In Focus: Pre-kindergarten
Mar 27, 2013 | Permalink »
New Jersey Preschool Study Findings Bolster Call For Expanding Early Education Programs
President Obama's announcement of a national, early childhood initiative in his State of the Union Address turned the country's attention to early education. The initiative's most discussed element has been the expansion of state-funded preschool to reach families below 200 percent of the poverty line by supporting state efforts with federal funds. The President's early childhood initiative recognizes the research demonstrating both the short- and long-term benefits of providing children and families, particularly those who are low income, with access to high-quality early childhood programs.
An excellent example of the kind of program envisioned by President Obama is New Jersey's Abbott preschool programs, which offer high-quality early-learning experiences to all children in 31 high-poverty New Jersey communities. The recently released Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study: Fifth Grade Follow-Up shows that children who participated in the Abbott preschool programs increased their achievement in language arts and literacy, math, and science on fourth and fifth grade New Jersey standardized tests. Additionally, participation in the Abbott preschool program decreased the likelihood of grade retention and special education placement. Children who participated in Abbott for two years saw larger gains across subject areas, but similar rates of grade retention and special education placement as children who only participated in Abbott for one year.
First offered in 1999 in response to the New Jersey Supreme Court school-funding case, Abbott vs. Burke, Abbott preschool programs are offered to both 3- and 4-year-olds and are designed to help children be school ready. The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES) is following the cohort of 4-year-old children who completed preschool in 2004-2005. The APPLES studies have found continued positive gains from preschool attendance.
As we await more details and action around the President's initiative, the most recent Abbott preschool study adds to the evidence demonstrating the importance of access to high-quality preschool and the positive impact preschool programs have on children's education and lives.
Mar 21, 2013 | Permalink »
Providence’s Early Childhood Initiative Wins Big for Its Focus on Early Language Development
Young children learn language through their environment. During infancy, babies are intensely listening to the sounds and words of the world around them. As toddlers, children begin to form simple sentences and questions and express ideas and opinions. During preschool years, children build a larger vocabulary, using more complex language and complete sentences. It is during these stages of language development that caregivers' support and understanding is essential.
Providence, Rhode Island is working to ensure caregivers understand just how important a young child's early language development is, and how they can best support it, through their new early childhood initiative, Providence Talks. The initiative seeks to increase and improve upon young children's exposure to language and vocabulary, and is based on research that shows that by age 3, children in low-income families hear on average 30 million fewer words than children in middle and upper-income families. This word gap can severely impact school readiness and future language skills.
Providence Talks will provide children under age 5 with small electronic devices that record every conversation and word spoken to them throughout the day. Parents will then receive monthly coaching sessions with social workers on how to boost their child's vocabulary. The devices are able to filter out television and radio, and will also work for English, Spanish, and other languages. In order to prevent them from being damaged, the device will come with special clothing that holds it in place. The program is voluntary, and the city intends to offer it to all low-income families. By 2018, they hope to have 2,850 families participating.
Pitched as part of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge contest, Provide Talks was recently awarded the contest's $5 million grand prize for its innovation, impact, and potential to be implemented in other cities.
While the program's long-term impact has yet to be seen, Providence Talks is a new and innovative approach to improving young children's language and vocabulary in both the short and long-term. It is one example of a growing recognition of how important adult-child interactions, like those found in high-quality child care and early education, are to improving children's language and literacy skills.
Mar 18, 2013 | Permalink »
We Need a Budget that Works for Kids and Families
Despite continued budget negotiations for the current fiscal year (FY 2013) and the recent onset of sequestration, Congress must also move forward with budget resolutions for FY 2014. The budget resolutions show us the priorities of the House and Senate, which prove to be vastly different.
The Senate budget plan, developed by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), shows strong support for children and families. Senator Murray outlines reserve funds for future mandatory spending. Reserve funds could be used for increased spending for Pre-kindergarten, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and Home Visiting which are all critical supports for young children and their families. While calling for much needed increased investment in early childhood programs, Senator Murray's proposal also eliminates the sequestration for discretionary programs. This would prevent the harsh effects of sequestration and increase investments in key early education and child care programs serving vulnerable families.
Meanwhile, the House outlined its own FY 2014 budget plan , developed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). While the Ryan budget lacks specifics, it appears that it would clearly lead to massive and disproportionate cuts to countless services and programs vital to low-income individuals and families. While the House budget would reverse sequester cuts to the defense budget, domestic discretionary spending would be subject to cuts far deeper than those under sequestration-lower than at any point in the modern time. The budget also calls for unspecified cuts to other mandatory programs. Many programs would be affected including child care subsidies and Head Start.
While the outcome of the budget negotiations is uncertain, CLASP urges the early childhood field to advocate for the best interest of children and their families and for Congress to take action to support those most vulnerable.