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The Effects of Quality Child Care on Young Children: Information from Longitudinal Studies

The following selected resources examine longitudinal studies that explore the effects of high-quality early care and education. In addition to looking at cognitive, language, and behavioral effects, these studies evaluate the effectiveness of high-quality child care and early education as a strategy for promoting long-term success and preventing later costly interventions. The researchers have examined the relationship between high-quality child care and early education and a variety of factors such as grade retention, use of special education services, high school completion, juvenile arrest, enrollment in 4-year colleges, health issues, salaries, and age at first pregnancy. This research is grouped into the following categories: federally funded research related to studies by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and research on Early Head Start and Head Start; major research from the High/Scope Perry Preschool study, which began in 1962; the Abecedarian study, which began in 1972; the Chicago Child-Parent Center Program, which began in 1985; general resources using longitudinal studies; and State-specific longitudinal studies. Many of these studies targeted low-income children and families.

Federally Funded Research

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), formerly the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (SECC), was started by NICHD, within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in 1991 to collect information about different nonmaternal child care arrangements and to determine how variations in child care are related to children’s development. The study examines how differences among families, children, and child care features are linked to the intellectual development, social and emotional development, and health of children. Analyses for the SECCYD are conducted by the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. Detailed information about the SECCYD is available on the Web at www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/seccyd.cfm. The following document describes key findings of the study:

  • The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD): Findings for Children up to Age 4 1/2 Years (October 2006), by NICHD, NIH, HHS, is a booklet addressed to parents that describes the findings from the SECCYD for children up to age 4½. The following points are among its major findings:
    • Children who were cared for exclusively by their mothers did not develop differently than those who were also cared for by others. (p. 1)
    • Quality, quantity, and type of nonmaternal care were modestly, but not strongly, linked to the children’s development regardless of family features. (p. 1)
    • Children in higher quality nonmaternal child care had somewhat better language and cognitive development during the first 4½ years of life. They were also somewhat more cooperative than those who experienced lower quality care during the first 3 years of life. (p. 1)
    • Children with higher quantity (total combined number of hours) of experience in nonmaternal child care showed somewhat more behavior problems in child care and in kindergarten classrooms than those who had experienced fewer hours. (p. 1)
    • Children who attended child care centers had somewhat better cognitive and language development, but also showed somewhat more behavior problems in child care and in kindergarten classrooms than childrien who experienced other nonmaternal child care arrangements.
    • Parent and family characteristics were more strongly linked to child development than were child care features. Parent and family characteristics predicted some developmental outcomes that were not predicted by child care. (p. 1)

This resource is available on the Web at www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/seccyd_051206.pdf.  

Information about additional NICHD SECCYD publications and presentations is available on the Web at www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/seccyd/biblio.cfm.

Early Head Start and Head Start

Head Start is a Federal, comprehensive child development program that fosters healthy development in children from low-income families. It has the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. Early Head Start (EHS) serves families with infants and toddlers and pregnant women, and Head Start serves children ages 3-5 years. All Head Start programs must adhere to Program Performance Standards. The Head Start program is administered by the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Ongoing Head Start Research

