What policy makers should know about Pre-K effectiveness Steve Barnett, PhD

Potential Gains from Pre-K Investments Educational, Social and Economic Success  Achievement test scores  Special education and grade repetition  High school graduation  Behavior problems, delinquency, and crime  Employment, earnings, and welfare dependency  Smoking, drug use, and even health Decreased Costs to Government  Schooling costs  Social services costs  Crime costs  Health care costs (teen pregnancy and smoking)

Looking at all the evidence: Cognitive gains from ECE in the US (123 studies since 1960)

What do we learn from research? 1.High quality early care and education can has long- term academic, social, and economic benefits 2.Cognitive effects are positive and on average persist through the school years 3.High quality programs emphasizing education have larger effects: – Intentional teaching – Individualization & small groups – Requires strong teachers adequately supported 4.Large short-term gains needed for long-term gains 5.Every year matters: quality early care and education are the leading edge of school reform

Few children and families have access to high-quality early care and education Only 1/3 of centers serving 4 -year-olds are good or better Quality of care is lower for younger children Private programs have lower observed quality than public--parents cannot discern quality and poor quality drives out good from the market The child care subsidy system may actually harm children because standards for quality are so low

Good pre-K least available to most disadvantaged

Little high quality infant-toddler center care in NJ (511 classrooms statewide)

NJ has a proven Pre-K approach Abbott reforms with high standards and adequate funding shifted the entire distribution of quality upward Quality improved in public and private providers Test scores increased through at least 5 th grade 2 years starting at age 3 doubled test score gains Grade repetition and special education cut by 1/3 State legislature’s plan to offer this model statewide, was never implemented High quality pre-K for all children <200% FPL in NJ would decrease costs of education by $850 million per year

NJ Effects on Retention & Special Education at Grade 5

Takeaway Lessons 1.High quality early care and education (ECE) benefits childen, families, and taxpayers 2.Most children do not attend good programs and some are in harmful ECE 3.We know how to do better and NJ has a successful model for producing high quality 4.In the long-term the state will pay less each year for education if it invests in quality pre-K 5.Expanding quality pre-K will lower state costs of education in the long-term while improving outcomes 6.Every year matters for learning and development – K-12 reform and realignment can be driven by pre-K – Build infant and toddler care quality together with pre-K