Pre-K Picks

Dear Supporter,

October was a fruitful month on the research front. This issue of Pre-K Picks covers some of the most pressing issues in early care and education, including accountability, children with special needs, teacher education, and parent involvement. You'll find all this below plus interesting examples of how states are using research to advance pre-k.

Looking ahead, get ready for a new joint report by Pre-K Now and ZERO TO THREE on state efforts to build comprehensive and coordinated early childhood systems. Coming out at the end of November, "Common Vision, Different Paths" reveals lessons learned from five states' unique journeys toward prenatal-to-five systems supporting the healthy development of all children.

Thank you,
Albert Wat
State Policy Analyst
Pre-K Now
E-mail me a pick recommendation

P.S. One of my co-authors and I, along with early childhood leaders from Illinois and Pennsylvania, will present recommendations from "Common Vision, Different Paths" at the ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute in Orlando. If you will be attending, I look forward to seeing you there in a couple of weeks!

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The Prime Pick National task force releases report on accountability in pre-k programs In "Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality," (PDF) the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force calls for three non-negotiable components of any pre-k accountability system: An infrastructure that ensures high-quality assessments, efficient dissemination of information, and appropriate use of data; A design for assessment and program improvement that matches the purpose for collecting data; and Alignment and linkage of the accountability system to the K-3 continuum. The report also offers guidance on when collecting child assessment data is necessary and precautions to take when doing so. Importantly, the task force did not come to consensus on the appropriateness of using child assessment data for local agency accountability, but the report offers six "safeguards" to states to "minimize the risks of misuse of assessment information," should they choose to develop such an approach. The task force was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Foundation for Child Development, and the Joyce Foundation.

Pick Positions Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute compiles research on early childhood inclusion New research shows importance of teachers with bachelor's degrees Pennsylvania analyzes access and spending in early care and education by counties' risk level Early care and education policy roundup from NAEYC CLASP explores the use of Title I funds for early childhood programs Child Trends offers advice on selecting a program evaluator Predictors of parent involvement in Head Start programs Report shows cost of care for four year olds among highest household expenditures Reports focus on poverty and pre-k in the South Federal Reserve highlights pre-k as economic development strategy First look at the pre-k years from national longitudinal data set

An illustration from "Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality," outlining the authors' recommended approach to accountability.

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1. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute compiles research on early childhood inclusion

The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute has pulled together a bibliography of research studies on serving children with disabilities or special needs in early childhood classrooms. The document is useful for a variety of purposes including professional development, policy development, advocacy, and grant writing.

2. New research shows importance of teachers with bachelor's degrees

A new working paper from the National Institute for Early Education Research indicates that "outcomes in early childhood classrooms are more positive when teachers have higher levels of educational attainment and in particular, a bachelor's degree."

The paper reports on a meta-analysis of 32 studies of early childhood education programs and examined the relationship between teacher education and a range of quality measures related to teacher practices and children's development.

The study found that, on average, early childhood educators with bachelor's degrees were associated with modest but significantly higher increases in outcomes when compared with teachers without bachelor's degrees. Further, the analysis showed that "only teachers with bachelor's degrees yielded large effect sizes."

While this study does not conclude that a bachelor's degree leads to greater children's outcomes, it does indicate that higher outcomes are associated with highly educated teachers. It is also important to remember that the influence of a bachelor's degree is related to the quality of teacher preparation programs and other research-based, program quality standards. Unfortunately, the researchers did not have enough data across the studies analyzed to examine how curricula, teacher preparation, and children's demographic backgrounds may interact with teacher education.

3. Pennsylvania analyzes access and spending in early care and education by counties' risk level

As states expand access to their pre-k programs, it is important to ensure that children who can benefit the most are being served. Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides a great model for how to put this principle into practice.

OCDEL's Program Reach and County Risk Assessment compiles county-based data on risk factors related to young children and their families. With this data, OCDEL categorizes counties by their "Average Risk Level" and analyzes the accessibility and funding of early childhood programs (e.g. pre-k, Head Start, child care) in each county in relation to its risk level.

This analysis informs program expansion and improvement by allowing OCDEL to examine and compare the extent to which its programs are reaching communities with the greatest need. Future analyses will consider additional risk factors and include information on the Nurse-Family Partnership and Pennsylvania's growing investment in Pre-K Counts.

4. Early care and education policy roundup from NAEYC

With legislative sessions winding down for 2007, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has written a helpful summary of state policy changes (PDF) on a host of early care and education issues. Topics covered range from pre-k to early learning councils to quality rating and improvement systems.

5. CLASP explores the use of Title I funds for early childhood programs

A new policy paper (PDF) from the Center for Law and Social Policy examines how Title I funds can be used to provide early childhood services (birth through five) at the district or school level.

The authors argue that, while the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have constrained the use of Title I funds in school districts, NCLB's requirement that schools in need of improvement use research-based interventions could actually provide a justification for spending Title I funds on early childhood programs.

The paper provides examples of how school districts across the country have taken advantage of this funding stream and the successes and barriers they faced. It also offers recommendations for school districts who may be considering this funding strategy for early childhood programs.

6. Child Trends offers advice on selecting a program evaluator

Looking for an evaluation for your pre-k program? A new brief (PDF) from Child Trends provides step-by-step advice on how to select an evaluator for "out-of-school time programs," but much of the information is relevant for early education programs as well.

