The problem: Despite the substantial social and economic benefits of early childhood education, less than half of New York’s four-year-olds, and just 16 percent of its three-year-olds, are enrolled in public preschool. [1] Governor Spitzer’s commitment to preschool funding will make much broader access possible – the challenge is now implementation.

A profusion of studies have documented the lifelong positive impacts of quality preschool education: children are more prepared for elementary school and have more developed social skills, are less likely to need special education classes, and down the road are more likely to graduate from high school and be employed, and less likely to need public assistance or go to jail. Public preschool also enables parents to work knowing their young children are in a safe, educational environment and allows employers to retain good employees who might otherwise struggle with childcare dilemmas. Because of these benefits, research suggests that, over time, the public sees a return as high as $13 for every dollar invested in high-quality preschool. [2] One study projected that investing in universal preschool could save New York State as much as $828 million a year on K-12 education in the medium term by ensuring that children enter kindergarten ready to learn.[3]

New York recognized the benefits of preschool education early on, but the state has only now begun to meet the challenge of providing adequate funding. In 1997, the state established Universal Pre-kindergarten, which was intended to be available to every New York 4-year-old by the 2002-03 school year. However, a virtual freeze on the state’s preschool budget prevented the program from expanding between 2001 and 2006. As a result, nearly 125,000 4-year-olds, and nearly all of the state’s 3-year-olds, currently lack access to public preschool. Moreover, while all preschool teachers were supposed to have state certification by 2001, more than one in four universal pre-kindergarten teachers in New York City still lacked certification in 2005.[4] The State’s 2008 budget finally provides a more appropriate level of support for the program, increasing funding by 50percent over the previous year to $438 million. What’s more, New York’s renewed commitment to preschool is part of a vision of “p-16” education stretching from early childhood through college. The challenge now is implementing the program, improving transitions from preschools to kindergarten and ensuring the new funding stream into the future.

Oklahoma’s experience shows how a conservative state which has traditionally kept a tight rein on public spending nevertheless managed to enroll 70 percent of its four-year-olds in state-funded preschool – the highest proportion of any state in the country. The number rises to an even more impressive 92 percent when 4-year-olds attending public special education and Head Start classes are included. To cap it off, Oklahoma offers a high quality program: every teacher has both a bachelor’s degree and certification in early childhood education.

The Oklahoma Solution: Universal Preschool
Oklahoma’s high quality preschool program, ranked first in the nation in student access and enrollment rates, includes the following features:

∑        Free, voluntary enrollment for all four-year-olds statewide;

∑        Most preschool is provided inside public schools, however programs are also run out of daycare centers, YMCAs, and other community-based facilities;

∑        Local school districts are not required to offer preschool, but are reimbursed by the state for each preschooler enrolled, with additional funding provided for children from low-income and non-English speaking households;

∑        Local school districts can choose whether to offer a full-day or half-day program, and are reimbursed by the state at a higher rate for the full-day;

∑        Whether classes are held inside a public school or not, all preschool teachers must hold a bachelor’s degree and be certified in early childhood education. Continuing professional development is required;

∑        Preschool teachers are paid the same salary and benefits as other public school teachers;

∑        Preschool class sizes cannot exceed 20 students, with a minimum of one staff member for every ten children;

∑        Preschools must include an accessible and safe playground area;

∑        Students receive free vision and hearing screenings.

How Oklahoma Passed the Law
Oklahoma’s preschool system, known as the Early Childhood Four-Year-Old Program, evolved over twenty years from a pilot project, to a program for low-income children, and finally to the nation’s most widely available public pre-kindergarten program. Starting in 1980, Oklahoma ran pilot projects to study public preschool. But the way State Senator Penny Williams tells it, it was the 1983 Nation at Risk report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education that really galvanized the state’s Republican governor Henry Bellmon to improve education. A coalition of teachers, parents, State Department of Education staff, childcare providers and tribal leaders organized for education reform and devised high standards for preschool. Yet Oklahoma’s conservative legislature was hard to convince. Years passed before the state finally passed its 1990 education reform bill, which helped to nearly double state investment in K-12 education over the next decade while improving educational standards statewide, reducing class sizes and raising teacher salaries. The bill also offered state funding to any public school district that chose to provide preschool to four-year-olds who were eligible for Head Start. Children who did not fall into this low-income group could pay tuition to attend the public programs as well. The bill was funded by increased income, gasoline, and sales taxes.

