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State and Locally Funded Universal Prekindergarten Initiatives

Universal prekindergarten initiatives make publicly funded preschool services available to all 3- and 4-year olds on a voluntary basis. Georgia, Oklahoma, and New York have programs that are available to all 4-year-olds in participating school districts, irrespective of income. In Georgia and Oklahoma, the majority of school districts have chosen to participate; and a majority of parents of 4-year-olds have chosen to enroll their children. In New York, budget difficulties have limited participation. The District of Columbia also has a program that in principle is available to all children on a first-come, first-served basis. New Jersey offers preschool services free to all 3- and 4-year-olds who live in the 30 highest poverty school districts (Abbott districts) as a result of a court decision. Several other States, including

West Virginia, are moving toward a variation of universal prekindergarten. At the local level, Los Angeles has made a commitment to provide access to prekindergarten for 100,000 children within 10 years. The following is a sample of information about State Funded Initiatives, the Los Angeles County Initiative, and additional publications about universal prekindergarten.

State Funded Initiatives

District of Columbia

  • Prekindergarten and Head Start
    District of Columbia Public Schools
    825 North Capitol Street NE, 7th floor
    Washington, DC 20002
    202-698-1033
    World Wide Web: http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/programs/program9.html.

    The Public School Prekindergarten Program provides developmentally appropriate experience and language-based instruction. The District of Columbia Public Schools offer regular all-day classes for 3- and 4-year-old children in every elementary school building. All 4-year-old children residing in the District are eligible to participate, but space is limited. Children are served on a first-come, first-served basis.

Florida

  • Office of Early Learning
    Agency for Workforce Innovation
    107 East Madison St.
    Caldwell Building
    Tallahassee, FL 32399
    850-488-3026
    World Wide Web: http://www.upkflorida.org/index.cfm

    The Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Education (VPK) Program came about through Florida voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment in 2002. Amendment No. 8 of section 1(b) and (c), Article IX (on the Web at http://www.upkcouncil.org/docs/topicsGP_constamendment.pdf) of the State Constitution requires the creation of a voluntary, free prekindergarten education program for 4-year-old children in Florida. Enacted in January 2004, House Bill 1A created a program designed to prepare 4-year olds for kindergarten. Every child who is 4-years-old by Sept. 1, 2005, will be eligible to attend the voluntary pre-K program in the fall of 2005. Effective January 2005, the responsibilities of the Florida Partnership for School Readiness concerning the school readiness coalitions were transferred to the Office of Early Learning in the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The Frequently Asked Questions section of the Web site has the following information about which providers are qualified to participate in the program. It states:

    To participate in the program, a provider must register with the early learning coalition and must be a:
    • Licensed child care facility;
    • Licensed family day care home;
    • Licensed large family child care home;
    • Nonpublic school exempt from licensure; or
    • Faith-based child care provider exempt from licensure.

    In addition, to be eligible, a private prekindergarten provider must:  

    • Be accredited by an accrediting association that is a member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation, the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, or the Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools;
    • Hold a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation; or
    • Be licensed and demonstrate that each of the requirements of the pre-K program
      (e.g., prekindergarten instructor and director credentials, background screenings, minimum and maximum class sizes, and developmentally appropriate curriculum) are met.

      Unlicensed family day care homes and informal child care providers are not eligible to participate in the program.

    This information is available on the Web at http://www.upkflorida.org/index.cfm?Page=faqs.

    Additional information is available in the following documents:

    • School Readiness Programs II: Next Steps in the Evolution of Early Learning: Interim Project Report 2005-112 (January 2005), by the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Services, the Florida Senate, surveys prior reports concerning the school readiness system by the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), the Auditor General, the State Board of Education, the State Board’s Universal Prekindergarten Education Advisory Council, and committee staff. The report also examines House Bill (HB) 1-A, which created the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; highlights findings and recommendations from these prior reports which were addressed by HB 1-A; and identifies unresolved issues. Among the remaining unresolved issues, the report underscores three critical issues for legislative consideration: (1) identifying options for enforcing the educational requirements of the School Readiness Act (s. 411.01, F.S.) on voucher providers; (2) clarifying the State’s priorities for participation in school readiness programs, especially the eligibility of school-age children; and (3) establishing outcome measures for school readiness programs. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.flsenate.gov/data/Publications/2005/Senate/reports/interim_reports/pdf/2005-112cm.pdf.
    • Report and Recommendations to the Florida State Board of Education (October 2003), presents the recommendations of the Advisory Council to the State Board of Education and addresses expected outcomes, curriculum and assessment standards, program delivery design, coordination with existing school readiness programs, best practices, and cost estimates. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.upkcouncil.org/docs/UPK_REPORT.pdf.
    • Florida’s Early Learning Programs: Cost and Resource Summary (September 2003) lists funding sources and related requirements, information on projecting the cost of implementing universal prekindergarten, and current information on early childhood staff credential requirements. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.upkcouncil.org/docs/topicsCR_schoolreadinessdata.pdf.

    Additional information about Florida School Readiness is available on the Web at http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/index.html.

