Investing in preschool: evidence continues to indicate the powerful effects of high quality preschool programs on children's later academic success.

Momentum is building as Californians realize that of all the investments in human capital that can be made, those for young children have the strongest impact for the longest period of time. Recent polls indicate that 75 percent of California voters support funding for voluntary Preschool for All. Significantly, the rate of support increases to 83 percent for funding preschools at elementary school sites.

The level of engagement in preschool in Merced reflects these polls. In the Merced City School District, 75 percent of this fall's incoming kindergarten class of 1,100 children has attended preschool, the majority at preschools operated by the district.

Though the district has been providing preschool services for more than 40 years, a confluence of factors during the past four years has accelerated the pace. And as the public's demand for these services increases, the district is positioning itself to be eligible for expansion Funds.

The following components hold promise for other school districts seeking the means to establish or expand preschool programs and to increase the readiness of children for kindergarten.

Support from the district and community

The support of both the Merced City Board of Education and Superintendent Alan a**asmussen was the essential starting point. Since 2001, they have endorsed the application for grants that have generated more than $6 million to improve preschool services. Also significant is the advocacy on the part of principals and kindergarten teachers, who clearly see the increased readiness of the incoming kinders who have attended preschool.

While the addition of a preschool to an elementary school site may seem a simple addition of a room, a teacher and a few young children, the reality is that preschool administration is complex. A designated preschool administrator who is a member of a district's educational services division is ideally suited to plan and administer preschools at multiple sites. Evaluating the program according to state guidelines; meeting the terms of California's licensing requirements for preschools; hiring, evaluating and training preschool teachers and ensuring implementation of standards-based instruction and curriculum are responsibilities that few elementary principals can add to an already full plate.

Managing multiple sources of funding

Because no single funding mechanism exists, a central office administrator must seek out multiple sources and subsequently manage them in a seamless manner. Since Merced City's superintendent appointed a member of the management team to serve as the district's preschool and literacy coordinator in 2001, the district has added preschools at tour elementary sites and has received funding and grants from California's Child Development Division, First 5 California, First 5 Merced County, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Merced City's primary funding source is $1.7 million from California's State Preschool Program and targets low-income families. Two sites are funded from the district's Title I allocation.

Alternative arrangements

Districts with declining enrollment may elect to provide preschool programs as classroom space becomes available. Highly impacted schools can offer twilight preschool sessions in the late afternoon, which both Merced City and Elk Grove Unified have successfully done.

Los Angeles Unified and San Jose Unified included preschool facilities in recent local school bonds. Livingston Union developed a partnership with its local government to pool resources for its state-of-the art child development center. Other sources used to finance preschool in California are Head Start, General Child Care and Development, Migrant Education and Special Education.

As Preschool for All becomes a reality, it is likely that the state will identify a single, stable source of funding outside the K-14 Proposition 98 guarantee.

Teacher qualifications

Well-trained teachers are a critical component of a high quality preschool program. Children's cognitive growth and language development are primarily influenced by the daily interactions between children and the adults who are teaching them, caring for them and guiding their learning. It is the teacher's ability to implement the curriculum and to use effective instructional approaches that result in a long-term difference in student learning.

In 2003, Merced City raised the bar in qualifications for preschool teaching positions. Successful applicants must have a Bachelor of Arts degree, Early Childhood Education units, and a Site Supervisor Permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Preliminary results indicate that student performance is greater in those classes that have teachers meeting these criteria. Veteran teachers who possess the units and the permit will receive funding from grants to support their acquisition of a bachelor's degree.

Professional development

Ongoing professional development is another hallmark of the district's preschool program. All training is based on scientifically based research of how children develop essential skills for school readiness. In addition, the district ensures sustained professional development by hiring coaches who model effective teaching strategies, conduct side-by-side, small-group instruction in teachers' classrooms, observe the teachers' instruction and provide feedback and opportunity for reflection.

