The Effects of Preschool on Educational Achievement
By: Hoon Jung
Introduction
From the ages from 3 to 5, many parents opt to enroll their children into preschool for a variety of reasons. Whether it may be to provide care for the children while the parents are away at work, or if it is to give their kids a headstart on education, there are many benefits of preschool for both the parents and students involved. However, the main concern of preschools seems to be the price. Preschools may cost anywhere from $9,000 to $12,000 per year for families, which serves as a financial burden to many low-income families, who may keep their children from attending preschool because of these costs. Because of this, many children across the United States are losing out on the early childhood benefits that preschool provides, and it may be hindering their socioeconomic mobility.
AAYA volunteered at Hanna Preschool | Credits: AAYA
Missing out on the benefits
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, from data collected from 2005 to 2019, it was found that “about 60% of low-income kids did not attend preschool while only 46% of higher-income kids missed out on this opportunity,” (Low preschool enrollment rates threaten to worsen student achievement) Additionally, figures from the RAND Corporation back up such a gap, stating that “53%” of children living in poverty were enrolled in preschool while “76%” of children who came from upper-middle class families were enrolled in preschool (Karoly and Cannon) With many figures showing that there is a correlation between income and preschool participation, it is clear that such is a real issue being faced.
But what are children missing out on? The benefits of preschool may not appear as clear to many people especially because once compulsory education begins, in either Kindergarten or 1st grade, students will be learning the same material and will have caught up. However, research shows us that there is evidence that preschool impacts the success of children. Studies from the Learning Policy Institute show that children who attend preschool “are more prepared for school and are less likely to be identified as having special needs or to be held back in elementary school” than those who do not attend preschool (McKenna). Additionally, long-term studies conducted by the Brighter Futures Indiana Data Centers show us that preschooling results in exposure to kids and adults outside their family, which results in the development of critical interpersonal skills which lead to “healthier social lives in future years,” (Top Five benefits of early childhood education).
Children face many benefits from attending preschool, including the development of valuable interpersonal skills they may otherwise miss out if they remained at home | Image Credits: Pexels
Furthermore, it was also found that children who attend preschool education are “25% more likely to graduate high school and four times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree,” (Top Five benefits of early childhood education) As this data shows, there are significant connections to preschool and future academic success. Supporting this data is that low socioeconomic status has been linked to lower attendance in preschool education as well as low high school and college graduation rates when compared to the rates of the middle and upper-middle class. But whether this is caused primarily due to preschool education is uncertain, but it is safe to say that a correlation exists and there are undoubtedly advantages of attending preschool that those with low socioeconomic status are missing out on.
Why are they not participating?
In order to attempt a solution at this issue, it is important to understand why a family may opt out of sending their kids to preschool. The most obvious reason that households with low income are unable to send their children to preschool is because of the costs. Preschool costs may commonly reach five figures which may be a severe burden to low income families who may need this money for other necessities for their child. Additionally, the quality and availability of preschools for low income families also seems to be an issue (Low preschool enrollment rates threaten to worsen student achievement) Many preschools in low income areas may be of poor quality and families may opt to not send their children to those preschools. Furthermore, a national shortage of teaching staff is exacerbating this issue by causing a decrease in preschool availability.
Low quality, a shortage of teachers, high costs, etc. hold many low income families from sending their children to preschool | Image Credits: Pexels
Is there a solution?
The short answer is: No. Compulsory education begins at age 6 in the United States and that number is not decreasing any time soon. Additionally, many states, such as New Jersey, have spent millions of dollars into providing universal preschool education in the past, and yet the figures still show a strong disparity between the low and middle/upper-middle class in preschool enrollment. And so the solution to this problem, having free preschooling for all families in the United States, is not a realistic solution.
Therefore there only remains methods to reduce the impacts of this issue for low income families. Children may reap the benefits of meeting other children and adults at communal spaces such as parks or cafeterias. Additionally, online resources such as “Fish School - 123 ABC for Kids” on the Apple App Store may allow students to develop reading, writing, and arithmetic skills before they enter into school.
Communal spaces such as playgrounds may allow for development of interpersonal skills in young children | Image Credits: Pexels
But these solutions do not come with their flaws. Communal spaces may not be entirely safe, especially in low income areas, and therefore parents may not feel safe bringing their children to such spaces. Online resources may not be able to be utilized if children do not have access to the internet. And therefore there is no one solution to this issue, much effort is being made by our government and nonprofits across the nation, and until then parents must try their best to aid in the development of their children until former schooling begins.
References:
Karoly, Lynn A., and Jill S. Cannon. “Making Preschool Investments Count Through the American Families Plan.” RAND Corporation, 3 June 2021, rand.org/blog/2021/06/making-preschool-investments-count-through-the-american.html.
“Low Preschool Enrollment Rates Threaten to Worsen Student Achievement.” The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 24 Oct. 2023, www.aecf.org/blog/low-preschool-enrollment-rates-threaten-to-worsen-student-achievement#:~:text=The%20KIDS%20COUNT%20Data%20Center%20tracked%20preschool%20enrollment%20by%20family,to%20academic%20achievement%20in%20general.
McKenna, Barbara. “What Does the Research Really Say about Preschool Effectiveness?” Learning Policy Institute, 26 Aug. 2022, learningpolicyinstitute.org/press-release/what-does-research-really-say-about-preschool-effectiveness#:~:text=Students%20who%20attend%20preschool%20programs,early%20literacy%20and%20mathematics%20skills.
“Top Five Benefits of Early Childhood Education.” Brighter Futures Indiana, 24 Nov. 2021, brighterfuturesindiana.org/blog/top-five-benefits-of-early-childhood-education.