Georgia

  • Bright from the Start [formerly the Office of School Readiness]
    Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
    10 Park Place South
    Suite 200
    Atlanta, GA 30303
    404-656-5957
    World Wide Web: http://www.decal.state.ga.us/

    Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, was created July 1, 2004 as a result of Senate Bill 456 passed by the 2004 Georgia General Assembly. The new department assumes the responsibilities of the Office of School Readiness, the Georgia Child Care Council, and the Child Care Licensing Division of the Office of Regulatory Services in the Department of Human Resources. Bright from the Start administers Georgia’s Pre-K Program; licenses center-based and home-based child care; administers the Federal nutrition programs; houses the Head Start Collaboration Office; coordinates the functions of the Georgia Child Care Council; distributes Federal Even Start dollars for early literacy; and works collaboratively with Smart Start Georgia to blend Federal, State, and private dollars to enhance early care and education.

    In 1993, the Georgia Pre-K Program was established to provide Georgia’s 4-year-old children with high-quality preschool experiences. This program is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education, and is expected to serve about 70,000 children in the 2004-2005 school year. The goal of every Georgia prekindergarten classroom is to provide 4-year-olds with the learning experiences they need in order to prepare for kindergarten. Children who are 4-years-old on September 1 of the current school year, whose parents are Georgia residents, are eligible to attend Georgia Pre-K Program during this school year. Public schools and private child development centers voluntarily participate in Georgia’s Pre-K program. The following resources provide further information on the Georgia Prekindergarten Program:
    • The Third Annual Report Card on Georgia’s Pre-K program (2004), conducted by the Georgia Office of School Achievement, includes data for the 2003-2004 school year on every participating pre-K program on two indicators that reflect the extent to which prekindergarten services are delivered to Georgia’s 4-year-olds, and the quality of those services. This information is available on the Web at http://reportcard.gaosa.org/dev04/osr/. The 2002-2003 Report Card is available on the Web at http://reportcard.gaosa.org/yr2003/OSR/default.aspx, and the 2001-2002 Report Card is available on the Web at http://reportcard.gaosa.org/yr2002/OSR/default.aspx.    
    • Evaluation of the Pre-K Summer Readiness Pilot Program (November 2004), by Bentley D. Ponder, Kana K. Rickman, and Gary T. Henry, published by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, evaluates a summer enrichment program for children from high poverty families that served 173 children in 10 Pre-K classes in the metro Atlanta area during the summer of 2004. It concludes that the pilot program appears to have the potential to improve children’s skills and ease their transition into primary school. This resource is available on the Web at http://aysps.gsu.edu/publications/2004/preksummerreadiness.pdf.
    • Report of the Findings for the Early Childhood Study: 2001-2002 (September 2003), by Gary T. Henry, Laura W. Henderson, Bentley D. Ponder, Craig S. Gordon, Andrew J. Mashburn, and Dana K. Rickman, of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, examines the development of 4-year-olds in early childhood programs, preschools, and child care centers in Georgia. The study follows the development of young children attending publicly funded and private preschools; ascertains the quality of their experiences; and estimates the effects of Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program. The study found that Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program provides effective early education experiences that reduced the gaps between where children began preschool as 4-year-olds and where they began kindergarten. Georgia Prekindergarten provides high-quality services on a consistent basis, which reduces differences in skills between the children in Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program and children in private preschool. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwsps/publications/2003/earlychildhood.pdf.

New Jersey

  • Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE)
    New Jersey Department of Education
    P.O. Box 500
    Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
    609-777-2074
    World Wide Web: http://www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/over.htm

    In 1998, New Jersey’s Supreme Court mandated that 3- and 4-year-old children in New Jersey’s Abbott districts—the 30 highest poverty districts in the State—receive a high-quality preschool education. The OECE is charged with policy development and leadership for all district-sponsored programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. The Office works in conjunction with the Office of Special Education and with the offices of the regional assistant commissioners and county superintendents, to provide guidance and program oversight to the 30 Abbott districts. Abbott preschool programs are staffed with one teacher (who must hold a Bachelor’s degree and the Pre-School through Grade 3 (P–3) endorsement) and one aide and may not exceed 15 children.

    By statute, another 102 districts receive Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA) funding due to high concentrations of low-income students equal to or greater than 20 percent and less than 40 percent of the total enrollment. In the 2003-2004 school year, the ECPA districts served 7,600 preschool children in programs at an approximate cost of 30 million dollars.

    The following resources are related to the Abbott Preschool Program:
    • End of the Year Report: 2003-2004 (2004), prepared by the Office of Early Childhood Education, New Jersey Department of Education, summarizes information about State funded prekindergarten initiatives, including the 30 Abbott districts, the 102 districts that receive Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA), and the Early Launch to Learning Initiative. It states:

      In conjunction with the Department of Human Services, these classrooms now comprise a DOE-funded six-hour, 180-day component, combined with a DHS-funded wrap-around program that provides daily before- and after-care and summer programs. In total, the full-day, full-year program is available ten hours per day, 245 days a year … During the 2003–2004 school year, the fifth year of Abbott preschool implementation, the 30 Abbott districts enrolled 38,000 three- and four-year-old children in preschool out of a possible universe of 53,000 children, at a cost of approximately $407 million. Thirty-two percent were served in school-based programs, 8% in federally funded Head Start centers, and 60% in private child-care centers. (pp. 1–2)

