Prekindergarten Research Articles

The long-lasting benefits of pre-kindergarten education on autistic children's working memory development.

Working memory is an important skill for school success, and it involves holding information in our memory while using it to solve complex problems. However, autistic children often have difficulties with working memory tasks. Also, kindergarteners on the autism spectrum tend to be less school-ready compared with their peers. In addition, children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to struggle more with working memory and school readiness skills. All preschool-age children on the autism spectrum in the United States are entitled to pre-kindergarten (pre-K) education. However, it is unclear whether attending pre-K helps with children's working memory development in the long run. This study tested whether attending pre-K benefits children's working memory development in the long run. It also tested whether pre-K is especially helpful for autistic children's working memory development. It was found that children who attended pre-K outperformed their peers who did not attend pre-K during the first 2 years of elementary school. However, after first grade, such benefits diminished. Importantly, autistic children who attended pre-K did not demonstrate advanced working memory immediately in kindergarten, but they started to outperform their autistic peers who did not attend pre-K during first grade to third grade. This finding highlights the importance of pre-K education for autistic children in particular. It is also important for educators and parents to understand autistic children's unique learning paths that may be different from non-autistic children. This article discusses specific ways for educators to take full advantage of the long-lasting benefits of pre-K education in autistic children's working memory development.

Examining the effects of prekindergarten to second grade classroom quality on early elementary achievement

Previous research has investigated the influence of preschool interventions in early elementary environments with some results suggesting that high quality early preschool experiences may have meaningful effects on student academic outcomes not only immediately following the preschool years but also in the long term. This study aimed to investigate this topic further by using a novel cross-classified model to account for the complex hierarchical structure of a large-scale longitudinal and multilevel dataset. First, we examined the carryover classroom effects from prekindergarten (PK), kindergarten (K), and first grade on later grades’ reading and mathematics scores. Second, we explored the effect of PK to second grade classroom quality on students’ K, first, and second grade reading and mathematics scores. Our analyses yielded significant PK carryover classroom effects for reading; these results provide evidence that a student’s PK classroom continues to impact that student for at least three years after. Additionally, one domain of PK classroom quality —classroom organization—was found to be positively related to students’ K, first, and second grade reading outcomes.

유보통합에 대한 연구동향 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze research trends related to integration of kindergartens and day care centers from 2013 to July 2022, and to seek the overall direction of consolidation of kindergartens and pre-kindergartens.
 Methods The data to be analyzed in this study were searched for the keyword ‘integration of kindergartens and day care centers in domestic academic portal sites such as the National Assembly Library, RISS, DBPIA, and KISS, and published annually, focusing on 80 theses and theses related to integration of kindergartens and pre-kindergartens in academic journals. The current status, research type, research subject, academic field, and research topic were analyzed. The frequency and percentage were calculated using the Excel program for the collected data, and reliability analysis inter coders was used to analyze the subject of the same paper to increase the validity and reliability of the study.
 Results Looking at the results of the study, first, as for the publication status by year related to integration of kindergartens and day care centers, researches were most actively conducted in 2015 and 2017, and journal thesis papers were generally more conducted than theses. Second, in the case of research type, theory/documentary research and survey research were most actively conducted, while mixed research combining quantitative and qualitative research was found to be very insignificant. Third, as a result of examining the subjects of the study, most of the studies were conducted on childcare teachers on recognition of integration of kindergartens and pre-kindergartens and other studies on domestic integration policies and cases of integration of kindergartens and day care centersr abroad, as well as parents and daycare center directors, were conducted. Studies that investigated integrated cognition were identified. Fourth, most of the papers related to the integration of kindergartens and day care centers were made in education, and it was identified that some of them were also conducted in sociology. Fifth, as for the research topic, relatively active studies have been conducted to review the recognition of integration of kindergartens and day care centers, criticize/discuss domestic integration policies with integration of kindergartens and day care centers, consider cases of consolidation with kindergartens and pre kindergartens abroad, and suggest the development direction of domestic consolidations policies.
 Conclusions In conclusion, domestic research trends related to integration with kindergartens and day care centers tend to focus on criticism and discussion of recognition of integration and policies for integration and studies that consider cases of consolidation abroad. This suggests that specific discussions and tendencies should be presented.

