A strong start sets children up for future success. Kindergarten readiness is linked to later outcomes, like third-grade reading, high school graduation, college attendance and earnings. Communities can improve early outcomes through high-quality early learning, engaged caregivers, access to health care, and safe, inclusive schools.
This is part 6 of StriveTogether’s Cradle-to-Career Outcomes Playbook: Kindergarten Readiness. The playbook synthesizes research and practical guidance communities can use to improve kindergarten readiness.
High-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten programs enable caregivers to return to work, thereby supporting the development of young learners and the earning potential of their families and making them one of the most effective levers for improving kindergarten readiness across a community.
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Question 3: Are high-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten programs available to eligible children?
Why it matters
High-quality pre-K: A high-quality pre-K program can meaningfully enhance children’s early learning and development, producing long-term improvements in school success and generating benefits to both individuals and society that far exceed the costs. The positive effects of access to quality pre-K on children’s math and reading achievement are even larger in districts with a majority of Black students (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Compared to children in lower-quality child care and early education programs, children in higher-quality programs have more advanced language and pre-math skills, more advanced social skills and warmer relationships with their teachers. Elements of quality include well-trained and well-compensated teachers, language-rich classroom environments, small group sizes, low staff-to-child ratios, low staff turnover rates and practices that involve and support parents (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Full-day pre-K: Attending a full-day pre-K program is linked to improved outcomes for students, including greater school readiness in language development, math and reading. Full-day pre-kindergarten programs also help ensure more caretakers can re-engage in the work environment, benefiting both the child and the overall family. Expanding access to full-day pre-K programs increases children’s enrollment in these programs. For example, after Chicago Public Schools expanded full-day pre-K, Black students’ enrollment more than quadrupled. Expanding access to full-day pre-K can also raise mothers’ participation in the workforce. In Washington, DC, introducing universal access to full-day pre-K led to a 10-percentage point increase in mothers’ workforce participation rates, with even larger increases for Black mothers and those with low incomes. Enrollment in full-day (versus half-day) programs is more common in households where the mother works outside the home. However, access to affordable, full-day pre-K is still limited: among districts that offer publicly funded pre-K, less than half offer full-day programs (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Percentage of 3-year-olds and/or 4-year-olds from low-income households enrolled in publicly funded pre-K in a district (Birth to Grade 3 Indicator Framework).
Percentage of children from focal populations enrolled in a program whose care is subsidized (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of children from focal populations who are on a waitlist for at least one preschool program (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of children from focal populations who did not experience a change in teacher/provider during the program, school or calendar year (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of families from focal populations who do not pay above a system-defined threshold of affordability (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of families from focal populations who report being able to afford to enroll their children in the preschool program of their choice (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of families from focal populations who report having knowledge and understanding of their preschool options (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of families from focal populations who were able to enroll in their preferred preschool program (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Share of 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in nursery school or preschool (Urban Institute).
Percentage of child care centers accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Percentage of child care and early education classrooms that rank at the top level in a statewide quality rating system (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Percentage of public pre-K programs that meet Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) state benchmarks of quality (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Percentage of program sites that meet Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) state benchmarks of quality (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Cadence of systematic collection of data on classroom quality and its use by local programs and the state to improve policy or practice through the CQIS (National Education Association).
Percentage of kindergarten teachers licensed and/or certified in early childhood education and development (National Education Association).
Assessing and ensuring quality. This includes planning for and participating in quality ratings and improvement systems (often run by a state education agency alongside multiple partners); formalizing a system for assessing and delivering feedback to staff; and tracking student development against recognized standards and key milestones (Results for America).
Smart Start North Carolina: Comprehensive, statewide early childhood initiative providing communities with funding for educational child care, health care and family support services (Results for America).
State monitors the credentials, license and certification of all early childhood educators (National Education Association).
Supporting healthy development for infants and toddlers in child care centers by promoting healthy brain development, developing language and numerical skills, and early interventions for children with disabilities (Results for America).
Child-Parent Centers, an early education model for children ages 3 to 9 that integrates preschool with early elementary grades (Results for America).
State compensates teachers certified in early childhood education and development on the same pay scale as comparably educated K-12 teachers (National Education Association).
State policy prohibits the use of expulsion, suspension and other exclusionary discipline practices in publicly funded early childhood programs (National Education Association).
State provides financial support for educators seeking a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or equivalent (National Education Association).
State provides financial support for teachers seeking certification in early childhood education and development (National Education Association).
State provides funding for professional learning and technical assistance to state-funded pre-K programs (National Education Association).
Creating universal preschool programs for all 3- and 4-year-olds (Urban Institute).