      This resource is available on the Web at http://www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/eoy.pdf.
    • A Rising Tide: Classroom Quality and Language Skills in the Abbott Preschool Program Year Two Preliminary Update, 2003-2004 (September 14, 2004), by Ellen Frede, Cynthia Esposito Lamy, Holly Seplocha, Janis Strasser, Saigeetha Jambunathan, Jo Anne Juncker, and Ellen Wolock, for the Early Learning Improvement Consortium (ELIC), presents preliminary findings of the second year of the ELIC study. In addition, it makes comparisons to similar information collected by the Center for Early Education Research at Rutgers University in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 in order to measure change over time. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/tide.pdf.  
    • Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Gonna Make This Garden Grow: Classroom Quality and Language Skills in the Abbott Preschool Program Year One Report, 2002-2003 (March 26, 2004), by Cynthia Esposito Lamy, Ellen Frede, Holly Seplocha, Janis Strasser, Saigeetha Jambunathan, Jo Anne Juncker, Heidi Ferrar, Lorraine Wiley, and Ellen Wolock, for the Early Learning Improvement Consortium (ELIC), describes research conducted by the ELIC to obtain information to improve policy and practice in the Abbot Preschool Program in New Jersey. In the fall of 2002, the ELIC administered tests of oral language development and early literacy skills to randomly selected kindergarten students Statewide. This gave a general picture of children’s “readiness” to succeed in school. In the following winter and spring of 2003, structured classroom evaluations were conducted on 13 percent of the Abbott preschool classrooms to provide information on classroom practices likely to influence child learning. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.nj.gov/njded/ece/abbott/inch.pdf.
    • Abbott Preschool Program Implementation Guidelines (February 2003), by the New Jersey Office of Early Childhood Education, provides guidance from the Department of Education to enable New Jersey school districts to plan, develop, and realize high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year old children in 30 of the highest poverty districts in the State. Guidelines are offered in the following areas: (1) curriculum, (2) the learning assessment and documentation process, (3) teacher training, (4) supporting English language learners, (5) special education, (6) continuity and transition, (7) health and nutrition, (8) family services, and (9) program evaluation and improvement. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/abbott/guidelines/guidelines.pdf.
    • Fragile Lives, Shattered Dreams: A Report on Implementation of Preschool Education in New Jersey’s Abbott Districts (January 2002), by W. Steven Barnett, Julie E Tarr, Cindy Esposito Lamy, Ellen C. Frede, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), provides an update on the needs of children in New Jersey’s Abbott districts and an assessment of progress toward implementation of high-quality preschool programs in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. The authors suggest that inadequate facilities and materials result in a lack of high quality experiences in science, math, art, music, and dramatic play. Inadequate teacher support, preparation, and professional development also play a role. This resource is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/research/FragileLives.pdf.

New York

  • New York State Education Department 
    and the Office of New York City School and Community Services

    Albany Location
    Education Building - 375 EBA  
    Albany, NY 12234    
    518-474-4715              		 New York City Location
    55 Hanson Place
    Brooklyn, NY 11217
    718-722-2796

    World Wide Web: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nyc/upk.html

    Chapter 436 of the Laws of 1997 established the Universal Prekindergarten Program in New York. The New York State Universal Prekindergarten Program aims to provide access to prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds in the State. Local communities decide what criteria to use in selecting age-eligible children for enrollment. From school year 1999 until June 30, 2002, preference was given to economically disadvantaged children. Approved providers can include public schools, Head Start programs, day care centers, nursery schools, nonpublic schools, family child care providers, and approved special education providers.

    The Early Childhood Strategic Group (ECSG) is a partnership of 20 organizations and individuals that has worked to promote full implementation of Universal Prekindergarten as a step toward a more coordinated and well-funded system of early care and education in New York City. Additional information about ECSG is available on the Web at http://www.ecsgnyc.org.

    The following resources provide additional information about universal prekindergarten in New York:
    • The State with Two Prekindergarten Programs: A Look at Prekindergarten Education in New York State (1928-2003) (June 2004), by Anne Mitchell, published by National Institute for Early Education Research, presents a brief history of New York’s two prekindergarten programs. The Experimental Prekindergarten Program (EPK) began in 1966 with only a few thousand students. EPK was developed primarily for disadvantaged children. Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) began in 1997 and was implemented quickly and on a large scale. The status of the two programs is analyzed for the 2002-2003 school year. In all, 44 districts in New York administered both EPK and UPK programs simultaneously during the 2002-2003 school year. The following excerpts have information about the size and funding of UPK in New York:

      There are more than 700 school districts in New York State. In the 2002-2003 school year, fewer than 250 of them administered prekindergarten programs. Yet, these 250 districts enroll close to 60 percent of the total public school enrollment in the state. The prekindergarten programs in these districts enroll about 30 percent of the total four-year-old population in New York State. As the table in Appendix 3 shows, New York City  and 188 districts in the rest of the state administered Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) programs. Ninety-seven districts operated Experimental Prekindergarten (EPK) programs, including New York City. There are 44 districts in New York that administer both EPK and UPK. (page 1)

      For 2003-2004, UPK was funded at $204 million and the per-child funding formulas were set aside, giving participating districts the same total amount they had been eligible for in the 2002-2003 school year, and stalling expansion to more districts. (page 12)

      UPK is a formula allocation program. Funding for UPK is determined by a formula that has provided between $2,700and $4,000 per child, depending more or less on the need-to-resources capacity of a district. Also, each district is given a defined number of eligible children to be served, recalculated each year. (page 14)

      This resource is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/files/NYCaseStudy.pdf.