Teacher-child racial/ethnic match from prekindergarten through first grade: Understanding early exposure and outcomes

The purpose of this study was to explore whether evidence that children have significantly higher achievement and more positive relationships with their teachers when assigned to a teacher of their same race/ethnicity extended to the earliest grades. Using data from a three-year project in North Carolina, we descriptively examined teacher-child racial/ethnic match exposure in prekindergarten (PK), kindergarten (K), and first grade (G1). In exploratory inferential analyses, we further used a two-way fixed-effects (child and time) approach to associate teacher-child racial/ethnic match with academic achievement and teacher-child relationships, moderated by race/ethnicity and grade. Parents/caregivers reported their child's race/ethnicity, and of the sample of children (n = 447), 34% were identified as Black, 42% as Latinx, and 24% non-Latinx White, with 10% of children identified as more than one race/ethnicity. Black children commonly experienced a race match in PK, but this likelihood decreased over time through G1. In contrast, the likelihood that White children experienced a match increased through G1. Latinx children were unlikely to experience a match in any grade. Teacher-child racial/ethnic match was positively associated with children's English language scores, with no suggestion that this effect varied by race or grade. In addition, a positive association between match and reading scores was evident only for Latinx children and only in PK, but not K or G1. Match was not significantly associated with math scores or teacher-reported relationships with children.

Uncovering new opportunities for family engagement during COVID-19

In March 2020, COVID-19 dramatically and indelibly altered the U.S. educational landscape. Drawing on data from interviews with 30 Michigan preK teachers, Bethany Wilinski, Alyssa Morley, and Jamie Heng-Chieh Wu describe the centrality of family engagement in their pandemic preK education and the practices that contributed to stronger home-school relationships. They consider how the family engagement practices that emerged during the pandemic might be carried forward by thinking of family engagement as an improvisational practice that is co-constructed by teachers and families.

Obesity risk in 10-year-old children, based on attributes observed at 4 years of age, provides evidence on how to target interventions to lower obesity rates in mid-childhood.

Introduction: although in Chile 75 % of obese preschool children participate in a primary health intervention, obesity rates have increased. Objective: to determine the risk of children being obese in 5th grade (10 yrs), according to biological and social attributes observed when they attended prekindergarten (PK) at 4 yrs, to determine which preschoolers should be prioritized for targeting. Method: a retrospective cohort study including 55,623 participants. The variables collected when children attended PK were age, sex, weight, height, maternal educational level and employment status, the child´s relationship with persons living at home, person in charge of the child after school, and number of household members, plus weight, height, and age in 5th grade. To determine the risk of being obese in 5th grade we did two logistic regression models-the first one included all PK children and the above variables, while the second model considered additionally the presence of obesity in PK. The rest of the variables were the same. Results: the risk of children being obese in 5th grade (10 yrs) was 1.43 times higher if their mothers had ≤ 8 yrs of schooling, 1.13 times higher if they lived with a grandparent, and slightly higher if their mothers had an occupation (1.04 times). Boys had a significantly higher risk (1.74 times). Obesity at 4 yrs constituted the highest obesity risk later on (5.3 times). Conclusions: targeting obese 4-year-old boys who participate in a primary health intervention, whose mothers have low education and who live with a grandparent, may lower obesity rates in mid-childhood.

Under the Law: Expanding access to preK and the legacy of Abbott v. Burke

In the 1998 Abbott v. Burke decision, New Jersey’s highest court because the first in the nation to require access to high-quality preK education for three- and four-year olds as part of their constitutional right to K-12 public education. Robert Kim describes the legal landscape in New Jersey leading up to the decision and discusses the legacy of Abbott in New Jersey and its possible national influence.