7. Predictors of parent involvement in Head Start programs

Parent involvement is key to children's educational success, and research has shown that parents play an especially important role in pre-k programs. A recent study appearing in the Journal of School Psychology explored how Head Start parents' characteristics and perceptions of themselves and their environment relate to their involvement in their children's education.

The researchers found that predictors of parent involvement depend on how it is defined. When parent involvement is defined as having close relationships with teachers or participating in activities like parent-teacher conferences and field trips, parents' perceptions of their environment – particularly their neighborhood and economic situation – appear to have more of an effect on their level of involvement. When looking at involvement in home-based activities, however, parents' education levels and belief in their ability to influence their children's education outcomes seem to play a greater role.

These findings suggest that when trying to increase parent involvement, pre-k teachers and directors should be explicit about what they mean by it and should be aware of how economic and community issues can impact parent involvement as much as parents' education, behaviors, and beliefs about themselves.

Because the sample was not randomly selected and the vast majority of parents in the study were low-income African-American women, many of whom were single, the application of the findings to some pre-k programs could be limited. The study also did not examine how home visits, a common parent involvement strategy in early education programs, may interact with parent characteristics or beliefs.

8. Report shows cost of care for four year olds among highest household expenditures

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) released new data on the cost of child care around the country.

Surveying its network of state and local resource and referral agencies, NACCRRA compiled information on the cost of care for infants and four year olds and found:

• The price of child care is rising faster than inflation.

• In 2006, the average annual cost of care for four year olds ranged from $3,800 in Mississippi to $10,900 in the District of Columbia. Infant care is even more expensive, ranging from about $4,400 to $14,600 per year.

• Oregon was the least affordable state for child care for four year olds; the average annual cost for child care represented 14 percent of the state median income for a two-parent family. New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Washington were also among the least affordable.

• In most regions of the country, the cost of care for four year olds is one of the highest expenditures in a typical household. Only housing and transportation cost more in most or all of the regions.

Since NACCRRA surveyed child care centers, this report does not provide data on the cost of high-quality pre-k, specifically.

9. Reports focus on poverty and pre-k in the South

A new report by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) finds that the percentage of low-income students in Southern states has risen from 37 percent in 1989 to 54 percent in 2006. The South is the only region in the country in which a majority of the public school students are low-income. Low-income students make up the majority in all but four of the 15 Southern states: Maryland, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Virginia.

These sobering statistics make the call from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to increase the access and quality of pre-k even more urgent. In their paper, SREB argues that while Southern states have made some progress to provide high-quality pre-k, they have a long way to go.

This paper reviews evaluation data of pre-k in Southern states and provides policymakers and other leaders with data on access, quality, and funding of pre-k programs in their states, challenging them to see how their states measure up and calling on them to take action. While the paper applauds all of the states except for Alabama for reaching all four year olds in poverty, it also shows the need for these states to expand access beyond the poorest children. In addition, it recommends expanding access to three year olds and English Language Learners, improving the quality of early education teachers, and ensuring that funding keeps up with inflation and program expansion.

Over the past month, leaders from a few Southern states have heeded this call to action. The following documents could serve as models for other states – southern or otherwise – to make the case for expansion and increased investment.

• The Prichard Committee produced a research report (PDF) that assesses the current status of Kentucky's young children and its pre-k program and makes recommendations related to access, quality, assessment, collaboration between public and private programs, and family involvement.

• The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education released a paper (PDF) that provides guidance on how to implement pre-k using a collaborative model that includes public schools, child care centers, and Head Start.

• The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia issued a brief (PDF) on the lack of access to pre-k for Virginia's four year olds.

10. Federal Reserve highlights pre-k as economic development strategy

In another sign that pre-k is winning the support of the business community, the latest issue of "Community Investments" from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco features articles on pre-k as an economic and workforce development strategy.

Among the notable contributors of these articles are:

• Kathy Reich from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation;

• Arthur Rolnick and Rob Grunewald from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis;

• Carl Guardino of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group;

• Swati Adarkar from the Children's Institute in Oregon; and

• David Kirp from the University of California at Berkeley.

Together, their voices provide an overview of the importance of high-quality pre-k for business-minded individuals and what they can do as advocates.

11. First look at the pre-k years from national longitudinal data set

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released its first preschool findings from data collected in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B).

ECLS-B data are collected from a representative sample of U.S. children who were born in 2001. This report's main purpose is to describe some basic characteristics of this population of children at age four rather than make any causal inferences about the data.

In addition to demographic information and children's experience in early care and education, the report also presents data on children's language, literacy, math, color knowledge, and fine-motor skills. The data show that among four year olds those from African-American, Hispanic, or low-income backgrounds consistently score lower on assessments of these skills than their white, Asian, and more well-to-do counterparts.

Other findings of interest include:

• Eighty percent of children in the sample were enrolled in some kind of non-parental care.

• Hispanic children have the lowest enrollment rates in center-based care, including Head Start.

• Sixty-five percent of children with mothers not in the workforce were enrolled in some kind of non-parental care, compared to more than 90 percent enrollment among children with mothers working full time. Both groups of children, however, were enrolled in center-based care at about the same rate.