High enrollment in quality preschool is associated with higher shares of a community’s children being prepared to start school ready to learn, with the cognitive and social skills required to succeed in an academic setting and beyond. Access to preschool contributes to better academic outcomes for children from low-income households, and better academic outcomes earlier in life contribute to economic success in adulthood.
Evidence on the Relationship between Access to Preschool and Upward Mobility Outcomes
As of December 2021, researchers have documented the following connections between this predictor and upward mobility. Asterisk (*) indicates primary reference.
- Attending prekindergarten can promote critical brain development among children. Furthermore, research shows that the supportive environment of prekindergarten is especially effective for cognitive development in children who have experienced poverty. Prekindergarten enables children to learn, for example, vocabulary, mathematics, and interpersonal skills that contribute to later school success, as measured by cognitive skills, achievement, and grade-level performance (Phillips et al. 2017).
- Preschool attendance promotes immediate school readiness for kindergarten and is linked to higher test scores throughout primary education (Ansari 2018; Magnuson and Duncan 2016*; Phillips et al. 2017). Barnett and colleagues (2018) used an age-cutoff regression discontinuity design to compare two groups of children: a group that had completed prekindergarten the previous year and a group that were just beginning prekindergarten because they had missed the birthdate cutoff the previous year. The authors found that, among state-funded programs, having been in prekindergarten is associated with a one-year-later increase in language scores of about 0.24 standard deviations, as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 3rd edition (PPVT-III); an increase in math scores of about 0.44 standard deviations, as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson Applied Problems, 3rd edition; and an increase in emergent literacy skills of 1 standard deviation, as measured by Preschool Comprehensive test of Phonological and Print Processing’s Print Awareness subtest.
- The benefits of preschool programs for boosting children’s early learning holds true for children from all income backgrounds. But prekindergarten has been shown to be especially important for students experiencing poverty; studies show that middle-class children experience about 70 to 90 percent of the short-term academic benefits of preschool access that low-income children experience (Ansari 2018).
- Magnuson and Duncan (2016)* report that preschool attendance has broader societal benefits; for example, it can reduce systems costs associated with repeating grades, child protection services, and crime (Magnuson and Duncan 2016*; Ramon et al. 2018).
- Having children in preschool curbs parents’ costs for child care and makes it easier for them, especially mothers, to rejoin the workforce or keep their existing jobs (Glynn, Farrell, and Wu 2013).
- Magnuson and Duncan (2016)* find that the statistically significant positive effects of preschool access on academic skills and achievement as well as on human capital development are ubiquitous across studies. Evidence suggests that attending prekindergarten contributes to longer-term outcomes, such as higher educational attainment and earnings. The authors conclude that access to prekindergarten can likely support mobility from poverty and that the benefits of expanding early childhood education likely outweigh the costs.
- Longitudinal studies show that preschool attendance can predict later high school graduation, college attendance, and even income. In one case, children who attended Head Start programs graduated high school at a rate that is 22 percentage points higher than those who did not (Magnuson and Duncan 2016*). Preschool attendance is also associated with reduction in criminal activity, lower rates of substance and drug abuse, and improved health as adults (Magnuson and Duncan 2016*; Ramon et al. 2018).
- Evidence on preschools consistently shows diminishing returns over time, but these benefits may not completely disappear, and other positive outcomes remain in later life (Magnuson and Duncan 2016*). Ansari (2018) finds that benefits of preschool participation reduce by approximately half nine years after preschool. However, the effects do not disappear, and the academic benefits remain in the long run regardless of children’s characteristics and program type, including number of hours spent in the program. Yoshikawa and colleagues (2013) find that even after the effect of preschool on test scores fully dissipates, children who attended preschool show positive effects on other later-life outcomes, such as high school graduation, teen pregnancy, years of education completed, earnings, and crime.
- Meta-analyses of evidence across decades of evaluation research indicate with confidence that preschool programs can have a substantial impact on early learning and development. Positive effects on children’s development include improved language, literacy, early math skills, social and emotional outcomes, and health. Research also shows that positive effects extend to dual-language-learner children and to children with special needs (Yoshikawa et al. 2013). However, not all studies demonstrate long-term positive effects, and more evaluations are needed to reach consensus about preschool’s long-term impacts (Phillips et al. 2017).
Promising Local Policy Interventions
Research from both Urban and others in the field suggests the following policies could help communities improve this predictor. These suggestions are not exhaustive, and communities should work with residents and leaders to identify solutions that are best suited to their local contexts.
- Developing recruitment, training, and retention strategies for building a high-quality workforce of early childhood caregivers. (This may also improve the Employment Opportunities and Opportunities for Income predictors.)
- Creating universal preschool programs for all 3- and 4-year-olds. (This may also improve the Opportunities for Income predictor.)
- Encouraging parental involvement in preschool education and educating parents about the benefits of formal preschool programs.
- Supporting parents and informal child care providers in learning about evidence-based practices that can be used at home to support healthy development.
Mobility Dimensions Engaged
- Economic success