Transcript Slide 1
A Picture of Young Children in the U.S.
Jerry West, Ph.D.
National Center for Education Statistics Institute of Education Sciences
EDUCATION SUMMIT ON CHILDREN, MEDIA AND LITERACY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND PBS
Each year, about 4 million children enter kindergarten
They come from a variety of backgrounds
• 25 percent are from single-parent households • 9 percent come from household where English is not the primary language • 42 percent are racial/ethnic minorities • 20 percent live in poverty • 14 percent live with mothers who have not completed high school • 81 percent were in some kind of regular non-parental care arrangement the year prior to entering kindergarten.
Children’s Early Skills and Achievement
They begin school with different knowledge and skills
Percent 100 80 60 66 40 30 17 20 3 1 0 Letter recognition Beginning sounds Ending sounds Sight words Words in context
Percentage of children in the fall of kindergarten who demonstrate specific reading knowledge and skills: 1998 SOURCE: America’s Kindergartners. NCES 2000-070.
Percent 100
They begin school with different knowledge and skills
94 80 58 60 40 20 20 0 4 Number and shape Relative size Ordinal sequence Add/subtract
*
Less than .5 percent Multiply/divide
Percentage of children in the fall of kindergarten who demonstrate specific math knowledge and skills: 1998 SOURCE: America’s Kindergartners. NCES 2000-070.
They begin school with different knowledge and skills
Percent 100 0 risk factors 1 risk factor 80 73 2 or more risk factors 57 60 40 40 36 21 21 20 11 11 5 0 Letter recognition Beginning sounds Ending sounds
Percentage of children in the fall of kindergarten who demonstrate specific reading knowledge and skills, by family risk factor index: 1998 SOURCE: The Kindergarten Year. NCES 2001-023. NOTE: Family risk factors include: primary home language was non English, mother’s highest education was less than high school, living in a single parent household, and family having received welfare assistance.
Gains in Reading
from kindergarten through third grade Scale score 120 108 100
Spring third grade
80 69 60 39 40 20 27
Spring Fall kindergarten kindergarten
0
Spring first grade Mean reading scale scores, by time of assessment: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002 SOURCE: From Kindergarten Through Third Grade . NCES 2004-007.
NOTE: Estimates reflect first time kindergartners who were assessed in English in all assessment years. First grade refers to the spring of first grade where the majority of the sample was on grade level. Third grade refers to the spring of third grade, where the majority of the sample was on grade level.
Gains in Math
from kindergarten through third grade Scale score 120 100 80 85
Spring third grade
60 55
Spring first grade
40 20 32 22
Fall kindergarten Spring kindergarten
0
Mean math scale scores, by time of assessment: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002 SOURCE: From Kindergarten Through Third Grade . NCES 2004-007.
NOTE: Estimates reflect first time kindergartners who were assessed in English in all assessment years. First grade refers to the spring of first grade where the majority of the sample was on grade level. Third grade refers to the spring of third grade, where the majority of the sample was on grade level.
Gains in Reading
from kindergarten through third grade, by family risk factors
(risk factors include, living below the poverty level, primary home language was non-English, mother’s highest education was less than high school, and living in a single parent household)
Scale score 120 100 80
Spring third grade
60 40 20
Fall kindergarten Spring kindergarten
0
Spring first grade
No risks 1 risk 2 or more risks
Mean reading scale scores, by time of assessment: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002 SOURCE: From Kindergarten Through Third Grade . NCES 2004-007.
NOTE: Estimates reflect first time kindergartners who were assessed in English in all assessment years. First grade refers to the spring of first grade where the majority of the sample was on grade level. Third grade refers to the spring of third grade, where the majority of the sample was on grade level.
Gains in Math
from kindergarten through third grade, by family risk factors
(risk factors include, living below the poverty level, primary home language was non-English, mother’s highest education was less than high school, and living in a single parent household)
Scale score 120 100 80 60
Spring third grade
40
Spring first grade
No risks 1 risk 2 or more risks 20
Fall kindergarten Spring kindergarten
0
Mean math scale scores, by time of assessment: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002 SOURCE: From Kindergarten Through Third Grade . NCES 2004-007.
