1	Principles and Elements of Effectiveness in Early Childhood Programs Arthur J. Reynolds University of Minnesota Governor’s Summit on School Readiness July 13, 2006
2	Growing Support for Early Childhood Education General public wants state and local government involvement Higher enrollments in early education and care programs Increased funding and political support for early education across the country Growing evidence of beneficial effects
3	Some Notable Initiatives Illinois Universal Pre-K Plan LA County Universal Preschool Florida Constitutional Amendment on Pre-K Georgia and Oklahoma Programs Minnesota Early Learning Foundation
4	Key Elements of Effectiveness 1. Target Children at Risk 2. Begin Early 3. Duration-More is Better 4. High Intensity of Services 5. Small Class Sizes and Ratios
5	Key Elements of Effectiveness 6. Highly Trained Teachers and On-going Professional Development 7. Comprehensive Family Services 8. Compensatory Focus 9. Provide Transition Services 10. Strong Accountability System
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7	Types of Evidence on Program Elements Individual studies assessing added value (e.g., half- vs. full-day) Variations in exposure to different features within a program (e.g., starting age) Common features across studies of evaluated programs
8	Target Children at Risk Effects are Largest and Most Enduring for Children with Greater Learning Needs Gain in Language/ Program Cognitive Skills Intensive Preschool 6-7 months State-Run Programs 3 months High Quality Child Care 3 months
9	Targeted vs Universal Focus Emerging Evidence of Positive Effects of Early Education for Low-Risk Children. State Pre-K (universal access) High quality child care
10	2. Begin Early (Timing) The earlier educational services and programs begin the greater and more lasting their effects. Social programs in the first two decades Evidence on cost effectiveness
11	Benefit-Cost Ratios for Child Programs
12	Economic Returns of Child Programs
13	Economic Returns (Continued)
14	3. Duration/Length of Services Strong evidence that length of services is associated with better child outcomes. Key principle of effectiveness for broader prevention programs. Half-day vs full-day or extended day Years of services, infancy, preschool
15	Length of Preschool NIEER (2006) study found that children randomly assigned to extended preschool had higher literacy and math scores than children in half-day preschool. Spring Fall Letter-word skills PK K 8 hours per day 8.9 10.3 3 hours per day 7.2 8.3
16	"In the Child-Parent Centers," In the Child-Parent Centers, 2-year group had greater well-being. Retain Sp. Ed. Abuse/ by G2 by G3 neglect 2 years 5.4% 4.3% 6.1% 1 year 11.0% 8.9% 11.4%
17	Key Features for 3 Programs
18	4. High Intensity Frequency and quality of interactions among staff, children, and parents are positively related to child and family outcomes. Contact time, both quality and quantity Number of home visits in family programs
19	Early Head Start 11 home based sites in the National evaluation (26 months with 39 visits of 79 minutes in length (averages): 1. Quality of engagement was linked to lower maternal depression, home support 2. Time on child-focused activities linked to child cognitive outcomes at 36 months
20	Review of 60 Home Visiting Programs (Sweet & Applebaum) Features Most Associated with Effectiveness: Professional Staff Number of Home Visits Length of Visits Nurse-Family Partnership: 9 prenatal visits and 23 visits up to age 2.
21	5. Small Class Sizes and Ratios Strong Evidence of Positive Effects of Early Education for Low-Risk Children. Teacher behaviors and attitudes Child care studies Studies of reduced class size Studies of effective programs
22	"National Day Care Study (..." National Day Care Study (Ruopp et al.) Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study (Peisner-Feinberg et al) (NC, CA, CT, CO) Ratios of 8 to 1 or lower associated with fewer behavioral problems and better work habits in first grade.
23	"NICHD Child Care Study" NICHD Child Care Study Infant-toddler ratio of 3 to 1 (group size=6-8) or Preschool ratio of 7 to 1 (group size=14) Fewer behavior problems and higher school readiness & language skills
24	6. Highly Trained Teachers with 4-year Degrees Most effective programs had staff with at least BAs or were paid well Staff mobility harms quality Promoting engagement in learning On-going professional development is key
25	7. Comprehensive Services Programs that Address the Total Context of Children’s Learning are More Likely to be Effective. Parental involvement Health and Social Services Resource mobilization
26	Ecology of Child Development “Do we really believe that a year of preschool can ultimately shape the course of human life? To do so is to ignore the many, many factors ranging from the quality of schooling to socialization influences from the family and community.” (Zigler et al., 1993)
27	Benefit-Cost Ratios for Total Benefit of 4 Programs
28	8. Compensatory Focus Provide More Learning Time for Enhancing Skills that Reduce Later Achievement Gaps Literacy skills Structured activities Home support for learning Compensate versus promote
29	9. Transition Services Learning Gains are Strengthened if Services Continue to Kindergarten and the Elementary Grades (PK-3) Coordination/alignment School organization Family services
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31	PK-3 Effects from ECLS-K Cohort Selected children with these attributes Preschool Full-day kindergarten School stable K-3 High parent involvement Instructional time in reading Teacher certification
32	Grade 3 Findings from ECLS-K Cohort Disadvantaged sample Reading Math Retention 1. No PK-3 43.9 44.2 22% 2. With all Six 47.6 48.4 9% PK-3 elements
33	10. Strong Accountability System Learning Standards are Widely Known Routine Use of Valid Assessments Regular Reporting of Child Progress Strategies for Program Improvement and Increased Learning Gains
34	Putting it Together: Child-Parent Center Model
35	"CPC Major Foci" CPC Major Foci Basic skills: Language, Numeracy, Listening Structured Learning Activities Language and literacy emphasis Field Trips: Zoos, Museums, Libraries Parent Involvement: Classroom volunteering Parent room activities Educational workshops and training Home visits and activities Organizational Structure Staffing patterns and Coordination
36	Johnson Child-Parent Center
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38	Parent Resource Room
39	School Readiness Skills
40	Group Differences for Measures of Well Being
41	Review of Key Elements for 3 Programs
42	Elements of Programs with High Returns
43	Common Elements of Programs Showing High Economic Returns 1. More than 1 Year of Participation. 2. Well-trained or Compensated Teachers. 3. Class Sizes under 18 and Child to Staff Ratios less than 9 to 1. 4. Instruction that is Diverse & Literacy Rich. 5. Comprehensive Family Services Tailored to Children’s Needs. 6. Average Yearly Cost per Child no Less than $5,000 (2004 dollars).
44	Minnesota Ranked Low on Preschool Access for 4-Year-Olds in 2005
45	Minnesota Early Learning Services, FY 2005
46	Conclusions and Implications 1. Evidence continues to grow on the key elements of effectiveness. 2. To meaningfully impact performance, outcomes, program resources must be sufficient to address children’s learning needs. 3. The strongest evidence is for timing, length, intensity, targeting, & comprehensiveness. 4. Preschool programs for 3- and 4-year olds show the most consistent positive effects.
47	Implications (cont.) 5. Although parent-focused programs can be effective, their impacts are inconsistent. 6. Program elements cannot over-ride quality of implementation and teacher quality. 7. Postprogram experiences contribute substantially to the likelihood of long-term effects. 8. Evidence is growing that children at lower risk of school failure benefit from high quality early education.
48	Implications (cont.) 9. School-based models have a build-in advantage for continuity and staff training & compensation. 10. Collaboration among different service providers can strengthen the key program elements. 11. More research is needed on the independent contributions of the elements and their synergistic effects.