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Financing Early Childhood Care and Education: A Critical Investment. Larry Schweinhart South Asian Regional Conference in ECCE New Delhi August 27, 2012. The HighScope Perry Preschool Study. 123 children born in poverty at risk of school failure
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Financing Early Childhood Care and Education: A Critical Investment Larry Schweinhart South Asian Regional Conference in ECCE New Delhi August 27, 2012
The HighScope Perry Preschool Study • 123 children born in poverty at risk of school failure • Randomly assigned to program or no program (with departures corrected) • Program group got an interactive preschool child development program • Only 5 percent of data from ages 3 to 40 missing
Three studies have found strong long-term effects and return on investment • HighScope Perry Preschool Study through 40 • Abecedarian Enhanced Child Care Study through 30 • Chicago Child-Parent Centers Study through 28
These studies differed in time, place, and design. Time– Perry program in the 1960s, ABC in the 1970s, and CPC in the 1980s. Place – Perry and ABC in college towns, CPCs throughout Chicago. Design – Perry and ABC were true experiments with a little over 100 children, CPCs used existing classes of 1,500 children.
At least two of these programs… • Had state-certified teachers and developed and validated a curriculum. • Served low-income 3 and 4 year olds with part-day programs and parent outreach – ABC served children birth to 5 full day full year. • Engaged in regular assessment of program implementation and children’s development and the program leader was also the research leader.
At least two of the studies found… • Improved intellectual performance • Improved school achievement in adolescence • Improved high school graduation rate • Fewer special education placements • Fewer grade retentions • Fewer teen pregnancies • Lower arrest rates
Two similar studies in this part of the world • Turkish Early Enrichment Project in Istanbul • Mauritius-Penn Child Health Study
Turkish Early Enrichment Project Follow-up at 25-27(Kagitcibasi et al, 2009) • Children in disadvantaged areas of Istanbul • Mother training and preschool education for 4- to 6-year-olds • At 13-15, greater school success • At 25-27, greater educational attainment, vocabulary, lower age of first employment, occupational status, computer and credit card ownership
Mauritius-Penn Child Health Study through 23(Raine et al., 2003) • Middle-income, multi-ethnic democracy • Random assignment of children • Program of nutrition and high-quality education • At 10, better social skills, more organized thinking • At 17 and 23, more socially adjusted, calmer, 52% less crime, especially by participants malnourished at 3
But other US studies find modest short-term effects • Head Start Impact Study – trivial effects • Head Start FACES study and Five-State Preschool Study – modest effects
Highly effective preschools have special ingredients. • Certified and/or well-supervised teachers • A validated curriculum with evidence of its effectiveness • Systematic engagement of parents • Feedback from regular assessment of program implementation and children’s development
General finding, specific expressions • General finding: High-quality early childhood education has long-term benefits and produce strong return on investment. • Specific expressions: cognitive skills, social skills, high school graduation, employment, crime reduction.
“India ranks last overall”(Economist Intelligence Unit, 2012) • “A combination of limited availability, the lowest overall quality, and relatively high costs.” • “India faces the toughest social conditions: high rates of child malnutrition and child mortality combined with low rates of literacy and immunisation.” • “All countries face difficult decisions regarding how to allocate scarce resources towards child development, but these are especially pressing in India.”
What does South Asia need? • Public or third-party funded preschool programs for the poorest children. • Quality standards • Qualified teachers • Validated curriculum • Parent involvement • Feedback from assessment