    • Collaborative Leadership: A Forum on Universal Prekindergarten (June 2002), by Amy Cooper, published by the Early Childhood Strategic Group (ECSG), describes a forum on the Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) program in New York City. This forum gave community school districts and community based organizations the opportunity to share technical strategies for collaborative implementation of the UPK program. These strategies included budgeting techniques, contracting requirements, and strategies for effective recruitment and enrollment. The forum also helped to highlight some of the remaining obstacles to collaboration, emphasizing the continued need for communication, flexibility, and openness. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.childcareinc.org/pubs/Forum%20Report.pdf.

    • Early Care for Infants and Toddlers: Examining the Impacts of Universal Prekindergarten (2001), by Kristi S. Lekies, Emma H. Heitzman, and Mon Cochran, the Cornell Early Childhood Program, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, examines the development of universal prekindergarten as part of an overall effort to strengthen the State’s educational system and prepare children for success in kindergarten. It focuses on the role universal prekindergarten might play in the child care arena and on its overall impacts on early care and education as a system of supports for children and families. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.human.cornell.edu/units/hd/cecp/pdf/infantsandtoddlers.pdf.

    • Universal PreKindergarten Takes Off in New York State (February 11, 2000), by the New York State Education Department, describes a study undertaken by the Universal Prekindergarten Resource Partnership, a project of Child Care, Inc. and State Communities Aid Association, to increase understanding of the factors that influenced local school districts in implementing universal prekindergarten, the various challenges faced, and the lessons learned. A survey of school districts eligible to implement Universal Prekindergarten in the first year (1998-1999) was conducted with preliminary findings reported in this document. Also reported are data analyses from years one and two about actual and projected grant and student counts. The full report is available on the Web at http://www.ecsgnyc.org/docs/blendedfunding.pdf.

    • Implementing Universal Prekindergarten in New York City (November 1999), by the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO), provides IBO’s estimates of universal prekindergarten eligibility and enrollment, operating and capital costs, and classroom needs. It begins with an overview of the universal prekindergarten program, and is followed by a discussion of the program’s funding. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/PreKind.pdf.

    • Implementing Universal Prekindergarten in New York: Blended Funding and Other Financial Considerations(October 1998), by Anne Mitchell, Early Childhood Policy Research, published by The Families and Work Institute, describes several methods for “blending” funding to create higher quality, full working day programs using available resources, such as Head Start, public funds for child care, special education funds, and parent tuition. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.earlychildhoodfinance.org/handouts/financialoptionsforuniversalprekindergarten.pdf.

Oklahoma

  • Early Childhood Office
    Oklahoma State Department of Education
    2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
    Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599
    405-521-3346
    World Wide Web: http://title3.sde.state.ok.us/early/

    In July 1998, the Early Childhood Four-Year-Old Program in public schools was expanded to include all 4-year-olds. Resources describing universal prekindergarten in Oklahoma include:
    • “The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development” (November 2004), CROCUS Working Paper Number 4, by William T. Gormley, Jr., Ted Gayer, Deborah Phillips, and Brittany Dawson,published by the Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS), reports on the school readiness of children who attended the universal prekindergarten program in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 2002-2003 school year. Using a quasiexperimental regression-discontinuity design that reduces the threat of selection bias, they estimate the overall effects of exposure to prekindergarten for children varying in race, ethnicity and income, and for children in full-day and half-day programs. The authors found that Hispanic, Black, White, and Native American children all benefit from the program, as do children in diverse income brackets, as measured by school lunch eligibility status. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.crocus.georgetown.edu/reports/oklahoma9z.pdf.
    • “The Effects of Universal Pre-K in Oklahoma: Research Highlights and Policy Implications” (October 2003), CROCUS Working Paper Number 2,by William T. Gormley Jr. and Deborah Phillips, published by the Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS), presents results from an evaluation of the prekindergarten program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Results are discussed in light of contemporary controversies regarding targeted or universal prekindergarten programs; full- or part-day programming; public school or multiple delivery sites; strategies for ensuring high-quality, effective programs; and the need for rigorous program evaluations. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.sde.state.ok.us/acrob/Georgetownwkpaper2.pdf.  
    • “Promoting School Readiness in Oklahoma: An Evaluation of Tulsa’s Pre-K Program” (October 2003), CROCUS Working Paper Number 1, by William T. Gormley, Jr., and Ted Gayer, , published by the Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS), analyzes the short-term effects of prekindergarten on children in Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma. It found that Oklahoma’s universal prekindergarten program offers tangible benefits to young children, especially low-income and minority children. The Tulsa prekindergarten program increased cognitive/knowledge scores by approximately 0.39 standard deviation, increased motor skills scores by approximately 0.24 standard deviation, and increased language scores by 0.38 standard deviation. No impact was found on social/emotional test scores. The positive effects of Tulsa prekindergarten are greatest for Hispanic children, followed by Black children. Children who qualify for the full free-lunch program were also more impacted than the population as a whole. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.crocus.georgetown.edu/reports/working.paper.1.pdf.

