The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Children's School Readiness in Five States

Report Read time:
The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Children's School Readiness in Five States
The following is the executive summary from NIEER's report, The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Children's School Readiness in Five States. 

"This study estimated the effects of five state-funded preschool programs on entering kindergartners academic skills using a rigorous research design. Receptive vocabulary, early literacy and math skills were assessed in a sample of 5071 children from Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia.  We found these state-funded preschool programs to have statistically significant and meaningful impacts on children's early language, literacy and mathematical development, with some evidence of an enhanced program effect for print awareness skills for children in low-income families. 

Specific findings are as follows:  

  1. State-funded preschool produces an increase in children's vocabulary scores of nearly 4 raw score points, which equals 31% more growth over the year and an 8 percent increase in children's average vocabulary scores. This improvement translates into an additional four months of progress in vocabulary growth due to the preschool program.  This outcome is particularly important because the measure is strongly predictive of general cognitive abilities.    
  2. Children who attended state-funded preschool scored higher on a test of early math skills.  State-funded preschool increased children's math scores by almost 1 and a half raw score points, 44% more growth in a year due to the program and a 13 percent increase in children's average math scores.   Skills tested include basic number concepts, simple addition and subtraction, telling time and counting money.    
  3. State-funded preschool had strong effects on children's understanding of print concepts.  The program increased all children's print awareness scores by nearly 17 percentage points, which is 85% more growth over the year and a 39% increase in children's print awareness scores. Children who attended a state-funded preschool program before entering kindergarten know more letters, more letter-sound associations and are more familiar with words and book concepts.    
  4. We found no significant effects on children's phonological awareness.  A relatively new measure was used, and it is difficult to determine whether this result is due to a true lack of program effects.  Children in this study appeared to perform well on this test, with or without the preschool program.

Using a sophisticated research design (a regression discontinuity approach) we estimated the gains from one year of state-funded prekindergarten at age 4.  Although there were some variations in estimated effects across states (potentially due to differences in populations and availability of other preschool education options), broadly similar effects were found for each of the five state programs.  A common element across these programs was that all or nearly all teachers have a four-year college degree with an early childhood specialization."

Downloads The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Childrens School Readiness in Five States
Downloads The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Childrens School Readiness in Five States
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.