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Groundbreaking RAND Study: California Children Who Could Benefit Most from High-Quality Preschool Least Likely to be Enrolled
By Catherine Atkin
President
Preschool California
A new study by the RAND Corporation released this week adds to the growing body of research that makes the case for investing in high-quality preschool in California. The study finds that the children who could benefit most from high-quality preschool are least likely to be in it. At best, 15 percent of those children are in high-quality preschool programs that prepare them for success in K-12.
The RAND study is the first to survey parents and providers and combine that with on-site observations and evaluations of preschool classroom quality using a sample large enough to be representative of the state.
Researchers found that the quality of the state’s preschools is mixed. Most are engaging and emotionally supportive, but they fall short on key features that prepare children for kindergarten. California can – and must – do better. All children deserve access to high-quality preschool that ensures they will start kindergarten with an equal opportunity to learn.
These new findings follow an earlier RAND study that showed the children who could benefit most from preschool are those who start behind in kindergarten and stay behind in elementary school. That study found that significant percentages of children fall short of standards in the early grades, but some groups fall short by even larger margins – English learners, students whose parents did not graduate from high school, African Americans, Latinos and economically disadvantaged children.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, on a briefing for reporters on the study, said, “We know that high-quality preschool helps close that achievement gap by addressing the school readiness gap. We must work toward the day when all California children have access to high-quality preschool, so no child starts school already behind.
California Secretary of Education Dave Long noted that “all of us know that too few children arrive at school ready to learn and this research will help us address that.”
Long noted that California does have successful models for providing high-quality preschool that can help guide our efforts to improve our preschool system.
San Mateo and San Francisco’s First 5 Power of Preschool programs, for example, exceed the quality of a nationally recognized program showing significant gains for children in early reading and math skills. Such high-quality programs employ well-trained and qualified teachers, offer rich learning environments with research-based curriculum and provide financial incentives for preschools to maintain higher levels of quality.
This new research confirms that California needs to invest in quality if we want to create the kind of programs that get children ready to learn.
Proposed California legislation would lay the groundwork for reforming our preschool system to provide programs that prepare kids for success in school. AB 2759 (Jones) would consolidate and streamline the state’s existing child development programs serving 3 and 4 year olds into the California State Preschool Program. SB 1629 (Steinberg) would establish a commission to create a state early learning quality improvement system.
Even with the state’s challenging budget outlook, we must remember that educating our young children provides a great return on investment. Now is the time to make strategic investments in the future, raising standards so that when new funds become available, we have a system that will provide access to high-quality preschool for the kids who need it most.
Our children cannot wait any longer – we must work together to build the high-quality early care and education system they need and deserve.
For more information, including links to the RAND study and executive summary, visit: www.preschoolcalifornia.org/rand
Catherine Atkin is president of Preschool California, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to increase access to high-quality preschool for all of California’s children, starting with those who need it most.” She is an attorney with legal and policy expertise in the area of early care and education.
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