Preschool programs with family support services

There is strong evidence that preschool programs with family support services increase academic achievement (Reynolds 2021, NBER-Heckman 2019, Ou 2019, Reynolds 2018, Manning 2010, CG-TFR Education) and social emotional development among children from low income backgrounds (Mondi 2021, Joo 2019, Ou 2019). Effects are strongest immediately following preschool, but can persist (Burger 2010, CG-TFR Education), especially if combined with continued support in later school years (Ou 2019, Brookings-Sawhill 2015). Additional research is needed to determine which program components (e.g., social services, health care services, parental involvement, meals served, etc.) have the greatest effect on children’s outcomes (Mathematica-Caronongan 2016, CG-TFR Education).

Participants in preschool programs with family support services have greater gains in cognitive skills and academic achievement than non-participants (Mondi 2021, Joo 2019, Reynolds 2016, Manning 2010, CG-TFR Education). These programs can improve school readiness (Reynolds 2021, Richardson 2017, Reynolds 2016), and reading and math skills, while reducing grade retention and special education usage among participants (Mondi 2021, Reynolds 2016). They may also increase high school completion rates, college degree attainment, economic self-sufficiency, and labor force participation (Bailey 2021, Reynolds 2018). The longer students participate in the program, the larger the effect size is for academic achievement and social emotional development (Ou 2019).

Preschool programs with family support services may reduce arrests during adolescence and adulthood (Anders 2023, Ernst 2021, NBER-Heckman 2019, Giovanelli 2018, Reynolds 2011, Reynolds 2011a, Manning 2010) and teenage delinquent behavior and drug use (Manning 2010). It may also reduce serious criminal convictions (e.g., felonies) in adulthood (Anders 2023), especially for participants that receive a higher level of child-initiated instruction (Ernst 2021). Positive intergenerational spillover effects have been identified in the children of HighScope Perry Preschool students, a preschool program with family support services, compared to those of nonparticipants; effects include fewer school suspensions, higher levels of education, a greater likelihood of employment, and lower likelihood of committing criminal offenses (NBER-Heckman 2019).

Participation in preschool programs with family support services may improve health outcomes (Mondi 2022, Varshney 2022), reduce rates of obesity (Reynolds 2021b, D'Onise 2010a), and improve children’s mental health and social competence (Mondi 2022, D'Onise 2010a). Programs may support healthy behaviors as children age, including increased use of preventive health care and reduced alcohol and drug use (Xie 2020), and may be predictive of lower risk for cardiovascular disease in mid-life (Reynolds 2021a). It is unclear if they have an impact on other chronic disease outcomes (D'Onise 2010, Englund 2015).

Preschool programs with family support services may increase parental engagement (Varshney 2020, Harden 2012), which may be connected to reduced adolescent problem behaviors and substance use (Hayakawa 2016). These programs may improve parenting skills (Vogel 2013, Vallotton 2012, Raikes 2014), parent supportiveness (Mortensen 2014, Raikes 2014), and emotional responsiveness (Raikes 2014), and increase use of positive discipline (Chazan-Cohen 2013). Additionally, parents may be more likely to create home environments that support learning (Harden 2012, Vogel 2013, Raikes 2014).

Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPC), the HighScope Perry (HSP) program, and Smart Start North Carolina are three examples of preschool programs with family support services that have been shown to improve academic achievement (Bai 2020, Reynolds 2021, NBER-Heckman 2019, Ou 2019, Reynolds 2018). A Minnesota-based study suggests that the CPC model is scalable; the expansion to new school districts was shown to improve academic achievement and increase school readiness (Reynolds 2021, Richardson 2017). Programs with more child-initiated instruction may be associated with better long-term outcomes in adulthood (Ernst 2021).

Cost benefit analyses of these programs indicate substantial societal returns for the funds invested (Heckman 2010a, Reynolds 2011a). For example, an analysis of HSP found the benefit-cost ratio was 9 to 1, when accounting for the cumulative benefits of increased labor income, reduced crime and costs to the criminal justice system, improved health and healthy behaviors, and the positive spillover effects on participants’ families (NBER-Garcia 2021). An analysis of CPC found, not including the benefits of increased lifetime earning the subsequent tax revenue, a net $1.73 in societal benefits per dollar spent (Peterson 2018).

There is strong evidence that preschool programs with family support services, such as Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPC) and HighScope Perry Preschool (HSP), reduce disparities in academic achievement between students from low and high income backgrounds (Ou 2019, Reynolds 2018, Reynolds 2016, Schweinhart 2013, Heckman 2010b, CG-TFR Education, YG-PPP, Blueprints), especially for Black students from families with low incomes (Temple 2022). A benefit-cost analysis of the HSP preschool project shows multi-generational benefits for participants and their children, as well as large, positive net gains for society (NBER-Garcia 2021). Generally, studies of preschool education programs have shown that gains in cognitive skills and academic achievement are larger for students from families with low incomes than for students from families with high incomes (Duncan 2013, RAND-Karoly 2016).

