Inequality in Preschool Education and School Readiness

Abstract

Attendance in U.S. preschools has risen substantially in recent decades, but gaps in enrollment between children from advantaged and disadvantaged families remain. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999, we analyze the effect of participation in child care and early education on children’s school readiness as measured by early reading and math skills in kindergarten and first grade. We find that children who attended a center or school-based preschool program in the year before school entry perform better on assessments of reading and math skills upon beginning kindergarten, after controlling for a host of family background and other factors that might be associated with selection into early education programs and relatively high academic skills. This advantage persists when children’s skills are measured in the spring of kindergarten and first grade, and children who attended early education programs are also less likely to be retained in kindergarten. In most instances, the effects are largest for disadvantaged groups, raising the possibility that policies promoting preschool enrollment of children from disadvantaged families might help to narrow the school readiness gap.

Big Lift Participation and School Entry Indicators: Findings for the 2016–2017 Kindergarten Class

“…When comparing demographically similar children, we found that Big Lift preschoolers were significantly more likely to start school kindergarten-ready than children who went to no preschool at all. This finding is consistent with existing literature suggesting that preschool enrollment can support the development of young children compared with those experiencing only care at home with a parent or relative (Feller et al, 2016;Magnuson et al, 2004). We also found that, when controlling for demographic characteristics, Big Lift and non-Big Lift preschoolers were equally likely to start school kindergarten-ready.…”

Testing a series of causal propositions relating time in child care to children’s externalizing behavior.

“…Studies have demonstrated that children exhibit more of these negative behaviors if they spend more time in care before they enter kindergarten (Bates, Marvinney, Kelly, Dodge, Bennett, & Pettit, 1994;Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004;Vandell & Corasaniti, 1990), are in more hours of care in the first year of life (Hofferth, 1999), start care at younger ages, or spend more hours there each day (Loeb, Bridges, Bassok, Fuller, & Rumberger, 2007).…”

“…Behavior problems can interfere with a child's acquisition of age-appropriate skills (Campbell, 2002), potentially leading to antisocial behavior in adolescence (Zahn-Waxler, Usher, Suomi, & Cole, 2005) and adulthood (Levenston, 2002). Even though child care experience has not been linked to clinical levels of problems, researchers and policymakers have worried that extensive use of child care in the early years might be a risk factor for increasing problem behaviors without causing clinical problems.Studies have demonstrated that children exhibit more of these negative behaviors if they spend more time in care before they enter kindergarten (Bates, Marvinney, Kelly, Dodge, Bennett, & Pettit, 1994;Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004;Vandell & Corasaniti, 1990), are in more hours of care in the first year of life (Hofferth, 1999), start care at younger ages, or spend more hours there each day (Loeb, Bridges, Bassok, Fuller, & Rumberger, 2007).In the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), associations were documented between the amount of time children had spent in child care and externalizing behavior at 24 months of age (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network [ECCRN], 1998), at 2 TIME IN CHILD CARE 54 months of age and in kindergarten (NICHD ECCRN, 2003); associations were maintained in models with controls for family background and child care experience, including quality, type, and instability of care. Empirical investigations have not always revealed significant associations between time in child care and behavior problems (Anme & Segal, 2004;Bacharach & Baumeister, 2003;Van Beijsterveldt, Hudziak, & Boomsma, 2005).…”

La «school readiness» e la sua misura: uno strumento di rilevazione per la scuola dell’infanzia

“…Le differenze aumentano con il progredire dell'età: un bambino di contesto deprivato, a 3 anni, conosce la metà delle parole note ad un coetaneo cresciuto in un ambiente medio-alto (Hart & Risley, 1995). Le differenze di vocabolario a 3 anni, d'altra parte, predicono gli esiti in ambito linguistico a 9 anni, come risulta da studi longitudinali, condotti su ampie coorti di studenti (Magnuson et al, 2004). A 5 anni, inoltre, un bambino di classe sociale superiore riconosce circa 22 lettere, contro le 9 identificate dai bambini svantaggiati (Howard, Grogan Dresser, & Dunklee, 2009).…”

“…Secondo ricerche americane, i bambini svantaggiati e quelli immigrati frequentano inoltre meno regolarmente la scuola dell'infanzia e afferiscono con maggiore probabilità ad istituti che si trovano in quartieri deprivati e hanno un'offerta formativa di minor qualità (Magnuson et al, 2004). Nei quartieri ghetto si concentrano infatti frequentemente le scuole con maggiori problemi: alunni poco sostenuti dalle famiglie, insegnanti demotivati e meno formati, condizioni organizzative inadeguate e risorse economico-culturali scarse.…”