DOCUMENT RESUME ED 480 816 PS 031 554 AUTHOR Espinosa, Linda M. TITLE High-Quality Preschool: Why We Need It and What It Looks Like. NIEER Preschool Policy Matters, Issue 1. SPONS AGENCY Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia, PA. PUB DATE 2002-11-00 NOTE 13p.; Produced by Rutgers National Institute for Early Education Research. AVAILABLE FROM National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers, The State University, 120 Albany Street, Suite 500, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Tel: 732-932-4350; Fax : 732-932­ 4360; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://nieer.org. For full text: http://nieer.org/resources/ policybriefs/1.pdf. PUB TYPE Opinion Papers (120) -- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Agency Cooperation; Change Strategies; Compensation (Remuneration); *Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Educational Environment; *Educational Quality; High Risk Students; Outcomes of Education; Parent School Relationship; Performance Factors; Preschool Children; *Preschool Curriculum; *Preschool Education; Staff Development; State Standards; Teacher Qualifications; Teacher Student Relationship IDENTIFIERS *Program Characteristics; *Quality Indicators ABSTRACT Research has consistently shown that 3- and 4-year-olds who attend a high-quality preschool are more successful in kindergarten and beyond--both academically and socially. But the majority of preschool programs in the United States are not judged as good, with many rated far below that. Many of our most vulnerable children attend the lowest quality programs, and children who are at risk for school failure are more strongly influenced by the quality of preschool. Noting that momentum is building across the country to develop more preschool programs, this policy brief provides a vision of what high-quality preschool programs look like, and offers recommendations for improving quality. The brief uses the latest research findings and best practices recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to describe the process and structural features of a high-quality preschool program in terms of what is critical for the child, family, teacher, curriculum, and classroom. Based on these indicators of quality, the brief's policy recommendations are as follows: (1) develop state standards for all preschool programs; (2) increase teacher salaries and benefits to levels similar to those of comparably qualified K-12 teachers; (3) develop valid measures of early educational quality that incorporate the recent research on early literacy, mathematical, scientific and social-emotional learning; (4) provide continuous training and quality improvement efforts to all preschool teachers and programs; and (5) work together at federal, state, and local levels of government to establish a coordinated system of high-quality education and care for all 3- and 4­ year-olds. (Contains 20 endnotes and a list of 32 additional resources. (HTH) 0 Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made E~C from the ori inal document. I~ ;f ; / ·· ~ ') . .. · .~,., PiY)Cf Matters Issue 1I November 2002 High-Quality Preschool: Why We Need It and What it Looks Like by linda M. Espinosa Research has consistently shown that 3- and 4-year-olds who attend a high-quality preschool are more successful in kindergarten and beyond-both academicallY, and socially But the majority of preschool programs in the United States are not judged as good, with many rated far below that. Many of our most vulnerable children attend the lowest quality programs. and children who are at risk for school failure are more strongly influenced by the quality ofpreschool. Many children from middle-class families also attend preschools that are not of good quality Momentum is building across the country to develop more preschool programs. Therefore. it's crucial to have a clear vision of what high-quality preschool programs look like. Rating Preschool Quality Preschool programs are typically rated on Policy Recommendations two dimensions of quality-process and structure. The interactions, activities, • Develop state standards for all materials, learning opportunities, and preschool programs. health and safety routines are observed • Raise teacher salaries and benefits to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION and rated as a measure of process quality. levels similar to those of comparably Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION The second dimension, structural quality, qualified K-12 teachers. CENTER (ERIC) includes the size of each group of chil­ This document has been reproduced as K.eceived from lhe person or orgamzat1on dren, the adult-child ratio, and the educa­ • Develop valid measures of early originating it. tion and training of the teachers and staff. educational quality that incorporate '1\ A CJ Minor changes have been made to the recent research on early literacy, lfd .e!} Improve reproduction quality. The most widely used instrument for mathematical, scientific, and Points of view or opinions stated in this social-emotional learning. 1?9· document do not necessarily represent measuring process quality in early educa­ oHicial OERI position or policy. tion programs shows that fewer than half • Provide continuous training and ©fc} the programs measured enjoy a "good" to quality Improvement efforts to all "excellent" rating. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND preschool teachers and programs. Q DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Dimensions of a High-Quality • Work together at federal, state, and Preschool Program local levels of government to establish ~~tLS. t3aYI1 e.tf- This brief uses the latest research findings a coordinated system of high-quality and best practices recommended by the education and care for all 3- and TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES National Association for the Education 4-year-olds. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) of Young Children (NAEYC)to describe the features of a high-quality preschool program in terms of what's critical for the child, family, teacher, curriculum, and classroom. BESTCOPY AVAILABLE Preschool 1 November 2002 High-Quality Preschool: Why We Need It and What It Looks Like By Linda M. Espinosa What are the differences It is commonly accepted that children How Do We Define and Measure between "Minimal," "Good," who attend preschool are more likely to Quality in Early Education? and "Excellent" on the ECERS? succeed in kindergarten than those who This brief defines preschool as center­ do not. Participating in early education based programs that provide education­ Example: language and can also provide academic and social al experiences for children during the Reasoning: Item 16 (Must be benefits that last well beyond kinder­ year or years preceding kindergarten. scored yes on all indicators.) garten. However. researchers have They can be located in a child-care Minimal: repeatedly demonstrated that for chil­ center, state prekindergarten, private 3.1 Some activities are used dren-particularly children from low­ preschool, or Head Start center. by staff with children income backgrounds-to benefit from to encourage them to preschool, it must be of high quality. In the United States, 76% of children communicate. ages three and four receive education 3.2 Some materials are Two influential studies on the effects and care from someone other than a accessible to encourage of intensive, high-quality early child­ parent.5 The majority (58%} attend a children to communicate. hood programs have demonstrated that center-based program defined as 3.3 Communication activities are these programs benefit disadvantaged preschool, child care, or Head Start. generally appropriate for the children academically and socially into What do we know about the level of children in the group. adulthood'. Unfortunately, research quality in these programs? indicates most of America's young Good: children are not attending high-quality Two generally accepted approaches 5.1 Communication activities take preschool programs. Most programs to measuring the quality of early child­ place during both free play for which researchers have studied hood programs focus on process and and group times. (Ex.: Child quality were rated below the minimum structure. dictates story about painting; for a preschool program to be judged small group discusses trip to "good." 2 Process Quality store.} Process quality emphasizes the actual 5.2 Materials that encourage Additionally, children from the lowest­ experiences that occur in educational children to communicate are income families are found more likely settings, such as child-teacher interac­ accessible in a variety of to attend lower-quality programs.3 tions and the types of activities in centers. (Ex.: Small figures Children who are at risk for school which children are engaged. Process and animals in block area; failure benefit the most from good measures can also include health and toys for dramatic play­ early education, but they are the least safety provisions as well as materials outdoors or indoors.} likely to get it. Furthermore, many chil­ available and relationships with parents. dren from middle-class families also Excellent: attend preschool programs of mediocre Process quality is typically measured by 7.1 Staff balance listening and quality. observing the experiences in the center talking appropriately for age and classrooms and rating the multiple and abilities of children It is imperative that policy makers work dimensions of the program, such as during communication