  • In 1997, Head Start launched the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a study of a national random sample of Head Start programs in order to describe the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes for children and families served by Head Start. It also explores the relationships among family and program characteristics and outcomes. In 2000, FACES began data collection on a new national cohort-FACES 2000. This longitudinal data from successive, scientifically representative samples of children, families, teachers, classrooms, and programs have been used to answer critical questions about child outcomes and program quality. Current information about the ongoing FACES study includes an introduction and information about the project team, data collection, the sub-study, instruments, "Performance Measures Report 2," "Performance Measures Report 3," FACES findings, and project presentations and papers. This information is available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html.
  • The EHS Research and Evaluation project is a rigorous, large-scale, random-assignment evaluation of EHS sponsored by the Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE), ACF, HHS. The project was funded in two phases. The Birth to Three Phase (1996-2001) included an Implementation Study, an Impact Evaluation that investigated program impacts on children and families through the children's second and third birthdays, and local research projects. The Pre-Kindergarten Followup Phase (2001-2004) built upon the earlier research and followed the children and families who were in the original study from the time they left EHS until they entered kindergarten. A list of findings, special topics, and reports from this project is available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/ehs_resrch/#overview.
  • Head Start Impact Study: First Year Findings (June 2005), prepared by Michael Puma, Stephen Bell, Ronna Cook, Camilla Heid, and Michael Lopez, Westat and the Urban Institute, for the OPRE, ACF, HHS, is a report to Congress on preliminary findings on impacts after one year in Head Start (fall 2002 to spring 2003). Data collection began in fall 2002 and is scheduled to continue through 2006, following children through the spring of their 1st-grade year. The findings indicate that Head Start produced small to moderate impacts in areas such as prereading, prewriting, vocabulary, and in health and parent practice domains. However, these impacts did not close the gap between low-income children in the Head Start program and the general population of 3- and 4-year-olds. There were no significant impacts for 3- and 4-year-olds in areas of early mathematics, oral comprehension, and social competencies. This resource is available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/impact_study/reports/first_yr_finds/first_yr_finds.pdf.

Additional Longitudinal Research on Head Start

  • "Early Head Start: Further Lessons" (Summer 2004), in Evaluation Exchange Vol. X, No. 2, by Catherine Ayoub and Barbara Pan, published by the Harvard Family Research Project, evaluates longitudinal data that examined parenting stress, language skills of children in EHS, and factors that influence sample attrition in program evaluation research in Vermont. This resource is available on the Web at www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue26/spotlight6.html.
  • Head Start: Curriculum Use and Individual Child Assessment in Cognitive and Language Development (September 2003), by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), conveys information provided during briefings on May 15, 2003, and June 6, 2003, to staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. Congress. It reports on the extent to which Head Start programs have made progress in meeting performance standards for cognitive and language development; changed their use of curricula since the performance standards were issued; and used teacher mentoring and individual child assessments to support curriculum planning. The report GAO-03-104 is available on the Web at www.gov/new.items/d031049.pdf.
  • Into Adulthood: A Study of the Effects of Head Start (August 2000), by Sherri Oden, Lawrence Schweinhart, and David Weikart, with Sue Marcus and Yu Xie, published by High/Scope Press, presents results of a 17-year followup study of 622 young adults. The study found evidence of important effects on school success and crime. The study also examined the effects of a Head Start program that used the High/Scope® educational approach. Children who attended Head Start classes that used this approach rather than the standard Head Start curriculum of the time had a significantly higher grade point average throughout their schooling and experienced fewer than half as many criminal convictions by age 22. A summary is available on the Web at www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=260.
  • Evaluation of Head Start Family Child Care Demonstration: Final Report (February 2000), by the RMC Research Corporation, prepared for OPRE, ACF, HHS, describes the results of evaluations of family child care demonstration grants that were given to 18 Head Start agencies to establish and implement family child care home programs for providing Head Start services. After an initial planning and startup year, two cohorts of children (1993 and 1994) were randomly assigned to either family child care homes or center classrooms. The evaluation team measured program quality and adherence to Head Start Performance Standards in the two settings and conducted assessments of the children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development at the beginning and end of the Head Start year and in the middle of the kindergarten year. In addition, parent perspectives on the program and overall program satisfaction were probed. This resource is available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/eval_hs_fam/index.html.

Major Longitudinal Studies

High/Scope Perry Preschool Study

The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, conducted from 1962 to 1967, by David Weikart and his colleagues in the Ypsilanti, MI, school district, studied 123 African-American children born in poverty and at high risk of failing in school. The 3- and 4-year-old children were randomly divided into a group who received a high-quality preschool program based on High/Scope’s participatory learning approach and a comparison group who received no preschool program. Data were collected on both groups every year from ages 3 through 11, at ages 14–15, at age 19, at age 27, and at age 40. In the study’s most recent phase, 97 percent of the study participants still living were interviewed at age 40. Additional data were gathered from the subjects’ school, social services, and arrest records. The study found that adults at age 40 who had the preschool program had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to have graduated from high school than adults who did not have preschool. It estimated that the economic return to society was $17.07 per dollar invested—$12.90 per dollar invested went to the general public and $4.17 per dollar invested went to each participant. A significantly higher percentage of the public return was due to the performance of males compared to females.

