Public schools and pre-K services

This study has concluded.

Investigators: Diane Early (Diane_Early@unc.edu) , Dick Clifford, Tynette Hills

Research background, structure: Schools and school districts are becoming increasingly involved in providing services to children and families prior to entry into formal school at the customary kindergarten entry age. Data are scarce on the role of public schools in the education of such children. We are lacking even the most basic information.

We have summarized the best information currently available on children served by or through local and state education agencies and the types of programs offered.. Using data from the 1995 National Household Education Survey (U.S. Dept. of Education), we estimate that some 900,000 pre-K children were served in a public elementary, junior high or high school in 1995. This includes children who are in part-day programs at schools but spend the rest of the day in non-school-based settings or at home.

Data from the 1994 Schools and Staffing Survey (U.S. Dept. of Education) show that school districts reported 307,012 pre-K applicants were approved for the National School Lunch Program, indicating that over a third of pre- K children in public schools are poor or near-poor.

Policy implications: School systems are a major new force in early childhood. This has both positive and negative implications for the field.

First, schools bring a strong tradition of service to all children. A 1999 report showed that standards for state-funded pre-kindergarten programs in many states are quite high.

Second, schools represent a strong potential ally in securing revenue for early childhood programming.

On the negative side, school officials have been historically reluctant to incorporate services to children prior to kindergarten entry age-a position sometimes supported by public opinion regarding the appropriate role of the education system.

Schools have been slow to meet the needs of families for services beyond the traditional school day (usually about 6.5 hours/day) and school year (usually around 9 months). Today most families with children 3-4 years of age need full day (at least 8 hours per day) and full year services.

Many state pre-K initiatives are working to integrate services from all the major sectors into a more unified system. Perhaps the most successful early example is the Georgia Preschool Program, which provided services to more than 61,000 4-year-olds in the last school year.

Recommendation: We propose the creation of a National Commission on Early Childhood Services to examine the issue of how we, as a country, will serve our youngest citizens. Until we have agreement on the basic issues of who has responsibility for governing early childhood services, who has responsibility for financing these services, and how we can best take advantage of the rich resources for serving children in this country, many families will continue to face a patchwork of services with many children spending their early years in settings of unknown quality.

Publications, products:

National Center for Early Development & Learning. (1999, August). Spotlight # 13: Schools and pre-K services. Chapel Hill, NC: Author.

Clifford, R., Early, D. & Hills, D. (1999). Almost a million children in school before kindergarten: Who is responsible for early childhood services? Young Children, 54(5), 48-51.