The Process and Product of Coherence Monitoring in Young Readers: Effects of Reader and Text Characteristics

ABSTRACT We examined sixth graders’ detection of inconsistencies in narrative and expository passages, contrasting participants who were monolingual speakers (N = 85) or Spanish-English DLLs (N = 94) when recruited in pre-kindergarten (PK). We recorded self-paced reading times and judgments about whether the text made sense, and took an independent measure of word reading. Main findings were that inconsistency detection was better for narratives, for participants who were monolingual speakers in PK, and for those who were better word readers. When the text processing demands were increased by separating the inconsistent sentence and its premise with filler sentences there was a stronger signal for inconsistency detection during reading for better word readers. Reading patterns differed for texts for which children reported an inconsistency compared to those for which they did not, indicating a failure to adequately monitor for coherence while reading. Our performance measures indicate that narrative and expository texts make different demands on readers.

Effects of e-Assessment Tools in academic achievement and motivation towards learning among pre service kindergarten teachers in Turaif

The objective of the current research is to measure the impact of e-Assessment Tools used in the Blackboard system in academic achievement and motivation towards learning among pre service kindergarten female teachers in Turaif. To achieve this objective, the researcher used the descriptive approach which is suitable for measuring this objective, where an electronic questionnaire was designed using Google forms for easy access to the largest number of pre service kindergarten female teachers in Turaif to answer the questionnaire questions. The questionnaire consisted of three axes, namely the use of the Blackboard system in promotion of academic achievement. The axis of obstacles to the use of the Blackboard system, and the third axis deal with motivation of students towards learning using the Blackboard system. The sample of the research consisted of (407) pre service kindergarten female teachers, Turaif, of different study levels and scientific and literary disciplines, where the study results showed the effectiveness of the Blackboard system in the academic achievement and motivation towards learning among students.

Observing individual children in early childhood classrooms using Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS): A feasibility study

In this feasibility study, we present a newly developed observational system, Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS). OLOS is designed to elucidate the learning opportunities afforded to individual children within early childhood classrooms and as they transition to formal schooling (kindergarten through third grade). OLOS records the time spent in different types of learning opportunities (e.g., play, literacy, math) and the frequency of specific discourse moves children and teachers use (child talk and teacher talk). Importantly, it is designed to be used validly and reliably by practitioners. Using OLOS, we explored individual children’s experiences (n?=?68 children in 12 classrooms) in four different types of early childhood programs; state-funded pre-kindergarten (PK), state-funded PK serving children with disabilities, Head Start, and a tuition-based (non-profit) preschool. Results of our feasibility study revealed that coders achieved adequate inter-rater reliability with about 10?h of training and 5?h of practice. We could feasibly and reliably use OLOS in these very different kinds of pre-kindergarten programs but with some changes. In analyzing the observations, we found that individual children’s learning opportunities varied significantly both within and between classrooms. In general, we observed that most of the PK day (or half day) was spent in language and literacy activities and non-instructional activities (e.g., transitions). Very little time in math and science was observed yet children were generally more likely to actively participate (i.e., more child talk) during academic learning opportunities (literacy, math, and science). The frequency of teacher talk also varied widely between classrooms and across programs. Plus, the more teacher talk we observed, the more child talk we observed. Our long-term aim is that OLOS can inform policy and provide information that supports practitioners in meeting the learning and social-behavioral needs of the children they serve.

A Population-Based Study of School Readiness Determinants in a Large Urban Public School District.

Objectives We examined biologic and social determinants of school readiness in an urban population and whether childcare altered these associations. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using school readiness data linked to birth certificates of first-time kindergarten students (n = 39,463) in a large, urban public-school district during 2002-2012. Multivariate linear regression models compared mean readiness scores (MRS) for students born low birthweight (LBW) or preterm (PTB) and by childcare type, adjusting for other student and parent risk factors. Results MRSs for moderately LBW (1000-2499g), extremely LBW (< 1000g), moderately PTB (28-36weeks), early-term (37-38weeks) and post-term (42 + weeks) students were significantly lower than scores for their normal weight or full-term peers, adjusting for childcare type and other student and parent characteristics. Childcare was an important predictor of MRSs. MRSs were highest for district prekindergarten (PK) students and for students of mothers with greater years of education. Conclusions for Practice Social and biologic differences in MRSs for children entering school in a large urban public-school district suggest the need for greater attention to family and child health backgrounds. Increased enrollment in formal childcare may improve school readiness in these settings.