Publications from the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation about the Perry Preschool Longitudinal Study are available on the Web at www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219.

The following document has additional information about the impact of the project:

  • The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project (October 2000), in Juvenile Justice Bulletin, by Greg Parks, published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, examines the High/Scope Perry Preschool program model, which demonstrates a potential link between early childhood intervention and delinquency prevention. The bulletin presents two positive cost-benefit analyses, and examines the implications for future policy decisions. This resource is available on the Web at www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/181725.pdf.

The Abecedarian Study

The Carolina Abecedarian project, conducted by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was a controlled study of the potential benefits of early childhood education for poor children. Four cohorts of children from low-income families, born between 1972 and 1977, were randomly assigned as infants to either the early educational intervention group or the control group. Fifty-seven infants received early intervention in a high-quality child care setting from infancy through age 5. Activities focused on social, emotional, and cognitive areas of development, but gave particular emphasis to language. Fifty-four infants were in the nontreated control group. Children’s progress was monitored over time with followup studies conducted at ages 12, 15, and 21. Additional information about the project is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/%7Eabc/#home.

Publications from the Abecedarian project about the long-term results of the intervention are available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/%7Eabc/#publications.

The following publication had additional information about the economic impact of this project:

  • A Benefit Cost Analysis of the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention (2002), by Leonard N. Masse and W. Steven Barnett, published by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), is a benefit-cost analysis of the Abecedarian preschool program using data obtained from 104 participants through age 21. Program benefits were generated for six categories for which it was possible to obtain monetary estimates: earnings and fringe benefits of participants, earnings and fringe benefits of future generations, maternal employment and earnings, elementary and secondary education cost savings, improved health, and higher education costs and welfare use. Results indicate that overall, the rate of return to the Abecedarian project is no less than 3 percent and is likely higher than 7 percent. This resource is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/research/AbecedarianStudy.pdf.

Chicago Child-Parent Center Program

The Child-Parent Center (CPC) Program is a center-based early intervention that began in 1967, providing comprehensive educational and family support services to economically disadvantaged children from preschool to 3rd grade. The Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), conducted by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, investigates the educational and social development of 1,539 low-income, minority children (93 percent African-American) who grew up in high-poverty neighborhoods in central-city Chicago and attended government-funded kindergarten programs in the Chicago Public Schools in 1985–1986. Most participants in the study attended the Child-Parent Centers in preschool. In collaboration with the Chicago Public Schools, data were collected beginning during children’s preschool years and continued on a yearly basis throughout the school-age years. Multiple sources of data utilized in this study include teacher surveys, child surveys and interviews, parent surveys and interviews, school administrative records, standardized tests, and classroom observations. CLS research documented a link between preschool participation and higher rates of school completion and lower rates of juvenile arrest. Researchers estimated that for every dollar invested in the preschool program, about $4 was saved on school remedial services, criminal justice and child welfare system costs, and averted crime-victim expenditures. In addition, about $7 was returned to society through increased economic well-being and reduced public expenditures on educational and social welfare services. Additional information about CLS is available on the Web at www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/. Information about CLS publications is available on the Web at www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/REPORTS.HTM.

The following publication has additional information about this study:

  • "Effects of a School-Based, Early Childhood Intervention on Adult Health and Well-Being: A 19-Year Follow-up of Low-Income Families (Summer 2007), in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 161, No. 8, by Arthur J. Reynolds, Judy A. Temple, Suh-Ruu Ou, Dylan L. Robertson, Joshua P. Mersky, James W. Topitzes, and Michael D. Niles, provides information about the long-term effects of the CPC program. The findings provide evidence that early education programs can have a wide range of positive effects into adulthood. This resource is available on the Web at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/161/8/730.

