Head Start,Prekindergarten, and Academic School Readiness: A Comparison Among Regions in the United States |
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| Authors: | Fuhua Zhai Jane Waldfogel Jeanne Brooks-Gunn |
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| Institution: | 1. The State University of New York, Stony Brook University, School of Social Welfare , Stony Brook , NY;2. Columbia University, School of Social Work , New York , NY;3. Columbia University, Teachers College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons , New York , NY |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Child care programs (including Head Start, prekindergarten pre-K], and other center-based care) can differ, with patterns of use based on their location. Yet little research has examined how Head Start and pre-K programs affect children's academic school readiness, including vocabulary and reading skills at school entry, in the South as compared to other regions. To examine this further, secondary data (n = 2,803) collected in the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study were examined. Overall findings suggest, regardless of region, that Head Start and pre-K participants had higher academic skills at school entry than did their counterparts. In addition, when Head Start was compared to other center-based care and pre-K was compared to other care arrangements, both had larger effects on improving academic skills in the South compared with in other regions. These findings imply that Head Start and pre-K programs should target children who otherwise would receive nonparental non-center-based care. Future research should focus on why the effects of Head Start and pre-K vary between the South and other regions. |
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| Keywords: | Head Start pre-K academic school readiness regional comparisons Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study |
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