Exploring the Experiences and Change Process of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers in the Course of Teaching Materials

Exploring the Experiences and Change Process of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers in the Course of Teaching Materials

The Effect of Teacher Aptitude and College Life Satisfaction on Teacher Efficacy of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers

The Effect of Teacher Aptitude and College Life Satisfaction on Teacher Efficacy of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers

A Qualitative study on being a teachers of pre-kindergarten teachers at the early childhood education

A Qualitative study on being a teachers of pre-kindergarten teachers at the early childhood education

The dog that didn’t bark: Preschool education and middle-school attitudes in Tulsa

ABSTRACTTo examine associations between participation in Tulsa’s preschool programs and a set of middle-school attitudes, we used propensity score weighting to compare the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) pre-K participants and, separately, the Community Action Project (CAP) Head Start participants to students who had attended neither TPS pre-K nor Head Start as 4-year olds. In the context of very few significant findings, positive associations were found between pre-K participation (in both the TPS pre-K and CAP Head Start programs) and the students’ attitudes about grit as assessed with the goal-setting subscale. Head Start participation was also associated with more cautionary views of risky sexual behavior. The results are discussed with regard to prevailing hypotheses guiding research on long-term pre-K impacts, measurement challenges, and expectations of pre-K education.

Walking the Talk: Collaborative Preparation of Bilingual and Special Educators to Serve English Learners Who Need Academic or Behavioral Supports

This article describes a Collaborative Intervention Project designed to prepare preservice teachers to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate interventions for English learners (ELs) in need of academic and/or behavioral supports. Faculty from two departments, one preparing bilingual education (BE) elementary school teachers and the other preparing special education (SE) teachers for prekindergarten through 21 generic certifications, developed a process to enhance preservice teachers' preparation to collaboratively address the cultural and linguistic characteristics and educational needs of ELs. The authors describe the process through which faculty designed and implemented the project, share resources for project replication, and discuss faculty and student responses.

Actuarial Implications from Pre-kindergarten Education

Great progress has been made in providing pre-kindergarten (pre-K) public education throughout the United States. The percentages of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled nationally have grown from 3% to 5% and 14% to 29%, respectively, between 2002 and 2015. By 2015, 42 states and the District of Columbia were in varying stages of offering pre-K programs (0.9% to 74.2% for totals of 3- and 4-year-olds); eight states were in stages of implementation. We will provide approximate answers to four questions. The first two are how does pre-K education affect female and male life expectancies? The other two are how does pre-K education affect expected years of life dependency in health and in lifetime earnings? The methodology used to help answer these questions consisted of using actuarial/demographic tables over the years 1990 to 2040. It will be shown that upper limits to estimated increases in male and female life expectancy that can be attributed to pre-K education are 2.47 and 1.67 years, respectively. Moderate estimates to the decreases in expected years of health dependency for 65-year old males and females that benefit from pre-K education are 1.47 and 4.71 years, respectively. We will document that people with pre-K education will have higher high school graduation rates, lower crime rates, higher employment rates, and higher wages than those without pre-K education; these four improved rates will lead to improved life expectancies and diminished years of health dependency. These results have actuarial implications for life insurance, long-term health insurance, and pension premium calculations.

