Social & Economic Factors Education Employment Income Family & Social Support Community Safety Search Policies & Programs Display All Policies & Programs Contribute Content

Social & Economic Factors - Education - Increase early childhood education

Universal pre-kindergarten (pre-K)

Health Factors:	Education
Decision Makers:	Government - State, Schools
Evidence Rating:	Scientifically Supported
Population Reach:	1-9% of WI's population
Impact on Disparities:	Likely to decrease disparities

Is this program or policy in use in your community? Tell us about it.

Description

Universal pre-kindergarten (pre-K) is offered through a state to all 4-year-olds regardless of family income (Gormley 2005). Universal pre-K typically includes strong state standards and enrolls a wider variety of students than targeted interventions like Head Start (Fitzpatrick 2008). Oklahoma's high quality program, for example, enrolls the largest percentage of eligible children in the nation (NIEER-Barnett 2011). This program offers voluntary, free, school-based pre-K to all 4-year-old students in participating school districts. Pre-K teachers are required to hold a bachelor's degree as well as early childhood certification. The program limits class size to 20 students and sets child-teacher ratios at 10-to-1 (RAND-Karoly 2005).

Expected Beneficial Outcomes

Increased school readiness
Increased achievement test scores
Increased child's cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes

Evidence of Effectiveness

There is strong evidence that universal pre-K improves cognitive outcomes for disadvantaged children (Fitzpatrick 2008, Gormley 2005, NIEER-Lamy 2005). Pre-K can also improve school progress (Fitzpatrick 2008), and may improve attentiveness and decrease timidity among participants (Gormley 2011).

Pre-K improves language, math, and reading skills (Wong 2008), especially for minority and poor participants (Gormley 2005, NIEER-Lamy 2005). For example, Oklahoma's pre-K program benefits Hispanics, blacks, and very poor children far more than white and non-poor children (Gormley 2005). Georgia's universal pre-K program benefits disadvantaged rural children the most, possibly because they cannot access alternative pre-K programs (Fitzpatrick 2008).

Some researchers recommend states focus resources on minority and disadvantaged children who will benefit from pre-K the most (Fitzpatrick 2008). Others contend that universal pre-K should be promoted as it garners more public support than programs targeted at vulnerable populations (Gormley 2005).

Preliminary evidence indicates that pre-K programs focusing on instruction and coaching learners as they think through tasks can yield more cognitive growth than those focused on child-directed play and exploration (Chien 2010).

In 2010, state spending per pre-K student ranged from $115 to $11,578. Pre-K cost an average of $4,212 per student to states, and an additional $619 to federal and local funders. Oklahoma spent $4,477 per pre-K student in the 2009-2010 school year (NIEER-Barnett 2011).

Implementation Examples

United States

Nine states and the District of Columbia offer pre-K to all 4-year olds (Pew-Pre-K 2011). However, limited funding can reduce actual enrollment (Wong 2008). In 2010, Oklahoma enrolled the largest portion of 4-year-olds (71%), followed by Florida, West Virginia, Georgia, and Vermont. Nationwide, 27% of 4-year-olds were enrolled in state pre-K in 2010, and another 11% in Head Start (NIEER-Barnett 2011).

Wisconsin

Wisconsin enrolled 52% of its 4-year-olds in state pre-K in 2010 and spent $3,282 per student. The state offers quality guidelines but does not require their enforcement. Children must be 4 years old by September 1st to enroll in Wisconsin's state-sponsored pre-K program (NIEER-Barnett 2011).

Implementation Resources

CEPD - The Center for Public Education. Pre-K toolkit. Accessed on June 20, 2012
Webpage: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Pre-kindergarten/Planning-for-pre-kindergarten

OKSDE - Oklahoma State Department of Education (OKSDE). Early childhood and family education. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://ok.gov/sde/early-childhood-and-family-education

Pre-K Now - Pre-K Now. Resource center. Accessed on July 2, 2012
Webpage: http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

WI DPI-4K - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Four-year old kindergarten in Wisconsin. Accessed on June 18, 2012
Webpage: http://dpi.wi.gov/ec/ec4yrpag.html