Developing recruitment, training and retention strategies for building a high-quality workforce of early childhood caregivers (Urban Institute).
Encouraging parental involvement in preschool education and educating parents about the benefits of formal preschool programs (Urban Institute).
Supporting parents and informal child care providers in learning about evidence-based practices that can be used at home to support healthy development (Urban Institute).
Question 4: Are eligible children enrolled in high-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten programs?
Why it matters
Enrollment: Pre-K is a child’s starting step for K-12 educational success, establishing an enduring foundation for future learning. Attending pre-K can boost children’s school readiness, start them on trajectories of academic and life success, and produce a return on investment over time, particularly for children experiencing poverty and children of color. Lifelong benefits of participating in high-quality early learning include higher earnings, improved health, lower participation in social services programs and lower chances of involvement with the criminal justice system (Education-to-Workforce Framework). However, pre-K enrollment patterns vary by race and ethnicity. As of 2017, enrollment rates among Latine children were lower (30%) than those among Black children (34%) in publicly funded pre-K programs in their neighborhood (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Currently no states require that children enroll in pre-K.
High-quality programs: Children who attend a high-quality early education program in the year or two before kindergarten are better prepared for school — academically, socially and emotionally. Economically disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-old children who participate in high-quality preschool programs have better school achievement, social skills and behavior than children who do not participate in a preschool experience or who are enrolled in a low-quality program (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Contributing factor| Key source: E-W Framework
Enrollment in quality pre-kindergarten programs
Percentage of eligible students enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs of the total number of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school using the data sets at schoolfinancedata.org (National Education Association).
Number of 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in a center-based early childhood care and education program (including child care centers, nursery schools, preschool programs, Head Start programs and pre-kindergarten programs) (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Percentage of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool from focal populations (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of families from focal populations who report no barriers to enrolling children in the program of their choice (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of preschool-aged children from focal populations enrolled in high-quality preschool (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Number of 3- and 4-year-olds receiving special education in schools/centers in the state (NIEER).
Percentage of child care providers not participating in the state’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) (Prenatal to 3 Policy Impact Center).
Percentage of program sites that offer at least two types of supportive enrollment resources to families, especially families from focal populations, to support enrollment in the programs families want to attend (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of programs that have a defined process dedicated to helping families from focal populations with preschool enrollment applications (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of programs that offer multiple ways for families to verify their child’s eligibility for enrollment (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Percentage of programs that use more than one outreach strategy to inform families from focal populations about preschool options (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Availability of preschool openings for the number of children who want to attend preschool, especially those from focal populations (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Cadence of changes made by preschool systems leaders to eligibility criteria, based on community assessments, to help families from focal populations attend their preferred preschool program (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Cadence of community assessments conducted by preschool systems leaders to understand the eligibility of children from focal populations to attend their preschool program of choice (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
Question 5: Are pre-kindergarten programs adequately funded to support access for families with limited incomes?
Why it matters
Pre-K funding: School funding has been shown to contribute to better outcomes for students. One study of national data found that reading and vocabulary scores among children in Head Start programs are higher where funding for Head Start is higher (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Child care subsidies and affordable preschool opportunities are important tools for ensuring that children experiencing poverty have access to high-quality early care and education. State-funded pre-kindergarten initiatives that build on the state’s existing child care and education infrastructure can increase access to early education experiences for all children. Tiered reimbursement rates and other efforts to develop high-quality early education programs are important strategies to achieve school readiness (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Access to child care subsidies: Families rely on child care to be able to work and provide the early education experiences needed to prepare their children for school. The high cost of pre-kindergarten programs puts quality care and early education out of reach for many families, particularly those experiencing poverty. Access to child care subsidies helps families afford higher-quality child care (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Contributing factor| Key source: E-W Framework
Expenditures per student
Income-based early childhood schooling gap, or the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds from families experiencing poverty enrolled in school (National Education Association).
Equitable weighted student funding formula (Data sources: Local policy and practice assessments) (StriveTogether 2021).
Equity factor, or the degree of variance between district per-student funding to state average (Data source: U.S. Department of Education) (StriveTogether 2021).
Percentage of families that spend no more than 10% of the regional median family income on quality care (National Education Association).
Predicted class size (average class size by district poverty for both departmental and self-contained classes, adjusted for district size, regional wage variation and population density) using the data sets at schoolfinancedata.org; can be compared with high- and low-poverty districts in each state (National Education Association).
State has an independent body of stakeholders that includes active pre-K through grade 12 educators and administrators who annually assess if state funding is sufficient to provide all students the opportunity to meet rigorous academic standards (National Education Association).