West Virginia

  • Partners Implementing an Early Care and Education System Advisory Council (PIECES Advisory Council)
    Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources and the
    State Superintendent of Schools
    World Wide Web: http://www.wvdhhr.org/bcf/ece/pieces/. 

    Legislation was passed in West Virginia (Senate Bill 247) in March 2002 stipulating that all West Virginia 4-year-olds, regardless of social economic status, be able to attend State-funded universal prekindergarten if their parents so choose bySeptember 2012. The following document has information about the legislation.

County Initiative

  • California—Los Angeles County
    On August 8, 2002, Los Angeles county officials voted to create a $100 million effort to serve all 3- and 4-year-olds in the county. The Universal Access to Preschool Including Early Care and Education Initiative is aimed at increasing the availability of quality preschool and early care in Los Angeles County for all young children—with an initial rollout to begin with 3- and 4-year-olds. The plan is for 3- and 4-year-olds in Los Angeles county to benefit from the millions of dollars collected in tobacco taxes through a universal prekindergarten program. The new program is to build on existing community-based, school-based, and Head Start programs, similar to the universal prekindergarten program in New York State, which integrates community-based providers into public school systems. Additional information on universal prekindergarten in Los Angeles County is available from First 5 LA(formerly the Los Angeles County Children and Families First-Proposition 10 Commission) on the Web at http://www.first5.org/ourprojects/universalaccess.php4.
    • Los Angeles Universal Preschool: Master Plan (July 2004), prepared by Karen Hill-Scott, for First 5 LA, provides the blueprint for a commitment by First 5 LA to offer a high-quality preschool program within ten years to every 4-year-old in Los Angeles County whose parents choose to participate. This ground breaking system will help 4-year-old children get ready for kindergarten. The new Universal Preschool system will launch in September 2004 to serve several thousand children and will quickly expand each year. When the program has reached its full scale, it will serve over 70 percent of the 153,000 4-year-olds currently living in Los Angeles County. The Advisory Committee has designed a high-quality, part-day program with a full-day optional child care component. This Universal Preschool program will be offered in public schools, community-based organizations, and family child care homes. A five-star quality rating scale, beginning in the second year of implementation, will help parents make informed decisions in choosing preschools for their children. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.prop10.org/docs/Partnerships/UPK/Proj_UPK_MasterPlanFinalDraft.pdf.
    • “Targeting Investments for Universal Preschool: Which Families to Serve First? Who Will Respond?” (2003), a Working Paper Series 03-1, by Bruce Fuller and Danny Shih-Cheng Huang, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), explores how public funds might be effectively targeted to yield strong enrollment demand by parents and discernible effects on young children’s early development and school readiness. It analyzes how alternative targeting mechanisms would yield differing allocations to various communities. This resource is available on the Web at http://pace.berkeley.edu/LA_report.pdf.