Citations - Description

Fitzpatrick 2008* - Fitzpatrick MD. Starting school at four: The effect of universal pre-kindergarten on children’s academic achievement. B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy. 2008;8(1). Accessed on June 20, 2012
Webpage: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bejeap.2008.8.1/bejeap.2008.8.1.1897/bejeap.2008.8.1.1897.xml?format=INT

Gormley 2005* - Gormley WT, Phillips D. The effects of universal pre-k in Oklahoma: Research highlights and policy implications. Policy Studies Journal. 2005;33(1):65-82. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-0072.2005.00092.x/abstract

NIEER-Barnett 2011 - Barnett WS, Epstein D, Carolan M, et al. The state of preschool 2011. New Brunswick: National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://nieer.org/yearbook/

RAND-Karoly 2005 - Karoly LA, Kilburn MR, Cannon JS. Early childhood interventions: Proven results, future promise. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation; 2005: Monograph Report. Accessed on March 23, 2013
Webpage: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG341.html

Citations - Evidence

Chien 2010* - Chien NC, Howes C, Burchinal M, et al. Children’s classroom engagement and school readiness gains in prekindergarten. Child Development. 2010;81(5):1534-49. Accessed on January 16, 2013
Webpage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01490.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

Gormley 2011* - Gormley WT, Newmark K, Welti K, Adelstein S. Social-emotional effects of early childhood education programs in Tulsa. Child Development. 2011;82(6):2095-109. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01648.x/abstract

NIEER-Lamy 2005* - Lamy C, Barnett WS, Jung K. The effects of Oklahoma’s early childhood four-year-old program on young children’s school readiness. New Brunswick: National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER); 2005. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://nieer.org/resources/research/multistate/ok.pdf

Wong 2008 - Wong VC, Cook TD, Barnett WS, Jung K. An effectiveness-based evaluation of five state pre-kindergarten programs. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 2008;27(1):122-54.
Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.20310/pdf

Citations - Implementation Examples

Pew-Pre-K 2011 - Pew Center on the States. Transforming public education: Pathway to a pre-K-12 future. 2011. Accessed on June 20, 2012
Webpage: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=85899363996

* Journal subscription may be required for access.

Comments from Users about this Policy/Program (Cost, Feasibility, Lessons Learned)

No comments

Health Factors

Health Behaviors

Tobacco Use

Diet & Exercise

Alcohol Use

Sexual Activity

Clinical Care

Access to Care

Quality of Care

Social & Economic Factors

Education

Employment
Income

Income

Family & Social Support

Community Safety

Physical Environment

Environmental Quality

Built Environment

Decision Makers

Businesses & Employers

Community Organizations

Government - Local

Government - State

Government - Federal

Healthcare Organizations

Individuals

Schools

Evidence Rating

Level of effectiveness based on a scan of academic literature and key recommendations of leading organizations.

Scientifically Supported Numerous studies or systematic review(s) with positive results
Some Evidence Research suggests positive impacts; further study may be warranted
Expert Opinion Recommended by credible groups*; research evidence limited
Insufficient Evidence Evidence limited or unavailable; further study warranted
Mixed Evidence Evidence mixed; further study warranted
Evidence of Ineffectiveness Research consistently shows program is detrimental or has no effect

Although many policies and programs are recommended by credible groups, we apply the rating ‘expert opinion’ only when policies are recommended but limited scientific evidence of effectiveness is available.

* The American Heritage Dictionary defines credible as 'capable of being believed; plausible.' and 'worthy of confidence; reliable.' To be considered an 'expert recommendation,' policies and programs must be recommended by one or more organizations that are recognized for their impartial expertise in the area of interest and have limited evidence available.

Potential Population Reach

Portion of Wisconsin's population likely to be reached by a policy or program if implemented statewide, based on its characteristics (e.g., target population(s), geographic limitations, and potential implementers).

	<1%			20-49%
	1-9%			50-99%
	10-19%			100%

Potential Population Reach

	<1%			20-49%
	1-9%			50-99%
	10-19%			100%

Potential Impact on Health Disparities

Likely impact of a given policy or program on racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic or other disparities in Wisconsin based on its characteristics (e.g., target audience, mode of delivery, etc.) and best available evidence related to disparities.

Likely to decrease disparities
No impact on disparities likely
Likely to increase disparities