Impact Area: Pre-K Participation
Early Learning Network research supports prioritizing instruction in both foundational skills and complex skills to promote lasting pre-K gains.
Early Learning Network (ELN) teams recently released a set of briefs focused on four impact areas — factors open to change or improvement — that have potential to narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success as they transition from prekindergarten (pre-K) to elementary school and beyond.
The primary goal of these briefs is to inform practice and policy decisions that support equitable and effective learning opportunities for children.
This blog highlights the network’s collective research associated with the impact area of Pre-K Participation, including a key takeaway, action steps for practice, policy and research, and insights from the field.
Why does participation in high-quality pre-K matter?
Research shows children who attend a formal pre-K program have better language, literacy, math and social-emotional skills when they start school compared to those who do not attend pre-K. The experiences and learning opportunities provided in pre-K give children a significant advantage as they enter kindergarten — often called a pre-K boost. However, there are still large, persistent gaps in access to pre-K services, especially for families with lower incomes. While programs like Head Start and public pre-K are available in many states, not all children have equal access to high-quality pre-K services. Identifying ways to enhance the quality of children’s pre-K experiences is important for promoting more equitable early learning outcomes, particularly for students from marginalized groups.
What has the network contributed to the field in this area?
Evidence shows that participation in pre-K can benefit children from all backgrounds. But questions remain about which specific learning experiences in pre-K are most effective and how long the pre-K boost lasts for different types of skills and groups of children. ELN researchers have expanded the field’s knowledge base by exploring these questions and identifying learning experiences that can support children’s academic and social-emotional skills over time. Researchers also examined policy-level factors and systems that influence pre-K access and outcomes.
What is the network’s key takeaway regarding pre-K participation?
After analyzing the network’s collective research findings on pre-K participation, and integrating feedback from geographically diverse practitioners, policymakers, and state and federal partners, a key takeaway emerged:
Pre-K programs and the early elementary grades should prioritize instruction in both foundational skills (e.g., counting, letter recognition) and complex skills (e.g., vocabulary, self-regulation) to promote lasting pre-K gains, particularly for students who are marginalized.
ACTION STEPS
To implement this key takeaway, the following action steps are suggested:
For Practice:
Provide pre-service and in-service educators, administrators and support staff with high-quality professional learning opportunities, including customized training and coaching, to support consistent use of evidence-based and play-based instructional activities and curricula that promote children’s skills across multiple domains (e.g., academic, social-emotional).
For Policy:
Integrate pre-K programs with K-3 through joint professional development; delivery of common and aligned instructional programs and assessments; use of common metrics for classroom/program quality and integrated data systems to address fade out.
Improve working conditions and compensation for the early childhood workforce.
For Research:
Study policies to ensure children have equitable access to programming that includes high-quality pre-K learning experiences, particularly for students from marginalized populations.
Source: https://earlylearningnetwork.unl.edu/2023/06/06/impact-area-pre-k-participation/