Children in low-income cities who attend N.J. preschools perform better
Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 from The Star-Ledger
Children in low-income cities who attend N.J. preschools perform better
by Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-LedgerMonday July 13, 2009, 8:29 PM
TeacherJennifer Coleman reads a book to her preschool class at the LillianDrive School in Hazlet. The school district believes that preschoolhelps students in school and helps districts save money by avoidingspecial education costs later.Thepercentage of kids who had to repeat kindergarten or first grade wasalso twice as high for those who did not attend preschool, as it wasfor those who started at age 3, according to the findings announced byCorzine at an early childhood education center in Union City.
"New Jersey's high-quality preschool systemproduces positive results and better prepares children for elementaryschool," Corzine said.
Some 10.7 percent of children who had not attended preschool neededto repeat a grade, compared to 5.3 percent of those who went for twoyears. By reducing the number of children who needed to repeatkindergarten or first grade, the study said, preschool is also savingtaxpayers money.
That savings is roughly $15,000 per child on education alone, saidW. Steven Barnett, co-director of the National Institute for EarlyEducation Research at Rutgers, which authored the study.
"This points us to the validity of this investment and the fact itis having a positive impact," said state Education Commissioner LucilleDavy.
The state spends roughly $12,000 per child for preschool in Abbott districts.
The state this year will spend $596 million for preschool, anincrease of about $52 million from last year. An additional $25 millionthe governor had proposed to expand preschool programs for low-incomechildren was cut due to the state's economic crisis.
The study began in 2005-06 to look at the impact of preschool in thestate's so-called Abbott districts, where the state Supreme Court in1999 mandated children be provided free, high-quality, full-daypreschool.
Researchers started with a sample of 1,038 kindergarteners in 15Abbott districts, some of whom had not attended preschools; some whostarted at age 4; and some who went to state-funded preschool at age 3and 4.
Close to 44,000 children are now in Abbott district preschools.
Quality preschools include a maximum class size of 15; certifiedteachers with early childhood expertise; anddevelopmentally-appropriate curriculum. The focus is on gettingchildren ready for reading, as well as preparing them for the learningprocess.
"When they enter, they're three years old. It's a matter ofproviding that rich environment, promoting language development, andmaking learning fun," said Adriana Birne, principal of the EugeniaMaria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education, where Corzinediscussed the findings with parents and children.
The report found significant gains for children in the key areas.
In language, literacy and math, the study found, attending one yearof preschool moved a child up from the 50th percentile to the 57thpercentile. In language and math, the effect of attending preschool fortwo years was that children moved from the 50th to the 67th percentile,according to Barnett.
"These are meaningful gains," he said. "These children were way behind, the preschool opportunity is closing that gap."
Birne said she has seen children -- many of whom, in her urbandistrict, enter speaking predominantly Spanish -- grow tremendously.She called the findings "a validation of all the hard work and effortsof early childhood education.
"It's just proof it does work," she said.
The study, called "The APPLES Blossom: Abbott Preschool ProgramLongitudinal Effects Study," took place in the largest 15 Abbottdistricts, in terms of projected preschool enrollment: Camden, EastOrange, Elizabeth, Irvington, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Newark,Passaic, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Trenton, Union City,Vineland, and West New York.
The children in the original study are now entering fourth grade.They took the state's NJ ASK standardized test, in third grade, in thespring. Results of those tests will be analyzed in the future, for thenext step in the study, according to a Department of Educationspokeswoman. A second, younger group of children is now also beingstudied.
The state has spent $881,000 since 2005-06 on the study, which also received funding from the Pew Charitable Trust.
The state this fall had hoped to begin an ambitious five-yearexpansion of preschool, which would bring it to all children in the 86"universal" districts, the next-poorest after the Abbotts. "Targeted"low-income children in all other districts would also qualify.
The $25 million budget cut shelved that expansion for now, althoughsome districts are going ahead and doing so with other funding, andother creativem measures.
The state is encouraging districts to use federal stimulus dollars to expand preschool.
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