Work

Beyond the Classroom: The Broader Effects of Public Preschool Expansion on Children’s Early Educational Experiences and Early Literacy Skills

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Preschool has direct effects on attendees, but less is known about how public preschool expansions targeted to low-income children affect early educational experiences and school readiness in a broader community. We use Virginia administrative data (~630,000 students) and a discrete increase in targeted public pre-K (Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus [VPI+]) to estimate the effects of means-tested pre-K expansion on preschool participation patterns and school readiness. VPI+ expansion decreased the probability that children spend no time in licensed settings (6–7 percentage points), increasing the probability for public pre-K and private centers (5–8 and 2–3 percentage points, respectively). Kindergarten literacy skills improve (5%–6% of SD ). Effects are larger among the target population but shared broadly (perhaps through private centers). These previously unmeasured benefits inform future policy and research.

Source: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

DOI: 10.3102/01623737241303166

Authors: Michah W. Rothbart, Taryn W. Morrissey

Institutions: Syracuse University, American University

Language: English

Topic: Early Childhood Education and Development

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Economic Research Service