Resources & Publications: Pre-kindergarten

• Aug 14, 2012  |  Christine Johnson-Staub Putting it Together: A Guide to Financing Comprehensive Services in Child Care and Early Education This guide provides state policymakers and advocates with strategies to maximize resources and make policy changes that drive funds, resources, and community partners to child care and early education programs to benefit young children and families. Separate from blending and braiding funding streams at the local or program level, the strategies described in this guide focus on state policy decisions that can facilitate the innovative use of funds, encourage partnerships at the state and local level, and replicate promising models from other states. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Mar 15, 2011  |  Hannah Matthews Financing a Birth to Five Program: The Appleton Area School District Model Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also known as No Child Left Behind or NCLB) funds long have been used to provide preschool services for at-risk children. This paper focuses on the Appleton Area School District (AASD) in Appleton, Wisconsin and their efforts to use Title I funds to finance a comprehensive birth-five program. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Aug 13, 2010  |  Danielle Ewen Using Title I to Expand Opportunities for High-Quality Early Childhood Programs This presentation discusses how Title I of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds can be used to expand opportunities for high-quality early childhood programs. The presentation was featured at the conference, Early Childhood 2010: Innovation for the Next Generation, on August 4, 2010. Download PDF
• Jul 30, 2010  |  Elizabeth Hoffmann Head Start Participants, Programs, Families, and Staff in 2009 This fact sheet reviews the 2009 Program Information Reports (PIR) data for the Head Start preschool program, which serves children ages 3 and 4. In 2009, Head Start continued to provide vital services to a diverse group of low-income children and families. However, less than half of eligible children receive Head Start preschool services. Download PDF
• Feb 01, 2010  |  Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Administration Reverses a Decade of Indifference The President's FY 2011 budget proposal provides resources for expanding quality child care and early education opportunities for children and families. Read Online
• Jan 29, 2010  |  Danielle Ewen Testimony of Danielle Ewen for U.S. Department of Education ESEA Listening Tour Danielle Ewen's testimony lays out principles to consider for early childhood issues in the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and CLASP's recommendations for changes to the law. Download PDF
• Jan 21, 2010  |  Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen FAQ: Using Title I of ESEA for Early Education This paper provides answers to frequently asked questions on using Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds on early education. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Nov 20, 2009  |  Danielle Ewen A Birth Through 8 Agenda for ESEA/NCLB This presentation looks at examples of how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) can be used for birth through third grade, discuss potential changes in the reauthorization, and discuss how to promote greater use of Title I and other programs in NCLB for birth through age 8. Download PDF
• Oct 05, 2007  |  Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Title I And Early Childhood Programs: A Look At Investments In The NCLB Era This paper explores the wide range of ways in which school districts are using funds from Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for early education through kindergarten and examines how the implementation of NCLB has impacted those investments. It also makes recommendations for local educational agencies interested in creating Title I-funded early education programs or thinking about how to sustain these types of investments in the face of policy and funding challenges. Download PDF
• Jun 15, 2007  |  Rachel Schumacher, Katie Hamm, and Danielle Ewen Making Pre-Kindergarten Work For Low-income Working Families As of 2006, 38 states and the District of Columbia had pre-kindergarten programs, which vary considerably in their design. While low-income children stand to gain the most from early care and education initiatives, working families may not be able to access programs that are not responsive to their needs. This paper discusses research supporting the need to review initiatives to ensure maximum access for children in working families, especially low-income children; highlights key strategies to address the needs of low-income working families; and examines the extent to which state pre-kindergarten policies currently do so.This paper is based on research conducted for the CLASP report All Together Now: State Experiences in Using Community-based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten. Download PDF
• May 17, 2007  |  Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Recommendations To Support High-Quality Early Education Programs Through Reauthorization Of The No Child Left Behind Act Unlike other early care and education funding sources, Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has seen some increases in funding levels since 2002. As a result, a number of policymakers interested in investing in high-quality early care and education programs have turned to Title I as a funding source. This publication, which draws from two years study of the relationship between Title I and high-quality early education, offers recommendations for the reauthorization of NCLB. Download PDF
• Jan 22, 2007  |  Helene Stebbins and L. Carol Scott Better Outcomes For All: Promoting Partnerships Between Head Start And State Pre-K This report, a collaboration between CLASP and Pre-K Now, examines how Head Start and state pre-kindergarten programs can work together to best serve young children and their families. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with state pre-k program directors, Head Start collaboration coordinators, and providers of both Head Start and state pre-k programs in five states. The report finds that collaborations led to the enrollment of more children; the availability of more full-day, full-year options; and improvements in the quality of programs across settings. All of those interviewed for the report noted that collaboration is possible under current law and that it is well worth the effort. Download PDF