General Resources Using Longitudinal Studies

  • "Early Childhood Development and Social Mobility" (Fall 2006), in The Future of Children Vol. 6, No. 2, by W. Steven Barnett and Clive R. Belfield, published by The Future of Children, examines the effects of preschool education on social mobility in the United States. It finds that the most effective programs are intensive interventions such as the model Abecedarian and Perry Preschool programs, which feature highly qualified teachers and small group sizes. State preschool programs with the highest standards rank next, followed by Head Start and the average State program. Typical child care and family support programs rank last. This resource is available on the Web at www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/05_5563_barnett-belfield.pdf.
  • "Early Intervention in Low Birth Weight Premature Infants: Results at 18 Years of Age for the Infant Health and Development Program" (March 2006), in Pediatrics Vol. 117, No. 3, by Marie C. McCormick, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Stephen L. Buka, Julie Goldman, Jennifer Yu, Mikhail Salganik, David T. Scott, Forrest C. Bennett, Libby L. Kay, Judy C. Bernbaum, Charles R. Bauer, Camilia Martin, Elizabeth R. Woods, Anne Martin, and Patrick H. Casey, reports on the fourth-phase followup of participants in the Infant Health and Development Program, a randomized, controlled trial of an educational intervention for low birth weight, preterm infants, which began in 1984. The intervention included weekly home visits during the infant’s first year and biweekly visits during the second and third years. In addition, from 12 months the infants participated in daily, center-based education, and parents joined a bimonthly support group. In the fourth phase, 636 (64.6 percent) of the original 985 participants were assessed at age 18 on academic achievement, behavior, cognitive development, and physical health. The authors conclude that the results support preschool education for developmentally at risk children. They note that the absence of effects for the low-birth-weight group raises questions about biological and educational factors that influence sustained effects of early education. Access to this resource is available on the Web at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/117/3/771? ijkey=QDPtqDsxGCUqE&keytype=ref&siteid=aapjournals.
  • Economic Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Programs: What Makes the Difference? (February 2006), by Ellen Galinsky, published by the Committee for Economic Development, examines the Perry Preschool Program, Carolina Abecedarian Project, and Chicago Child-Parent Centers to determine the key characteristics that made them successful. Beyond the obvious factors such as well-trained teachers and small classes, the report cites additional factors such as clear goals, responsiveness to children and families, focus on the whole child, strong relationships between teacher and child, active learning, and a focus on teacher education. This resource is available on the Web at www.ced.org/docs/report/report_prek_galinsky.pdf.
  • Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise (2005), by Lynn A. Karoly, M. Rebecca Kilburn, and Jill S. Cannon, published by the RAND Corporation, includes information about the range of early intervention programs, demonstrated benefits of interventions with high-quality evaluations, features associated with successful programs, and the returns to society associated with investing early in the lives of disadvantaged children. In addition, the report highlights the types of programs shown to be effective, their features, and the potential for returns to society that exceed the resources invested in program delivery. This resource is available on the Web at www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG341.pdf. A related research brief is available on the Web at www.ecs.org/html/offsite.asp?document=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Erand %2Eorg%2Fpubs%2Fresearch%5Fbriefs%2F2005%2FRAND%5FRB9145%2Epdf.  
  • "The Brookline Early Education Project: A 25-Year Follow-up Study of a Family-Centered Early Health and Development Intervention" (July 2005), in Pediatrics Vol. 116, No. 1, by Judith S. Palfrey, Penny Hauser-Cram, Martha B. Bronson, Marji Erickson Warfield, Selcuk Sirin, and Eugenia Chan, describes a longitudinal study of the Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP). The study looked at young adults who were enrolled in the BEEP project from 1973 to 1978. BEEP was a community-based program administered by the Brookline Public Schools that provided health and developmental services for children and their families from 3 months before birth until entry into kindergarten. It was open to all families in the town of Brookline and from neighboring Boston, and included a mixture of families from suburban and urban communities. The goal of the project was to ensure that children would enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. The report found that for children from the inner city, early education and health programs not only boost performance in grade school, they also lead to healthier, wealthier lives in adulthood. A summary of this resource is available on the Web at
