WELCOME Pre Kindergarten and Early Education Policy Luncheon April 29 th, 2014

Welcome Jaime Hanks Meyers, Managing Director, CHILDREN AT RISK

Welcome Jill Scigliano, Chief Impact Officer, United Way Metropolitan Dallas

Mary Jalonick, President, The Dallas Foundation The Role of Philanthropies in Early Education

The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas Chris Gustafson Public Policy Coordinator, CHILDREN AT RISK

Why Pre-K?

It’s cost-effective now… Research studies have shown pre- kindergarten education to be cost- effective and have immediate and long-term positive effects on a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

…and it’s cost-effective in the future. Children who attend high-quality pre-k have: a reduced likelihood of criminal behavior and incarceration, higher chances of being employed as adults, increased lifetime earnings and less reliance on welfare The Pew Center on the States, Sept. 2011

Pre-K Saves Money Without early childhood intervention, an at-risk child is: 25% more likely to drop out of school 40% more likely to become a teen parent 50% more likely to be placed in special education 60% more likely to never attend college 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime Cooper and Costa, 2012 Commit!

Bottom line: Pre-K can save taxpayers money and most importantly, provide children with the academic anchor that can lead to better futures for our children.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Background $5.4 billion cut to education funding in 2011 Discretionary grant funds for pre-k lost $200 million. In response, conducted a study on the impact of the school budget cuts

School Budget Study sent survey to every district in Texas and conducted qualitative interviews in select districts Over 400 school districts participated, representing 65% of the student population in the state Many survey respondents reported a decrease in pre-kindergarten program offerings

Current Study With the support of the Meadows Foundation and TEGAC, has begun The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas A mixed-methods study to assess the current state of public Texas pre-kindergarten programs and make recommendations for increasing pre-kindergarten programs statewide

Objective #1 Address the lack of data surrounding Texas Pre-K programs What do we know about Texas Pre-K programs? Which districts offer at least a half-day program How many students in each district are enrolled in Pre-K What isn’t tracked? How many and which districts offer a full-day program Which student populations are served by these programs Data on class sizes and student teacher ratios

Objective #2 Provide a better picture of the state of pre- kindergarten programs in Texas Access Funding Class sizes and teacher ratios

Objective #3 Provide practical policy recommendations for increasing access to pre-kindergarten across the state

Survey Research Survey has been sent to every district in the state, addressing: Half-day vs. full-day programs Populations served Funding models Class sizes and ratios Challenges faced

Qualitative Research Select sample of 5-10 districts to further evaluate Districts that are offering Pre-k above and beyond mandates using innovative funding models that could be replicated Qualitative research and interviews with district representatives on policies, strategies, funding sources, partnerships, etc. in these districts Outline case studies for these model districts

Additional Policy Research Research state-level Pre-k policy in Texas and other states Policies in other states that promote Pre-k In-depth summary of current Texas policies and statutes

Final Report Using the information collected in each phase of this study, will produce a report to disseminate to districts and policy makers Outline the current state of pre-kindergarten in Texas Serve as a toolkit for Texas districts to increase access to pre-kindergarten Provide policy recommendations for Texas legislators to promote pre-kindergarten access during the 84 th Legislative Session

Policy Update In contact with the Legislative Budget Board, Texas Education Agency, and other key stakeholders Almost finished with in-depth research of Texas policies and statutes Transitioning to the nationwide policy scan Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia

Next Steps Closing the survey and analyzing final set of responses Selecting districts for case studies and conducting qualitative interviews Full findings released planned for September 2014

Upcoming Events on Pre-K Austin: May 29 th (2 nd in series) Perspective from The Business Community Dallas & Austin: September Full Findings Release

Questions? Chris Gustafson

Jaime Hanks Meyers, CHILDREN AT RISK Alan Cohen, Dallas ISD Teri Wilson, Grand Prairie ISD Dr. Deborah Diffily, SMU Pre-K in North Texas: What’s Working and What We Can Do

Thank You April 29 th, 2014 Pre Kindergarten and Early Education Policy Luncheon