The overall intent is to have professional development that is high quality, ongoing, intensive and classroom-focused in order to have a lasting impact on classroom instruction and teacher performance.

Finally, as for all district elementary and middle school teachers, regular re lease time is provided to preschool teachers so that they--along with coaches and administrators--have ample opportunity to analyze both formal and informal assessment data as a means of tailoring instruction to meet the needs of every student.

Standards and assessments

Preschool is not exempt from standards, assessment and accountability. The standards movement that made changes to K-12 education is now transforming preschool education. The volume of scientific evidence indicating the powerful effects of high quality early childhood programs on children's later academic success continues to grow.

Further, important summaries of research-based outcomes that successful learners are likely to exhibit during the preschool years are serving as impetus for striking a balance in preschool programs between pre-academic skill-building and child development principles.

Merced City's preschool teachers are using standards in their classrooms, applying appropriate early literacy and numeracy instructional strategies and assessing student learning and development. They have created environments that refuse literacy throughout the classroom and across the curriculum, and they provide opportunities for dramatic play, physical activity, nutrition education, interaction with technology and exploration of mathematics and scientific concepts, all in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Teachers engage in guided, direct instruction in both large- and small-group settings, while also allowing students to explore, interact and grow at an individualized pace.

Communicating results

Merced City's preschool and kindergarten teachers have created a pre-kindergarten assessment that assigns a point value of 100 for such concepts as letter recognition, concepts about print, writing of own name, rote count and knowledge of numerical concepts, shapes, patterns, colors and body parts.

The pre-test mean of 500 4-year-olds for the 2003-2004 school year was 30, while the post-test mean was 71. Letter identification, a strong predictor of reading success, jumped from a mean of 6 to 32. When the same instrument was used to assess all incoming kindergartners, the children who attended formal preschool scored at twice the rate as those who had no preschool experience.

An observation tool required by the state, the Desired Results Developmental Profile, which determines growth in multiple domains, is also administered. Desired Results provides important information to both staff and parents on ways they can support children's social, cognitive and physical development.

Communicating results and comparative data to a variety of stakeholders is a powerful and persuasive tool as decisions are made to fired Preschool for All.

Public/private partnerships

Partnerships are essential to both the launch and the ongoing support of Preschool for All. Merced City and other districts in the county work closely with the Merced County Office of Education, the Merced County Local Childcare and Development Planning Council, the First 5 School Readiness Advisory Committee, Merced Community College, U.C. Merced, privately Funded full-day preschools and licensed family day care providers.

The group is working on a number of issues, beginning with three of the most pressing--determining the cost of Preschool for All, ensuring a pool of highly qualified teachers and planning with public and private providers for supplementary child care for children with working parents.

Preschool for All should not be viewed as a winner-take-all approach. Though school districts and county offices of education will likely be given first right of refusal for state funds, it is unlikely that they can go it alone.

Joint planning across the state is occurring in many counties, including Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, San Mateo, San Francisco, Sacramento and Orange. County Offices of Education and county First 5 Commissions are an excellent means to learn about efforts in your community.

A lifetime of achievement

Clearly, making the investments and engaging in the necessary planning to implement Preschool for All as a way of closing the achievement gap will not be easy or immediate: in fact, most planning by First 5 and the state Legislature calls for a 10-year phase-in.

Nonetheless, now is the time for all school districts to be part of this process. The 2002 Nobel Laureate in economics, James Heckman, states that when we provide early education we "beget more learning;" not just cognition, but also the social and emotional abilities that set a pattern for lifetime achievement.

References

California School Boards Association. (July 2004). Preschool for All Planning Grant: Initial Findings and Areas for Future Work.

First 5-Los Angeles and Karen Hill Scott and Company. (February 2004). Los Angeles Universal

Heckman, James J. (2000). Invest in the Very Young. University of Chicago.

U.S. Department of Education. (March 2004). Serving Preschool Children trader Title I.

Tina Johns is director of preschool and child development programs for the Merced City School District.