Additional Publications

  • “The Costs and Benefits of Universal Preschool in California” (March 2005), a RAND Research Brief, looks at the expected direct costs and benefits for the public sector and society as a whole of implementing a high-quality universal preschool program in California. It also looks at other potential indirect economic and noneconomic benefits for California that may be associated with such a program. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB9118/RAND_RB9118.pdf.
  • The State of Preschool: 2004 State Preschool Yearbook (November 2004), by W. Steven Barnett, Jason T. Hustedt, Kenneth B. Robin, and Karen L. Schulman, published by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), is an annual report that rates State-funded prekindergarten programs serving 3- and 4-year-old children.  The report measures the quality of programs in 2002-2003 school year by evaluating several indicators such as curriculum, parental involvement, and level of education of teachers. The full report is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/yearbook/pdf/yearbook.pdf. Links to an interactive database and State data are available on the Web at http://nieer.org/yearbook/.   
  • “Early Education for All: A Strategic Political Campaign for High-Quality Early Education in Massachusetts” (October 2004), Working Paper: Advocating for PK No. 3, by Melissa Ludtke, published by the Foundation for Child Development, draws on the example of the Massachusetts Early Education for All campaign to demonstrate how to build a successful political movement around universal prekindergarten. The report includes a chronology of the communications, organizing, and advocacy efforts that led to Statewide legislation in 2004. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.fcd-us.org/uploadDocs/WP5EarlyEducationforAll.pdf.
  • Prekindergarten: Four Selected States Expanded Access by Relying on Schools and Existing Providers of Early Education and Care to Provide Services (September 2004), by the General Accountability Office (GAO), focuses on four States—Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma—that have expanded their preschool programs to serve more children. In these States, the GAO study addresses how prekindergarten programs were designed and funded; the potential implications of these program features for children’s participation and other programs that serve 4-year-olds; and the outcome data that have been collected on participating children and families. The report GAO-04-852 is available on the Web at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04852.pdf.
  • The Price of School Readiness: A Tool for Estimating the Cost of Universal Preschool in the States (September 2004), by Stacie Carolyn Golin, Anne W. Mitchell, and Barbara Gault, describes an approach to estimating the cost of a State-based, high-quality, universally accessible preschool program for children (aged 3–5 years). The model assesses total costs by estimating program need and participation, direct service costs including teacher salaries and benefits, nonpersonnel costs such as occupancy and food, and infrastructure costs. The model is designed to be flexible, allowing users to estimate the costs of various program parameters, implementation scenarios, and participation rates. The components are based on a variety of assumptions informed by research pointing to indicators of early childhood program quality, including well-trained and compensated teachers in every classroom; adequate staff-to-child ratios; funds for professional development; and significant investments to ensure proper oversight, assessment, and capacity. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/G713.pdf.
  • Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All: State Legislative Report (September 2004), by The Trust for Early Education, analyzes 2005 State fiscal year budgets and states that even in tough financial times, many States reached bipartisan consensus and allocated resources needed to prepare their youngest constituents to succeed in school. The report features the States that have made the commitment to secure a topnotch prekindergarten program for all children living in their State. It also describes disappointing developments. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.trustforearlyed.org/docs/Legislative%20Report-9-9.pdf.
  • “Making Inclusion a Part of Planning for Universal Preschool” (Summer 2004), in Legal Update, by the Child Care Law Center (CCLC), describes the principles that should be an integral part of planning for a preschool-for-all system. These principles were developed during a meeting of 20 advocates in January 2004, and were intended to be an initial step toward development of a coordinated approach to inclusion on the part of various preschool initiatives and a resource for State and local level planning. This resource is available on the Web at http://childcarelaw.org/Publications/summer%202004Final.pdf.
  • “Private Foundations and the Move Toward Universal Preschool” (Summer 2004), in “Early Childhood Programs and Evaluation,” The Evaluation Exchange Vol. X, No. 2, by Lisa Klein, reveals how private foundations are spending their money in the emerging arena of universal preschool. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue26/spotlight2.html.
  • Financing Access to High Quality Early Care and Education for All of Illinois’ Children (May 2004), by Richard N. Brandon, Erin J. Maher, Guanghui Li, and Jutta M. Joesch, discusses an approach to providing financial access for all of Illinois’ children to high-quality early learning experiences that will help them reach their fullest potential. A set of policies are presented that can achieve the goal at moderate budgetary costs while targeting a majority of funds to the most vulnerable children and families in the State. The report notes that universal access to high-quality early learning for children age birth to age 5 could be achieved with additional State spending equivalent to about a 10.3 percent point increase in total public education spending, phased in over a number of years. This would cost only one-fifth as much as a kindergarten-style, everyone-attends-for-free approach. The authors suggest that if the goal is to achieve universal access to high-quality early care and education, then it is important to phase-in broad policies that apply to the entire system, rather than adopting limited programs for small populations. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.hspc.org/publications/pdf/Illinois_final.pdf.
  • “The Universal vs. Targeted Debate: Should the United States Have Preschool for All?” (April 2004), NIEER Preschool Policy Brief Issue 6, by W. Steven Barnett, Kirsty Brown, and Rima Shore, published by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), explores the debate over universal vs. targeted preschool programs. It notes that while targeted programs traditionally have lower costs, universal programs are more effective at reaching all targeted children. And while the academic achievement gap is most dramatic between children in poverty and those with the most resources, school readiness can be improved for the majority of children with better preschool education. Policy recommendations include a gradual move toward voluntary universal preschool programs with Federal matching funds used to encourage States to fund high-quality preschool for all. This resource is available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/6.pdf.
  • “Education Links: How do We Establish Universal Preschool in a Way that Builds the Early Care and Education System as a Whole?” (January 25–26, 2004), prepared by Anne Mitchell, Alliance for Early Childhood Finance, for the 2004 Learning Community on Early Care & Education Finance Reform conference, looks at the impact of policy changes related to preschool on the rest of the early childhood system, including Head Start, child care, and kith and kin providers. The author notes that the vision of an early childhood system means much more than preschool. It includes services and supports for all children birth to age 5, allows parents being able to make meaningful choices among quality alternatives, and results in a well-qualified and well-compensated workforce. The document offers examples of preschool legislation and practice in several States that demonstrate approaches to enacting preschool that build parts of the unified system. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.earlychildhoodfinance.org/handouts/Education%20Links.pdf.
