- Socio-economically disadvantaged children are more likely to begin kindergarten without the basic early reading and social skills that prepare them to learn and succeed (RAND Study 1).
- The same groups of children who start out behind tend to stay behind (RAND Study 1).
- Almost two thirds of all third graders are not proficient in English-language arts (RAND Study 1).
- 42 percent of third graders are not proficient in math (RAND Study 1).
- The proportion who do not reach proficiency is even higher for low-income children, and for children who are Latino, African American, and English learners (RAND Study 1).
- Longitudinal studies show that high-quality early childhood education that serves disadvantaged children provides a return of $7 to $16 for every dollar spent. View Preschool California's fact sheet: Research Shows: The Benefits of High-Quality Early Learning.
- It saves government spending on K-12 education, public assistance and the criminal justice system, and increases tax revenues as a result of higher earnings.
- Only about half of low-income children are in preschool, compared to 80 percent of children whose families make more than $100,000 (RAND Study 3).
- Far fewer are in high-quality programs that develop language skills and promote higher-order thinking (RAND Study 3).
Among the challenges are:
- minimal regulations;
- lack of a clear accountability system with expectations for quality and outcomes;
- no financial incentive to achieve higher quality;
- a funding system that makes it difficult for providers to use all funds available to them;
- lack of a well designed, coordinated plan to prepare teachers; and
- a complex system that makes it difficult for families to navigate, for policymakers and the public to understand and for providers to administer (RAND Study 2).
- ensure high-quality programs are available for the children who need it most;
- measure and monitor quality and provide higher reimbursements to providers who achieve higher quality;
- create a well-designed, coordinated plan to prepare teachers; and
- advance toward a more efficient and coordinated system (RAND Study 4).
- California is developing a quality rating and improvement system to evaluate quality and provide financial incentives to reach higher quality. This includes supporting and growing the early childhood education workforce that serves our children. View Preschool California's fact sheet: California Begins Building a High-Quality Early Learning System
- California has consolidated programs and reduced bureaucracy, making the most of the resources we have now. View fact sheet: AB 2759 (Jones) - California State Preschool Program Act
- California is establishing systems to follow and evaluate children’s progress from early education to high school graduation. View enacted bill text: SB 1298 (Simitian/Steinberg) - Education Date System: Governance and Critical Linkages
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