    http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/116/1/144?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&
    RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Boston+College&searchid=1121087226660_4612&stored_search=&
    FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=116&issue=1&journalcode=pediatrics    .
  • "What We Know about Pre-Kindergarten Outcomes for Children: The Top 10 Findings from Early Childhood Research" (September 2004), in Early Childhood Research Digest No. 2, by Diane Adams, David Edie, David Riley, Mary Roach, and Maureen Ittig, prepared for the Wisconsin Council on Children & Families, focuses on both short- and long-term outcomes from major early childhood research projects over the past 25 years. It points to the top 10 findings from early childhood research that may contribute to the caveats for undertaking a collaborative approach in communities in which public schools contract with or negotiate services from local community child care. This resource is available on the Web at www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/wccrp/pdfs/research_digest_2.pdf.       
  • Readiness: School, Family, and Community Connections: Annual Synthesis 2004 (2004), by Martha Boethel, National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, studied 48 research studies on contextual factors associated with children’s school readiness. It looked at what is known about children’s abilities when they first enter school, factors associated with those abilities, and the implications of those abilities for children’s later school success. It explored available evidence regarding the effectiveness of various interventions that included a family or community focus. These interventions ranged from large-scale, comprehensive programs to highly targeted strategies addressing specific skills. Some interventions began in the earliest months of a child’s life; others targeted the preschool years or early elementary years or both. This resource is available on the Web at www.sedl.org/connections/resources/readiness-synthesis.pdf.
  • America’s Child Care Crisis: A Crime Prevention Tragedy (2000), by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, compared the juvenile arrest records of 1,000 18-year-olds who had been enrolled in high-quality child care programs as children to similarly at-risk youths who received full-day kindergarten, but not the preschool and parent-coaching program provided by the centers. Of those who only attended kindergarten, 26 percent had at least one juvenile arrest and 15 percent had two or more arrests as juveniles. Of those who attended the preschool program, 16 percent had at least one arrest and 8 percent had two or more. The complete report is available on the Web at www.fightcrime.org/reports/childcarereport.pdf.
  • The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go to School (June 1999), by Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, Margaret Burchinal, Richard Clifford, Noreen Yazejian, Mary L. Culkin, Janice Zelaso, Carollee Howes, Patricia Byler, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Jean Rustici, published by the National Center for Early Learning and Development (NCEDL) at the University of North Carolina, is based on a longitudinal study that began in 1993. Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers (1995) examined the influence of typical center-based child care on children’s development during their preschool years. The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go to School summarizes the findings of the research on the relation of child care quality to the developmental outcomes of children from the preschool years through the 2nd grade. Its major finding was that the quality of child care experiences must be improved in order for all of America’s children to be ready for school. The Executive Summary of The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go to School is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/CQO-es.pdf. The Technical Report is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~NCEDL/PDFs/CQO-tr.pdf.

