Early Childhood Programs in the Public Schools

Abstract

Local education agencies (LEAs) have considerable discretion in the development and implementation of early childhood policy and programs. It is therefore useful to describe local implementation of early childhood policies, including those for young children with disabilities. A survey was conducted of early childhood programs administered by public schools in Massachusetts to obtain data on six aspects of program implementation: characteristics of the children served, program settings, service characteristics, teacher characteristics, family involvement activities, and funding and administration. Results revealed important variations among LEAs in integration, duration and frequency of services, staff-child ratios, teacher qualifications, and other aspects of policy implementation. Potential state responses are discussed.