  • Raising Teacher Education and Training Standards for Universal Preschool in California: Assessing the Size of the Task (January 2004), by Marcy Whitebook, Dan Bellm, Laura Sakai, Fran Kipnis, Irene Voisin, and Marci Young, published by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California at Berkeley, suggests that raising the required level of education and training for preschool teachers will be an essential building block of a universal preschool program in California. The involvement of California’s colleges and universities is seen as essential in building an effective universal preschool system. A table presents required staff qualifications under Title 22 and Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Findings underscore the challenges that will be faced by different sectors of the workforce in meeting higher requirements. Likewise, the efforts to build not only a skilled, but a diverse workforce, compatible with the diversity of young children in the State, will require special attention. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ccw.org/pubs/teacher_training.pdf.
  • Researching Universal Prekindergarten: Thoughts on Critical Questions and Research Domains from Policy Makers, Child Advocates and Researchers (2004), by Anthony Raden andLisa McCabe, published by Columbia University’s Institute for Child and Family Policy, interviewed 65 early childhood experts from across the country, including Federal and State policy-makers and administrators, early childhood researchers, foundation executives, advocates, and representatives from national educational organizations in order to identify critical gaps in research related to universal prekindergarten and to formulate essential research questions necessary to develop a coherent and coordinated research agenda. Data are presented in two parts. In the first section, specific questions raised by respondents are listed according to eight research domains. The second section outlines themes about research and challenges to pursuing a coordinated universal prekindergarten research agenda. This resource is available on the Web at http://fcd-us.org/uploadDocs/Complete%20UPK%20PAPER.doc.
  • Preschool for All: Step by Step: A Planning Guide And Toolkit (Updated Draft, December 5, 2003), by American Institutes for Research for First 5 California Commission on Children and Families, is designed to help local First 5 commissions, school districts, early care and education providers, and families work together to phase in a system of Preschool for All. The major purposes of the guide are to review options for phasing-in access to preschool for all, with a special focus on local implementation; to provide guidance that is practical at the county, city and school district level; and to help localities be in a position to respond to the growing possibility of preschool as a Statewide reality. The planning guide contains the following: an overview of the status of the movement for voluntary, universal preschool; guidelines for the development of a quality preschool-for-all program; information on how to assess the supply and potential demand for preschool services; information on how to estimate the cost of making quality preschool accessible to all; finance information; and suggestions for making the local case for Preschool for All. Links to each chapter are available on the Web at http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/SchoolReady.htm. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.ccfc.ca.gov.
  • How States Finance Prekindergarten Programs and Estimate Costs: Remarks to the Florida Universal Prekindergarten Council (August 2003), by Anne Mitchell, provides a brief history of State-funded preschool programs (noting which ones are universal, or aim to become universal); discusses the total investment being made in preschool by the States; describes the revenue sources used by the States to fund preschool; and describes a cost estimating method used in Illinois and Massachusetts, and beginning to be used in California. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.upkcouncil.org/docs/products_08202003amitchell.pdf.
  • Meeting Great Expectations: Integrating Early Education Program Standards in Child Care (August 2003), by Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, and Joan Lombardi, published by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), highlights examples of how seven States have integrated early education program standards in child care, as well as provided technical assistance, monitoring, and funding to child care providers willing to meet these standards. It examines three strategies in seven States that have integrated program standards into child care by directly tying standards to funding: the delivery of State prekindergarten (Georgia, New Jersey, and New York) and Head Start (Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon) in child care settings; and the use of contracts including required standards with child care providers (California). The case study of Georgia Prekindergarten illustrates an example of how a State is currently layering early education funding and requirements for program standards onto the foundation of State licensed child care centers to deliver universal prekindergarten services in child care settings. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.clasp.org/publications/meeting_rpt.pdf.  
  • Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant (revised May 2003), by Mark Greenberg and Rachel Schumacher, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), summarizes the extent to which the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant funding streams could be used to support universal prekindergarten initiatives. This resource is available on the Web athttp://www.clasp.org/publications/meeting_rpt.pdf.
  • Universal Preschool in California: An Overview of Workforce Issues (April 2003), by Dan Bellm and Marcy Whitebook, Center for the Study of Child Care Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California, offers a detailed analysis of emerging workforce issues such as: Who will the educators of our young children be? How will we adequately recruit, train, compensate, and retain them? And, To what extent will the system use the skills and services of the State’s current early care and education workforce? The overview does not provide definitive answers; rather it guides policy-makers, planners, and advocates in asking the right questions as they design and develop a preschool system for California over the next several years. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/preschool.pdf. 
  • The Cost of Universal Access to Quality Preschool in Illinois: A Report to Governor George H. Ryan’s Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool (2003), by Stacie Carolyn Golin, Anne W. Mitchell, and Margery Wallen, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, details the estimated cost of Illinois’ proposed universal preschool program over its first 10 years. Cost estimates were based on research findings identifying key components of program quality, including well trained and compensated teachers in every classroom and significant investments in the State’s existing early care and education infrastructure. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/preschoolIL.pdf.
  • “Universal Preschool: Much to Gain but Who Will Pay?” (October 2002), Working Paper Series, by Scott Scrivner and Barbara Wolfe for the Foundation for Child Development, begins with a brief discussion of the relationship between preschool, preschool quality, and developmental outcomes. It then provides background on the current situation in the United States, followed by a detailed consideration of State-financed prekindergarten programs  It describe early childhood education (ECE) programs in other industrialized countries, and focuses on possible financing approaches designed to improve access to and quality of ECE in the United States. It ends with a proposal for financing universal preschool for 4-year-olds in the United States. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ffcd.org/uploadDocs/UWisc%20Wolfe.pdf.  