State-Specific Longitudinal Studies

Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina have each collected data for longitudinal studies that will follow the academic progress of children, including those who participate in a State or federally funded prekindergarten program.

Delaware

  • Investing in Better Outcomes: The Delaware Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (DeCLS) (April 2002), prepared by Michael Gamel-McCormick and Deborah Amsden; Center for Disabilities Studies; College of Human Services, Education, and Public Policy; University of Delaware, prepared for the Delaware Interagency Resource Management Committee; Delaware Department of Education; Delaware Department of Health and Social Services; and the Delaware Department of Services to Children, Youth, and their Families, describes a longitudinal study that was designed to follow a group of children as they entered kindergarten in the fall of 1997 through their 3rd grade year, coinciding with their participation in the 3rd grade Delaware State Testing Program (DSTP). One of the primary questions related to how children with disabilities or living in poverty who received early intervention programming compared to children in similar situations who did not receive early intervention services. The study found participants were significantly more likely to meet or exceed the standard on their 3rd grade reading and math DSTPs, had significantly higher grades than their peers, and had a lower grade retention rate. This resource is available on the Web at www.udel.edu/cds/downloads/better_outcomes_thirdgrade_april2002.pdf.

Illinois

  • Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure: FY 2003 Evaluation Report (June 2004), by the Data Analysis and Progress Reporting Division, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), describes general findings of a study of public school districts that have received State grants to conduct preschool education programs for children ages 3 to 5 years who are at risk of academic failure. Since 1987, ISBE has been collecting data in order to follow the academic progress of the children who participated in the program. For fiscal year (FY) 2003, the report noted that, statewide, 78 percent of children who participated in prekindergarten programs were rated "average" or "above average" in their kindergarten readiness skills. It makes the following observation about rankings at 3rd and 8th grade:

    Data for downstate students indicate that across three instructional areas (reading, mathematics, and language), 77% to 81% of students in the third grade and 74% to 78% of students in eighth grade were ranked as "above average" or "average" by their teachers. In Chicago, these percentages are 54% to 47% in third grade, and 62% to 70% in eighth grade reading and mathematics, and 53% in eighth grade language. (p. iii)

This resource is available on the Web at www.isbe.net/research/pdfs/prek_evaluation.pdf.

Maryland

  • Children Entering School Ready to Learn: School Readiness Information for School Year 2005-06 (2006), by the Maryland State Department of Education, provides a profile of children’s skill levels as they enter kindergarten for the 2005–2006 school year. Teachers assess children’s learning and progress using a variety of techniques, including the Work Sampling System™. The report includes trend data about the school readiness levels of specific groups of children across the State and each of the 24 jurisdictions in Maryland. The report notes an increase over time in the percentage of entering kindergarten students who were evaluated by their teachers as fully ready for kindergarten. Significant progress was noted in the percentage of children with limited English proficiency who were evaluated by their teachers as fully ready for kindergarten. This resource is available on the Web at www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/BCFF0F0E-33E5-48DA-8F11-28CF333816C2/9306/SchoolReadinessReport_05_06.pdf.
  • An External Evaluation of the Judith P. Hoyer Early Care and Education Enhancement Program–Final Report (January 2004), by MGT of America, submitted to the Maryland Department of Education, analyzed information about implementation of the Judith P. Hoyer Early Care and Education Enhancement Program’s first 13 centers and their accomplishments from 2001 to 2003. The report found that Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Education Enhancement Centers (Judy Centers) help to close the achievement gap for children from low-income and other disadvantaged families. According to the report, children with limited English proficiency and children from low-income households were able to maintain literacy skills, scientific thinking, and appropriate behavior on par with the rest of their peers who were not at risk of school failure. The evaluation recommended that the progress of children from the centers continue to be followed through elementary school to determine the sustainability of the gains they have made. This resource is available on the Web at https://secure.mgtamer.com/mdjudy/home/report.cfm?r=5.

Minnesota

  • Minnesota School Readiness Year Two Study: Developmental Assessment at Kindergarten Entrance Fall 2003 (2004), by Betty Cooke and Barbara O’Sullivan, for the Minnesota Department of Education, presents findings from the second year of an assessment of school readiness of 1,852 children entering Minnesota kindergarten in the fall of 2003. It used the five domains in the Work Sampling System to assess children in the areas of physical development, personal and social development, the arts, literacy, and mathematical thinking. This resource is available on the Web at http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/EarlyLearning/documents/Report/002605.pdf.

New Jersey

  • The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES): Interim Report (June 2007), by Ellen Frede, Kwanghee Jung, W. Steven Barnett, Cynthia Esposito Lamy, and Alexandra Figueras, published by the National Institute for Early Education Research, with funding from the New Jersey Department of Education and The Pew Charitable Trusts, discusses the results of a rigorous study of New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program. The study found that classroom quality in the Abbott Preschool Program continues to improve; children who attend the program, regardless of setting, improve in language, literacy, and math skills through the end of their kindergarten year; and children who attend the preschool education program for 2 years significantly outperform those who attend for only 1 year or do not attend at all. This resource is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/research/APPLES.pdf.