Starting Early: Introducing the Issue

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Starting Early: Introducing the Issue Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (bio), Lisa Markman-Pithers (bio), and Cecilia Elena Rouse (bio) Across the nation, more and more people want to see children receive quality education before kindergarten. Public opinion polls suggest that 70 percent of adults favor such programs, partly because of the irresistible idea that “starting early,” and ensuring that children arrive in school ready to learn, is the best way to generate happy, healthy, and productive adults.1 The notion of starting early resonates. Head Start, the federally funded prekindergarten program for children from low-income homes, was a cornerstone of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Even then it was believed that students can’t fully benefit from an elementary education if they don’t arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. Presidents with views as disparate as those of George W. Bush and Barack Obama have called for strengthening early childhood education in their budgets and State of the Union addresses. One reason for the strong support of early childhood education is the seemingly compelling evidence that exposing children to educational experiences when they’re young can have profound effects on later educational, social, and adult outcomes. In fact, as Lynn Karoly points out in this issue, estimates based on some older pre-K programs suggest that every dollar invested in prekindergarten pays off $3 to $17 in terms of benefits, both to the adult individual and to society. That suggests prekindergarten is one of the most effective investments that we can make in children. Indeed, James Heckman of the University of Chicago, a Nobel laureate in economics, has argued that investments made in early childhood are more beneficial and also more cost-effective than those made in later childhood and adolescence.2 The idea that prekindergarten can enhance later learning and adult success is based on the premise that if pre-K programs provide enriching activities more intensively and more intentionally than parents can, then those programs have the potential to boost children’s learning and skill acquisition. In brief, quality pre-K experiences can teach [End Page 3] children the skills that make it easier for them to learn new skills in early elementary school: that is, skills beget skills. Differences in literacy and cognitive skills between children in low-income families and their better-off counterparts are already apparent by age three, or perhaps even earlier.3 The pre-K education programs initiated in the 1960s and 1970s were designed to reduce those gaps by providing quality pre-K education to disadvantaged children, who were less likely to be ready for school. Few pre-K programs existed in the low-income neighborhoods where most disadvantaged children lived, and parents with little income and education were therefore less likely to send their children to prekindergarten than were parents with more resources. And when disadvantaged parents were able to find a pre-K program, it was likely to be of relatively low quality.4 Based on these observations, we would expect that children from disadvantaged environments would benefit the most from pre-K education; that high-quality programs would deliver the greatest benefits; and that children who received such education would benefit more than those who remained at home, cared for by parents, family, and friends. Comparisons between different pre-K programs, on the other hand, shouldn’t show such a stark contrast. These assumptions imply that not all programs would show equal benefits in empirical evaluations. Scholars have called this heterogeneity in outcomes. Interpreting the research requires attention to many factors—family background, comparison group composition, and programs’ quality and intensity. Scholars have extensively studied the efficacy of pre-K programs, especially those offered to four-year-olds. Of more than 100 evaluations of pre-K programs, the vast majority used random assignment of children to receive the preschool treatment or not.5 Most of these experimental programs served children from low-resource families, in keeping with the premise that these children were less likely to have the skills needed for kindergarten and were therefore most likely to benefit. Consequently, we know the most about how preschool influences children from disadvantaged backgrounds. And because many of these...

Increasing Movement to Promote Health and Learning in Early Childhood

Public support is increasing for the investment in pre-kindergarten (pre-K) education for 3and 4-year-olds. 1 If physical activity is going to be an integral part of pre-K education, changes are needed in the training of early childhood educators and in the physical environments of pre-K programs. When teachers are trained and motivated to move with children throughout the school day and have the spaces to do so, both children and teachers can benefit. Frequent movement is developmentally appropriate for preschool children, promotes health and learning, and can also improve the physical and mental health of teachers. The main goal of pre-K and other early childhood education programs, such as Head Start, is to prepare children for elementary school. Efforts to increase young children’s physical activity are more likely to be implemented and sustained if they align with that goal. Therefore, movement needs to be promoted on the basis of its benefits for learning, not just for health. Movement can improve academic performance by developing cognitive functions, such as the ability to sustain and shift attention, remember information, and inhibit impulses. 2,3

El Rendimiento en Lengua Inglesa en Programas Bilingües en España

The aim of this study is to compare the results obtained in the English language by the students who take part in two bilingual programs that are implemented in Madrid, Spain. Those results, evaluated by means of external texts, portray that the academic performance in English at the end of Primary Education of those students in bilingual schools that follow the model of the Regional Government of Madrid (CM), is significantly superior to that of the students who follow the model agreed between the Ministry of Education and the British Council (MEC-BC). Although the students start learning English at the age of 6 in the schools with the Regional Government of Madrid model, the competence in the English language is better, on average, to that of the schools with the MEC-BC model, that start in Pre-K education, at the age of 3.