Transcript Slide 1

The Vision:
• Make high-quality, early
childhood programs available
on a voluntary basis for all
families with children under five
• Make sure the services are a
part of a comprehensive system
which is evaluated to ensure
children have access to highquality environments from birth
to the day they start school
The Mission
• To support increased investment in early
learning programs so that Kansas children
are better prepared for success in school
and beyond.
Goals:
• Our goals for the next two years are to:
o Increase the number of children who have the
opportunity to participate in early childhood programs
o Improve quality and hold programs accountable to
make sure every dollar is being maximized to provide
the greatest impact
Source: Carneiro, Pedro & Heckman, James J., 2003. "Human Capital Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 821, Institute for
the Study of Labor (IZA).
Why is early investment more
effective?
Brain Development
• Ninety percent of children's brain development occurs before age
five, but kindergarten starts after a child turns five. By making early
childhood education available to all children, we take advantage of a
crucial period in their development
Improve K-12
• Studies show that high-quality early childhood programs are the
BEST way to support improved academic outcomes in K – 12
education. Children who attend early childhood programs are far
more likely to enter kindergarten ready to learn, read at grade level
by third grade, and graduate from high school and even college
Return on Investment
• Decades of research proves that for every $1 invested in early
childhood programs, the state saves $7.
Brain Development
•
Synapse Development
– Synapses:
• 50 trillion at birth
• 1000 trillion at 1 year
• Pruned in adolescence
• 500 trillion at 20 years
•
Synapses are created at an
astonishing speed in the first three
years of life.
Until they are about 10 years old,
children’s brains have twice as
many synapses as adults’ brains.
•
Brain Development
Positive and Healthy Environments – such as those found in quality early
learning settings - greatly impact brain development
Healthy Child
Neglected Child
Images courtesy of Harry Chugani, MD, Children’s Hospital of Michigan,
Wayne State University
Improve K-12
• Early learning increases high school graduation rates
– Chicago children who attended a pre-k program were 29 percent more likely to
graduate from high school than their peers who did not have pre-k. (Source:
Chicago Longitudinal Study)
• Early learning helps children do better on standardized tests
– Michigan fourth graders who had attended pre-k passed the state's literacy and
math assessment tests at higher rates than their peers who had no pre-k.
(Source: "State Efforts to Evaluate the Effects of Pre-Kindergarten", Yale
University Child Study Center)
Improve K-12
• Early learning reduces grade repetition
– Maryland fifth graders who attended pre-k were 44 percent less likely to have
repeated a grade than their peers who did not attend pre-k. (Source: "State
Efforts to Evaluate the Effects of Pre-Kindergarten", Yale University Child Study
Center)
• Early Learning reduces the number of children placed in special
education
– Among Chicago children, those who attended pre-k were 41 percent less likely to
require special education services than their peers who did not attend. (Source:
Chicago Longitudinal Study)
Perry Preschool Program
Educational effects by treatment group
Source: James J. Heckman, University of Chicago citing Barnett (2004).
Notes: * High achievement defined as performance at or above the 10th percentile on the California Achievement Test (1970)
Perry Preschool Program
Arrests by treatment group
Perry Preschool Program Arrests per person before age 40, by treatment group
Source: James J. Heckman, University of Chicago citing Perry Preschool Program. Juvenile arrests are defined as arrests prior to age 19.
Return on Investment
$17.00
“Early childhood
development
programs are rarely
portrayed as
economic
development
initiatives, and…that
is a mistake.”
-- Arthur J. Rolnick,
Senior Vice
President & Director
of Research,
Federal Reserve
Bank of Minneapolis
Source: Born Learning
The Argument:
Return on Investment
Early learning
School success
High school graduation
+ College attendance
_____________________________
Well-trained, well-educated workforce
Source: Born Learning
Current Context
Legislative Victories
Passed in 2006
• $2 million to establish Pre-K Pilots in six counties
• $1.8 million to expand Kansas Early Head Start
• $250,000 in Parents as Teachers
• $200,000 in Tiny K
• 4 YOAR caseloads (about $3 million a year)
Passed in 2007
• $3 million in PreK pilots to serve 14 additional counties
• $1.6 million in Kansas Early Head Start
• $500,000 in expanded funding for child care quality initiatives
• Similar minimal increases in Tiny K and 4YOAR caseloads; no
increase in PAT
Current Context:
2008 Legislative Victory
Passed in 2008: $14.4 Million
$11.1 million investment in Kansas Early Learning Block Grant
Will help fund both public and private programs that meet rigorous quality standards
Administered by the Children’s Cabinet through an RFP process
$2.3 million in newborn screening
$1 million for tiny k
Kansas now has a dedicated funding stream for early learning in the
Children’s Initiative Fund (CIF)
Increased percentage of the CIF supporting early learning programs, like Kansas Early
HeadStart, Parents as Teachers, Tiny K, Kansas Preschool Program, Kansas Quality Rating
System.
*Kansas 4 Year Old at Risk Program estimated in School Funding Formula to
serve 6, 718 kids with 3,359 FTE at $20 million, over $17.8 million last year.
Current Context:
What Do We Want in 2009?
• Increase the number of children and families who have the
opportunity to participate in voluntary, high-quality early childhood
programs
• Improve quality and hold programs accountable to make sure every
dollar is being maximized to provide the greatest impact
Proposed Early Learning Investments
• Continue to expand the Early Learning Block Grant.
– The state’s investments will benefit early childhood programs that use researchdriven approaches and emphasize quality and accountability.
• Increase access and improve collaboration and coordination between
pre-kindergarten programs, establishing a Kansas Preschool Program.
The vision cannot happen without your
energy and support
www.KansasSchoolReadiness.org