• Dec 08, 2006  |  Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews The Potential Of Title I For High-Quality Preschool This presentation, funded by the Foundation for Child Development, provides a brief overview of Title I of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, explains how these funds may be used to support high-quality preschool, and offers several illustrative models of school districts using Title I funds for early education. It also provides background information making the case for investments in young, low-income children, along with relevant policy implications that may affect the availability of Title I funding for such programs. Download PDF
• May 10, 2006  |  Mark Greenberg, Danielle Ewen, and Hannah Matthews Using TANF for Early Childhood Programs In recent years, states have made significant investments in pre-kindergarten programs in order to help young children enter school ready to learn. Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds are among the sources states have tapped to support some or all of their early childhood initiatives. This brief, supported by the Foundation for Child Development, outlines when and how states can use TANF funds to support early childhood programs, and examines the impact of TANF changes included the 2006 federal budget (called the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005) on this use. Download PDF
• May 16, 2005  |  Rachel Schumacher, Danielle Ewen, Katherine Hart, and Joan Lombardi Policy Brief: All Together Now: State Experiences In Using Community-Based Child Care To Provide Pre-Kindergarten This brief is based on the 61-page report of the same name, which was commissioned by the Brookings Institution. It studies the emergence of the mixed delivery model, in which pre-kindergarten is delivered in community-based settings and schools. This policy brief, the fifth in the Child Care and Early Education Series, describes principal approaches to state implementation of the mixed delivery model but does not provide examples of state policies. See the full report for details about state policy choices. Download PDF
• Mar 30, 2005  |  Danielle Ewen, Jennifer Mezey, and Hannah Matthews Missed Opportunities: The Possibilities and Challenges of Funding High-quality Preschool through Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act This paper, funded by the Foundation for Child Development, provides general background on the legislation behind Title I and provides an overview of the available data on the use of Title I funds for preschool, as well as illustrative examples of how a few states and local communities have used Title I funds for these programs. It also examines the U.S. Department of Education's statutes, regulations, and guidance on the use of Title I funds for preschool and raises some unanswered questions. Finally, it discusses how the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act may affect the availability of Title I funding for preschool programs. Download PDF
• Feb 24, 2005  |  Rachel Schumacher, Danielle Ewen, Katherine Hart, and Joan Lombardi All Together Now: State Experiences in Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten This paper, commissioned by the Brookings Institution, studies the emergence of the mixed delivery model, in which pre-kindergarten is delivered in community-based settings and schools. It describes findings of CLASP survey of states that was undertaken to understand the policy choices, opportunities, and challenges of including community-based child care providers in their pre-kindergarten programs. Also, now available are individual detailed descriptions of each of the 29 states' responses to the CLASP survey on the state policies used to integrate pre-kindergarten into community-based child care settings. Download PDF
• Aug 18, 2003  |  Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, and Joan Lombardi Meeting Great Expectations: Integrating Early Education Program Standards in Child Care In order to achieve improved child outcomes, policymakers must invest in improved program standards in child care. This report, part of the Foundation for Child Development's Working Paper Series, examines three strategies in seven states that have integrated program standards into child care by directly tying standards to funding: the delivery of state pre-kindergarten (Georgia, New Jersey, and New York) and Head Start (Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon) in child care settings and the use of contracts including required standards with child care providers (California). These states are requiring participating child care providers to meet early education program standards that routinely exceed those required by state child care licensing rules. They are also providing additional monitoring, technical assistance, and fiscal resources to help participating programs meet these standards. Download PDF
• Aug 18, 2003  |  Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, Joan Lombardi Policy Brief: Meeting Great Expectations: Integrating Early Education Program Standards in Child Care This is the 8-page policy brief based on the report of the same name. Download PDF
• May 05, 2003  |  Mark Greenberg and Rachel Schumacher Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant In recent years, states and localities have become increasingly interested in providing universal access to pre-Kindergarten (pre-K). Two principal federal funding streams available to states that are traditionally used for child care under certain conditions may also be used for such an initiative: the Child Care and Development Fund and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. This report summarizes what is clear and what is unclear about the extent to which each of the funding streams could be used in support of universal pre-K initiatives. Download PDF
• Apr 01, 2001  |  Rachel Schumacher, Mark Greenberg, and Joan Lombardi State Initiatives to Promote Early Learning: Next Steps in Coordinating Subsidized Child Care, Head Start, and State Prekindergarten States often struggle with two key social goals: the need to promote school readiness for children and the need to support working families given increasing labor force participation among mothers with young children. This paper describes the challenges states face in addressing these issues, responses to these challenges, and recommendations for the future. The findings of the paper are based on examinations of three states with significant experience in developing a major early education initiative and coordination of subsidized child care, Head Start, and state prekindergarten systems. The profiled state initiatives are the Georgia Prekindergarten Program, Massachusetts' Community Partnerships for Children Initiative, and Ohio's state funding of Head Start and expansion of Head Start partnerships with child care programs. Download PDF