Measuring the Impact of California's State-Funded Preschool Program on Children's Academic Skills at Kindergarten Entry

Project Managers
Carollee Howes

Timeline

2006-2007

Project Support

Funded by Rutgers University/National Institute for Early Education Research




















Project Summary

State preschool programs are expected to produce substantial improvements in children’s cognitive and social skills when they enter kindergarten.  As state preschool programs have grown, stakeholders and policymakers want to know just how effective these programs have been. This project evaluated the effects of California’s state-funded preschool programs on children’s short-term cognitive and social growth at the start of kindergarten, providing evidence for the efficacy of the state-funded programs.  This evaluation was part of a larger, multi-state study, sponsored by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).

Children at the beginning of their kindergarten year who attended the state-funded preschool program in the previous year were assessed and their results were compared to four-year-old children who were at the beginning of their preschool year in the state-funded program.  Assessments focused on children’s early literacy, math, and social skills.  All of the children were assessed using the same instrumentation, chosen for validity and reliability with young children. Preschool classroom quality was measured on a representative sample of preschool classrooms across the state-funded programs.