Pre-k benefits children, their families, and their communities. From improved academic outcomes to the economic savings to schools and states, the benefits of high-quality pre-k are irrefutable.
Successful Students
Pre-k 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)
Pre-k 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)
Pre-k 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)
Pre-k 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)
Responsible Adults
Pre-k reduces crime and delinquency.
Chicago children who did not attend pre-k were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18 than their peers who had been pre-k participants. (Source: Chicago Longitudinal Study)
Pre-k lowers rates of teen pregnancy.
North Carolina children who attended pre-k were less likely to become teen parents than their peers who did not attend pre-k (26 percent vs. 45 percent). (Source: The Carolina Abecedarian Project)
Pre-k leads to greater employment and higher wages as adults
Forty-year-old adults in Michigan who attended pre-k as children were more likely to be employed and had a 33 percent higher average income than their peers who did not have pre-k. (Source: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project)
Pre-k contributes to more stable families.
Forty-year-old adults in Michigan who attended pre-k as children were more likely to report that they were getting along very well with their families than their peers who did not attend pre-k (75 percent vs. 64 percent). (Source: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project)
Stronger Communities
Every $1 invested in high-quality pre-k saves taxpayers up to $7.
Pre-k results in savings by reducing the need for remedial and special education, welfare, and criminal justice services, according to a number of studies. (Sources: "The Economics of Investing in Universal Preschool Education in California", Rand Corporation; The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project)
Pre-k improves efficiency and productivity in the classroom.
Children who attended pre-k at Head Start centers had more advanced skills in areas such as following directions, problem-solving, and joining in activities, all of which allow teachers to spend more time working directly with children and less on classroom management. (Source: "The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey", U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Families everywhere stuggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
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