North Carolina

  • Smart Start and Preschool Child Care Quality in NC: Change Over Time and Relation to Children’s Readiness (March 2003), by Donna Bryant, Kelly Maxwell, Karen Taylor, Michele Poe, Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, and Kathleen Bernier, for the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examined child care programs in North Carolina to determine what impact participation in Smart Start–funded activities had on preschool child care quality and children’s readiness for kindergarten. Language, literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills were assessed for 512 preschool children. Three main conclusions were drawn: between 1993 and 2002, child care quality increased significantly; participation in Smart Start–funded activities was positively related to child care quality; and children who attended higher quality centers scored significantly higher on measures of skills and abilities deemed important for success in kindergarten than children from lower quality centers. Classroom quality was positively related to children’s outcomes, over and above the effects of gender, income, and ethnicity. Children from poor and non-poor families were equally influenced by quality, providing support for quality improvement programs in all kinds of settings and serving all kinds of children, not just targeted to those who are poor. A summary of this report and additional information is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/smartstart/reports/Child_Care_Quality_2003.pdf.

Pennsylvania

  • Comparison of Head Start and Child Care Facilities in Pennsylvania (September 2004), by Rebecca Sanford DeRousie and Richard Fiene, published by the Pennsylvania State University, builds upon a baseline of two descriptive studies conducted in Pennsylvania: a study of the types and quality of care that exist in Pennsylvania and a study that includes observational evaluations of classroom quality in the 372 early care and education programs. The report compares the current levels of quality to those recorded in previous studies. It examines the factors that may contribute to the significantly higher quality of care found in Head Start as compared to child care centers and investigates which components of quality may contribute to this difference. This resource is available on the Web at http://ecti.hbg.psu.edu/docs/publication/ECQS_DeRousie_Sept15.doc.
  • Early Care and Education: The Keystone of Pennsylvania’s Future: Preparing Our Children for Success (November 2002), prepared by Richard Fiene, Mark Greenberg, Martha Bergsten, Christopher Fegley, Barbara Carl, and Elizabeth Gibbons, Prevention Research Center, The University of Pennsylvania and the Universities Children’s Policy Collaborative (UCPC), prepared for the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Care and Education, describes an early childhood quality settings’ study of 372 early care and education facilities in Pennsylvania. It is one of five studies completed by UCPC for the task force. These studies provide a baseline of the early care and education services delivered in Pennsylvania. The study measures the environmental and interactional quality of 50 Head Start programs, 48 preschools, 111 child care centers, 109 family child care homes, 46 group child care homes, and 8 legally unregulated/relative/neighbor care homes. The results indicate that Head Start and preschools provide a higher level of quality, and that the educational level of providers and utilizing a curriculum is related to quality, especially for family child care home providers. This resource is available on the Web at http://caecti.org/docs/publication/quality_study_final.pdf.

South Carolina

  • What Is the Penny Buying for South Carolina? Child Development Programs for Four-Year-Olds: Longitudinal Studies of Later Academic Achievement, 1995–96 through 1999–2000 and 2000–01 through 2001–02 (December 2004), by the South Carolina State Board of Education, is an annual assessment report to the General Assembly. This report uses two longitudinal studies to focus on the later academic achievements of students who participated in child development programs in South Carolina. It notes that results of assessments at each grade level from 1st through 5th grade showed the benefits for children who participated in child development programs appear to last over time. This resource is available on the Web at http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/research/documents/penny2002.pdf.
  • First Steps and Further Steps: Early Outcomes and Lessons Learned from South Carolina’s School Readiness Initiative, 1999–2002 Program Evaluation Report: Full Report (2003), by South Carolina First Steps, presents the 1999–2002 evaluation of South Carolina’s First Steps to School Readiness, a comprehensive early childhood initiative aimed at improving early childhood development by providing services to children (birth to age 5) and support to their families. This resource is available on the Web at www.scfirststeps.org/docs/2003CTfullreport.pdf.

Multi-States

  • "A Critical Meta-Analysis of All Evaluations of State-Funded Preschool from 1977 to 1998: Implications for Policy, Service Delivery and Program Evaluation" (October 2000), in Early Childhood Research Quarterly Vol. 15, No. 4, by Walter S. Gilliam and Edward F. Zigler, looks at the evaluations of the 13 State preschool programs that have completed a formal evaluation of the program’s impact on child outcomes. The report notes modest support for positive effects on children’s developmental competence in a variety of domains, improving later school attendance and performance, and reducing subsequent grade retention. For additional information, contact Walter S. Gilliam, associate research scientist, Child Study Center, at walter.gilliam@yale.edu.

Updated August 2007

 
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