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Benefits of Pre-K, Full-Day K and Reduced Class Size

Benefits of Pre-K, Full-Day K and Reduced Class Size. Who We Are. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Advocacy organization Independent, non-profit Prevention-focused, research-based

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Benefits of Pre-K, Full-Day K and Reduced Class Size

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  1. Benefits of Pre-K, Full-Day K and Reduced Class Size

  2. Who We Are • Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children • Advocacy organization • Independent, non-profit • Prevention-focused, research-based • Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children is a strong, effective and trusted voice for improving the health, education and well-being of the Commonwealth’s children.

  3. Who are the Children? • Pennsylvania is home to approximately 152,000 4-year-old children; • Children least likely to attend pre-K are those whose parents have the least education and least income and whose mothers do not work outside the home. (Source: Preschool Policy Matters, National Institute for Early Education Research, Aug. 2004)

  4. Child Well-Being • 1 in 3 children in PA lives in poverty • 1 child in 6 is born to a mother with less than a high school education • 1 child in 11 is born to a single, teenaged mother

  5. Pre-K In PA • 66.5% of income-eligible children ages 3 and 4 are enrolled in Head Start • 10,127 children were enrolled in public school pre-K in 2004-05 • Impact:Early education fosters cognitive, social and emotional growth. Kids exposed to pre-K do better in school and experience fewer incidents of special education placements and grade retentions.

  6. Pre-K in other States • Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma are the only states that make pre-K available to all 4-year-olds. Florida’s new universal pre-K program received first-year funding of $387 million • Illinois governor just committed to UPK • New York and West Virginia have multi-year plans to implement pre-K for all 4-year-olds • Five states – Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, WV and Wisconsin – plus DC – include pre-K as part of their school funding formulas

  7. Why Pre-K Matters • Kids in pre-K learn social skills, self confidence and the ability to deal with others; • Pre-K creates successful students; • Pre-K creates solid citizens; • Pre-K creates better communities

  8. Why Pre-K Matters • Ninety percent of brain growth occurs before kindergarten; • Kids who start behind, stay behind; • Nearly 90% of children who are poor readers in first grade will still be poor readers by fourth grade; • One-third of children entering kindergarten cannot recognize the letters of the alphabet and more than half do not know basic math concepts. (Source: Pew Center on the States and National Conference of State Legislatures)

  9. Successful Students • Children who enter kindergarten from quality pre-K have better reading, language and social skills than those who didn’t go to preschool; • Pre-K increases high school graduation rates. • Chicago children who attended a pre-K program were 29% more likely to graduate from high school than their peers who did not have pre-K. (Source: Chicago Longitudinal Study) • Pre-K helps children do better on standardized tests. - Children from quality pre-K get better test scores in later grades and are likelier to graduate from high school. (National Research Council, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, 2000.)

  10. Successful Students • Pre-K reduces grade retention. • Maryland fifth graders who attended pre-K were 44% less likely to have repeated a grade than their peers who did not attend pre-K. (Source: "State Efforts to Evaluate the Effects of Pre-Kindergarten,” Yale University Child Study Center); • Pre-K reduces the number of children placed in special education. - Among Chicago children, those who attended pre-K were 41% less likely to require special education services than their peers who did not attend. (Source: Chicago Longitudinal Study)

  11. Why Pre-K Matters to Proficiency • 2004-05 PSSAs • 35.8% of fifth graders scored below proficient in reading • 31% of fifth graders scored below proficient in math • 36% of eighth graders scored below proficient in reading • 37% of eighth graders scored below proficient in math • Pennsylvania schools face NCLB mandate of 100% proficiency by 2014

  12. Solid Citizens • As adults, children from quality pre-K are likelier to be married, with higher educational attainments and better-paying jobs. (University of North Carolina, Early Learning, Later Success: The Abecedarian Study, 1999) • Pre-K reduces crime and delinquency. • Chicago children who did not attend pre-K were 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18 than their peers who had been pre-K participants. (Source: Chicago Longitudinal Study)

  13. Solid Citizens • Pre-K lowers rates of teen pregnancy. • North Carolina children who attended pre-K were less likely to become teen parents than their peers who did not attend pre-K: 26% vs. 45%. (Source: The North Carolina Abecedarian Project) • Pre-K leads to greater employment and higher wages as adults. • Forty-year-old adults in Michigan who attended pre-K as children were more likely to be employed and had a 33% higher average income than their peers who did not have pre-K. (Source: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project)

  14. Better Communities • Every $1 invested in high-quality pre-K saves taxpayers up to $7. • Pre-K results in savings by reducing the need for remedial and special education, welfare, and criminal justice services. (Sources: The Economics of Investing in Universal Preschool Education in California, RAND Corporation; The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project); • Pre-K is a vital part of workforce development. - Pennsylvania’s employers support pre-K investments because they equip young learners with the skills for school success and after graduation, workplace competence.

  15. Better Communities • Stewardship: giving to children today who give back to society later; • Increased tax revenue; • Increased competitiveness and more skilled labor force/workforce development – if young people aren’t prepared for learning today, they’ll fail in school and as young adults, fail at work

  16. Full-Day K in PA • Accountability Block Grant Spending • 63.6% percent of districts used 58.6% of Block Grant funds for full-day K making it the most popular use • 51% of PA kindergarteners are enrolled in full-day K compared to 65% nationally

  17. Full-Day K in other States • Just nine states require school districts to offer a full-day program • 29 states and the District of Columbia provide additional funding for full-day K programs. • Full-day K is most prevalent in the southern U.S. (NIEER, March 2005)

  18. Why Full-Day K Matters • Children in full-day kindergarten programs make more progress in literacy and math than those in half-day programs, concludes a new study published in the (February 2006 issue of the American Journal of Education.) • Children who attend full-day K have lower retention rates in the primary grades

  19. Why Full-Day K Matters • Children in full-day programs have more time to participate in meaningful learning activities than children in half-day programs • Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been found to benefit the most (NIEER, March 2005)

  20. Why Full-Day K Matters • Parents and teachers report greater satisfaction with full-day programs • Studies indicate that children who attend full-day K receive better report card grades in literacy, math, general learning skills and behavior • Full-day kindergarteners outscore children in half-day programs on standardized achievement tests up to two years after kindergarten (NIEER, March 2005)

  21. Class Size • Teachers with small classes can spend time and energy helping each child succeed. Smaller classes also enhance safety, discipline and order in the classroom. • When qualified teachers teach smaller classes, kids learn more.

  22. Class Size in PA • Only 16.8% of students in pre-K through third grade are in classes with 17 or fewer students

  23. Class Size • Accountability Block Grant Spending • 18.6% of districts used 6.9% of all Block Grant funds to reduce class size in K-3 classes

  24. Why Class Size Matters • Tennessee’s longitudinal class-size study - Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) - showed that those enrolled in small classes as youngsters were more likely to: • Graduate on time — 72% of students, versus 66% from regular classes • Complete more advanced math and English courses • Complete high school — 19% dropped out, versus 23% from regular classes • Graduate with honors

  25. Why Class Size Matters • Smaller classes increase parental involvement • Reduce disciplinary referrals • Improve teacher morale and retention

  26. To Contact Us Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children www.papartnerships.org 800-257-2030 Joan L. Benso President & CEO

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