NOTE: Estimates reflect first time kindergartners who were assessed in English in all assessment years. First grade refers to the spring of first grade where the majority of the sample was on grade level. Third grade refers to the spring of third grade, where the majority of the sample was on grade level.
Children Develop in Multiple Contexts
Care and Education Family Child Neighborhood and Community School
Early Care And Education
Percent 100
Young children’s experiences in early care and education
80 74 60 48 40 26 20 52 23 23 56 0 to 2 years old 3 to 6 years old 18 14 17 0 Parental care only Total in nonparental care Care in home by a relative Care in home by a nonrelative Care in a center-based program
Percentage of children from birth through age six, not yet in kindergarten by type of care arrangement, 2001. SOURCE: National Household Education Survey. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
School-aged children’s experiences in after-school care and education
Percent 100 80 60 51 40 30 23 20 3 0 Parental care only Home based care Center-based care Self-care
Percentage of children in kindergarten through third grade by weekday care, 2001. SOURCE: National Household Education Survey. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004. NOTE: Children may have multiple arrangements, percentages may not add to 100.
Child Health
Percent 100 80 60 88
Access to health care
63 40 27 20 0 Any health insurance Private insurance Government insurance
For children with insurance, basic type of insurance Percentage of children ages 0 to 5 covered by health insurance, by type of insurance, 2002 SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March and Annual Social and Economic Supplements. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
Children’s general health
Percent 100 80 85 84 70 68 85 68 84 85 68 68 85 85 88 89 88 67 69 74 88 76 73 74 88 90 74 73 60 Below poverty At or above poverty 40 20 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Percentage of children ages 0 to 4 in very good or excellent health by poverty status,1990-2002 SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March and Annual Social and Economic Supplements. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
Percent 100
Kindergartners general health
40 20 80 60 57 43 37 41 0 Percentage of kindergartners in excellent general health White Black Hispanic Asian
Percentage of first-time kindergartners in excellent general health, by child’s race/ethnicity: Fall 1998 SOURCE: America’s Kindergartners. NCES 2000-070. NOTE: White children are more likely than Black, Hispanic or Asian children to be in excellent general health.
Children’s Families And Homes
Children in poverty
Percent 100 80 60 40 20 23 24 26 26 25 24 23 22 21 18 18 18 19 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Percentage of related children under age 6 living in poverty, 1990 to 2002 SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March and Annual Social and Economic Supplements. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
Percent 100
Exposure to second hand smoke
80 60 40 29 28 19 20 0 1994 1996 1999
Percentage of homes with children under age 7 where someone smokes regularly, selected years 1994-1999 SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation, Survey on Radon Awareness and Environmental Tobacco Issues. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
Secure parental employment
Percent 100 80 60 40 75 87 38 68 20 0 All children living with parents Children living with 2 parents Children living with a single mother Children living with a single father
Percentage of children under age 6 living with at least one parent employed full time all year, by family structure, 2002 SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, March Current Population Survey. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2004.
Children At The Time of Birth
Birth weight
Low (more than 3.3 to 5.5 pounds) 6% Very low (3.3 pounds or less) 1% Normal (more than 5.5 pounds) 93%
Percentage distribution of children born in 2001, by birth weight: 2001 SOURCE: Born in 2001: First Results From The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), NCES 2005-036
Prematurity
Premature (less than 37 weeks gestation) 12% Term 88%
Percentage distribution of children born in 2001, by prematurity: 2001 SOURCE: Born in 2001: First Results From The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), NCES 2005-036
Age of mother at time of birth
30 to 39 years old 40 years old or older 15 to 19 years old 2% 11% 35% 20 to 29 years old 52%
Percentage distribution of children born in 2001, by age of mother at time of birth: 2001 SOURCE: Born in 2001: First Results From The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), NCES 2005-036
• Children develop and learn in multiple contexts • When children enter school, they are already demonstrating varying knowledge and skills • Helping children succeed in life begins early and relates to not only their schooling, but also to – their nonparental care and education – their health and well-being – their home life