Full-day preschool linked to increased school readiness, reduced absences

Children who attended a full-day preschool program had higher scores on measures of school readiness skills (language, math, socio-emotional development, and physical health), increased attendance and reduced chronic absences compared to children who attended part-day preschool, according to a study by the Human Capital Research Collaborative (HCRC) at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The findings are published in the November 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). "We've long known that early childhood education programs are key to preparing children for school success, but the bigger question is, 'What is the impact of increased learning time?'" says Arthur J. Reynolds, the study's lead author and HCRC co-director. "This is the first study to comprehensively examine the results of lengthening the preschool day and it has national implications, when only half of students who enter kindergarten each year are fully prepared." Reynolds and colleagues investigated whether full-day preschool at ages 3 or 4 was associated with higher levels of school readiness, attendance and parent involvement compared with part-day participation. The study focused on a group of about 1,000 predominantly low-income, ethnic minority children enrolled in the Midwest Child-Parent Centers (MCPC) for the full day (7 hours) or part day (3 hours) during the 2012-2013 school year in 11 schools within the Chicago Public School District.