Gains in academic achievement are larger for students the longer they participate in the program, all the way up to third grade (Temple 2022, Ou 2019, Reynolds 2011). Additionally, the emphasis on parent involvement and intervention in early childhood is associated with a reduction in violent crime in adulthood, which is a public health issue that disproportionately impacts Black males in urban centers (Anders 2023, Giovanelli 2018).

Over the long term, participation in preschool programs with family support services up to third grade is associated with greater increases in college completion rates and income levels, which can help reduce education and income gaps between those from lower and higher income backgrounds (Temple 2022). Additionally, disparities in school readiness between children from families with lower and higher incomes may be twice as large as school readiness disparities by race (Temple 2022). Preschool programs with family support services are associated with producing significant improvements in math and reading skills for all children, but especially boys, and the greatest gains among boys emerge for those from less advantaged families (Muschkin 2020).

While there is evidence participation in high-quality preschool helps close gaps in school readiness for children of color and children from families with low incomes, there is some mixed evidence about the persistence of those effects. The extension of programmatic support for up to six years in the CPC model can sustain early effects on school readiness and academic achievement (Temple 2022). However, available evidence shows there is still a gap between program participants and national averages on indicators of academic achievement, like test scores, demonstrating that sustained early education interventions alone can’t eliminate these disparities (Temple 2022).

Disparities in educational opportunities in the United States are shaped by many factors, including a long history of racial segregation in schools and differences in family income levels. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional (US Courts-BvBE), but segregation remains a persistent problem (EPI-Rothstein 2014). Some legal battles over school segregation were not resolved until 2016 (NPR-Domonoske 2016) and structural barriers, such as continued residential segregation, play a significant role in maintaining school segregation (EPI-Rothstein 2014).

National interest in preschool as an intervention to address educational disparities was high in the 1960s when the Child-Parent Center (CPC) program began in Chicago and HighScope Perry (HSP) preschool program in Michigan. The federal Head Start program began in 1965 (NHSA-Head Start history), but many areas remained unserved (Temple 2022). Educational disparities across racial and economic groups were highlighted as a concern by teachers, administrators, and policymakers during this period with the Civil Rights movement and the “war on poverty” (Economic Opportunities Act). Since then, evidence from the HSP preschool model and Head Start has been influential in garnering support for more recent early childhood education models.

• What community partnerships could help preschool programs in your community offer comprehensive family support services? In your community, what aspects of preschool programs are important to families with low incomes? To students and families identifying as a racial or ethnic minority? How can your community support preschool programs so they can provide these educational opportunities and services?
• How could your community increase access to high quality preschool programs for children from families with low incomes? For students identifying as a racial or ethnic minority?
• Which populations in your community have lower rates of preschool attendance? What outreach activities might help reduce those disparities?
• What disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes exist in your community? How do systemic factors such as residential segregation and disproportional school discipline rates contribute to these disparities?
• What knowledge, skills, and abilities do families and children with low incomes in your community already have? How can your local preschool program be structured to highlight and build on those strengths?

Head Start, a federal program for children under 5 from families with low incomes, provides preschool education and school readiness programming, as well as social, health, and other services. In 2021, the Office of Head Start distributed over $10.4 billion in grant funding to 1,700 local public and private agencies that offer Head Start services to their communities (Head Start, OHS-Head Start).

Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPC) provide preschool education and comprehensive family support to children from families with low incomes for up to six years, including free daily meals for children, health screening, home visiting, and connecting families to additional resources. CPC uses Title I funds and operates through the Chicago Public School system (PPN). As of 2022, CPC programs operate in 26 centers in the Chicago area, eight in Minnesota, and one in Wisconsin (CPC P-3). State legislatures can support the adoption of the CPC education model in their communities (NCSL Preschool-3rd Grade Legislation Tracker).

Educare schools are another example of preschool programs with family support services. Established in over 21 communities across the country, in urban, suburban, and rural areas, Educare schools provide early childhood education and family support services for children under 5 from families with low incomes. Schools also help connect families with additional resources, such as health and mental health services, provided by community organizations (Educare). Potential partners can consider getting involved as philantrophic partners, becoming a program provider, or becoming a local advocate for increased school district and community support (Educare).

CPC P-3 Implementation - Child-Parent Center Preschool to 3rd Grade (CPC P-3). Implementation. Human Capital Research Collaborative, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.

Educare - Educare. The Educare model: Our approach and our schools.

Head Start - Head Start. Early childhood learning & knowledge center (ECLKC). An office of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS).

HighScope - HighScope. Inspiring educators to inspire children.

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YG-PPP - Youth.gov (YG), Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP). Perry Preschool Project (PPP).