward PK-3 Success ( PDF, 1.66MB, 16 pages) identifies strategies to help improve teaching and learning environments at the PK-3 levels.
• NEA's "advocacy guide" ( PDF, 957KB, 52 pages) offers Association leaders and staff and other early childhood education advocates tools, resources, and research that will help them in securing full-day kindergarten programs in their states.

August 2007

Study: PreK Program Pays Off in Academic Development

New Mexico's preK initiative is paying off for its four-year-old participants in greater improvement in early language, literacy, and math development.

That's among the findings of a study, "The Effects of the New Mexico PreK Initiative on Young Children's School Readiness," released Aug. 2, 2007 by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. The research was conducted by Jason T. Hustedt, W. Steven Barnett, and Kwanghee Jung.

"The New Mexico PreK Initiative is producing positive results across multiple measures for the state's children," said Barnett, NIEER director. "The effects found in this study are the first link in a chain that has been found by other studies to produce improvements in long-term school success and economic benefits."

Barnett also said, "The message in our findings for people who run state and federal preschool education programs is that they need to be of high quality if they're going to make a real difference for children's school readiness."

In 2006, the New Mexico program served 2,200 4-year-old children. Funds are distributed equally between the Public Education and the Children, Youth and Families departments. Participating providers include public schools as well as private centers such as Head Start, child care facilities, faith-based centers and tribal programs.

The study is the latest addition to a large body of research that shows that high-quality preschool programs can lead to increases in school success, higher test scores, fewer school dropouts, higher graduation rates, less special education, and lower crime rates.

Here's a brief summary that includes a link to the full study, which is available online at the NIEER Web site.