  • “What Can Universal Prekindergarten Learn From Special Education?” (May 2002), Working Paper Series, by Don Bailey for the Foundation for Child Development, describes the history and current status of programs serving preschoolers with disabilities and discusses selected issues that inform current discussions about universal prekindergarten. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.fcd-us.org/uploaddocs/unc%20donbailey.pdf.
  • A Framework for Universal Access to Quality Preschool in Illinois Created by the Governor’s Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool (February 2002), by Illinois Governor’s Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool, presents a five-year plan developed by the Governor’s Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool to increase the quality of life for all children in Illinois. It proposes that in the five years beginning in July 2002, Illinois will develop the support systems necessary for high-quality preschool and serve about 61,000 children and their families. Infrastructure support needs include producing enough trained teachers, principals, directors, and other program staff; providing technical assistance and consultation to programs; monitoring for quality assurance; and evaluating and measuring results. An additional five years will be required for full implementation, with a projected enrollment of 202,000 children in 2012. This resource is available on the Web at http://www100.state.il.us/learning/preschool_access.cfm.
  • Pre-K Initiatives in 2 More States (January 2002), NCEDL Spotlight No. 34, by the National Center for Early Development and Learning, adds California and Ohio to an earlier discussion that looked at the recent educational shift on the part of States toward establishing a prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds. This resource examines differences and commonalities among the seven States (California, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas) in terms of financing, size of State, diversity of population, collaboration efforts, full-day, full-year programs, and lack of infrastructure. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/spot34.pdf.
  • Inside the Pre-K Classroom: A Study of Staffing and Stability In State-Funded Prekindergarten Programs (2002), by Dan Bellm, Alice Burton, Marcy Whitebook, Linda Broatch, and Marci P. Young, for the Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW), a project of the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation, documents the current state of staff qualifications, stability, turnover, and compensation in State-funded prekindergarten programs, and identifies the conditions under which prekindergarten initiatives promote a more skilled, stable, and better compensated, early care and education workforce. The study selected a sample of programs in five States: California, Georgia, Illinois (Chicago only), New York, and Texas. In addition to profiling prekindergarten staffing in each State, they also explored variations in staffing among prekindergarten programs housed in different auspices, including publicly operated programs (based in public school districts or community colleges) and privately operated programs (based in community-based nonprofit agencies or for-profit organizations). This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ccw.org/pubs/ccw_pre-k_10.4.02.pdf.
  • Preschool For All: Investing In a Productive and Just Society (2002), by the Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development (CED), discusses the educational needs of children age 3 and older who have yet to enter kindergarten. The report makes the case for publicly funded prekindergarten for all preschool children whose parents wish to avail themselves of the program. It proposes that universal access could be accomplished through a Federal/State partnership with States taking responsibility for expanding preschool opportunities, ensuring that the necessary teachers and facilities are available and integrating diverse arrays of preschool providers and programs into systems that meet the educational needs of young children and working parents. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_preschool.pdf.
  • Building Universal Preschool in Partnership with the Private Early Education and Care System: Essential Elements for Partnerships Between Public and Private Early Care and Education Systems (August 2001), by the National Child Care Association (NCCA), discusses the essential elements of a public/private preschool partnership. The document also discusses the effect of implementing such a program on the provision of child care for children birth to 3 years of age. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.nccanet.org/industry/paper-uniprek.pdf.
  • Education for All Young Children: The Role of States and the Federal Government in Promoting Prekindergarten and Kindergarten (April 2001), by Anne Mitchell, Early  Childhood Policy Research, published by the Foundation for Child Development, notes that the costs of providing good preschool education are outweighed by the benefits and that all kinds of programs for young children have the potential to provide good early education (i.e., to promote social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development and learning). The author proposes that not all young children have opportunities to experience good early education, since the majority of what is offered does not meet accepted standards of quality. This paper presents options for Federal and State policy-making to create incentives for States and communities to make preschool education available to all young children. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.fcd-us.org/uploaddocs/ecpc%20mitchell.pdf.  
  • Prekindergarten Programs in the States: Trends and Issues (March 2001; revised July 2001), by Anne Mitchell, Early Childhood Policy Research, provides a working definition of a prekindergarten program, a brief history of these programs over the last century, and descriptions of current practices, trends, and issues. A growing interest in universal prekindergarten is alsodiscussed. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.nccic.org/pubs/prekinderprogtrends.pdf.
  • State Initiatives to Promote Early Learning: Next Steps in Coordinating Subsidized Child Care, Head Start, and State Prekindergarten (April 2001), by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), focuses on three States (Georgia, Massachusetts, and Ohio) that have significant experience in developing a major early education initiative. This document also includes information on how progress is tracked and results are measured. The full report is available on the Web at http://www.clasp.org/publications/state_initiatives_rpt.pdf.
  • Education for Four-Year-Olds: State Initiatives-Technical Report #2 (2001), by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL), compares prekindergarten programs for 4-year-olds in Georgia, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. This document is available on the Web at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/EdFours-tr.pdf.
  • Pre-K: Is Everybody Ready? (2001), by Connect for Kids, discusses the increase in State expenditures for prekindergarten programs over the past decade, the handful of States that are committed to universal access to prekindergarten programs, the politics underpinning early childhood, the distinction between universal and prekindergarten, and the potential reasons that parents are not advocating for universal prekindergarten. This article is available on the Web at http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=87301.

Additional Resources

  • The Prekindergarten Initiatives topic in the Popular Topics section on the NCCIC Web site at http://nccic.org/poptopics/index.html#prekindergarten includes documents with information about activities in States to support State-funded prekindergarten.
  • The Foundations Supporting Early Childhood Care and Education document in the Popular Topics section under the Child Care as a Business topic of NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.org/poptopics/foundations.html includes information on a sample of private foundations that support early childhood care and education, including many that support universal prekindergarten initiatives.

Updated June 2005

 
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