Almost immediately after the bill’s narrow passage in the legislature, interests opposed to the tax hike organized a ballot initiative to prevent its implementation. But in 1991, Oklahoma citizens voted 54 percent to retain the legislation.

The demand for public preschool was still outstripping the supply. Senator Williams explains that school superintendents aiming to increase access and resources for their districts began to enroll four-year-olds in state-funded universal kindergarten programs despite the fact that they were underage. She proposed opening the state’s preschools to students of all incomes to provide more age-appropriate learning. Joined by State Rep. Joe Eddins, Senator Williams sponsored a 1998 bill that would provide state funding for all four-year-olds, regardless of income, to attend preschool. To counter criticism that universal preschool represented excessive state meddling with local schools, the bill did not require districts to offer preschool, but merely offered funding for programs that met the state’s standards. By 2006, 96 percent of districts in the state chose to participate.

To allay concerns about new taxes, the program was funded using existing education resources. As it happened, Oklahoma’s K-12 enrollments declined, enabling the preschool program to expand without negatively affecting other education priorities. The state also received matching funds from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Results So Far
General research into the effects of preschool education has demonstrated lasting effects on achievement in school and throughout life. Research focused specifically on Oklahoma’s program, however, has tended to look at the immediate impact on children’s cognitive, language, and social development. A 2005 study by National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University compared Oklahoma five-year-olds who had completed the state’s preschool program with comparable children whose birthdays were just after the cutoff date to enter preschool that year. The study examined skills such as vocabulary, basic number concepts, telling time, counting money, familiarity with alphabet letters, and awareness of words and book concepts. Oklahoma’s preschool program produced gains in all of these areas: measurements of vocabulary skills were 28 percent higher than the gains of children without the program, while math skills were 44 percent higher. While the impact was particularly substantial for children from low-income households, children of all backgrounds showed significant gains.

The results echo those of an earlier study by Georgetown University’s Center for Research on Children in the United States, which found that preschool increased the test scores of children in Tulsa (Oklahoma’s largest and most diverse school district) by 16 percent, with the largest gains among black and Hispanic students, as well as those from low-income households. Most students benefited more from full-day preschool than from a half-day program. The study concluded that “The Tulsa pre-K program offers an example of the success with which systematic, school-based initiatives can launch four-year olds on a promising trajectory into elementary and secondary school education.”

Beyond Oklahoma
Despite Oklahoma’s impressive record of access, quality, and impact, the program has two significant shortcomings: full-day programs are not available throughout the state and Governor Brad Henry’s plan to expand preschool to three-year-olds failed to win passage in the state legislature. By offering full-day education and a program that extends to three-year-olds, New York can surpass Oklahoma’s inspiring example.

Resources
DMI’s October 2006 Marketplace of Ideas event: Watch or listen to OK State Senator Penny Williams discussing the implications of her universal preschool legislation for New York with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Nancy Kolben, Co-director of the Winning Beginning NY Campaign; and Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents.

For more on Oklahoma’s universal preschool program, see:
Cynthia Lamy, W. Steven Barnett, and Kwanghee Jung, “The Effects of Oklahoma’s Early Childhood Four-Year-Old Program on Young Children’s School Readiness,” National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University (2005)

William T. Gormley, Jr. and Deborah Phillips, “The Effects Of Universal Pre-K In Oklahoma: Research Highlights And Policy Implications,” Center for Research on Children in the United States, Georgetown University (2003)

For more on efforts to achieve universal access to preschool in New York, see:
“The Best in the Nation: A Plan for Early Care and Education,” Winning Beginning NY (2006)

“Strengthening and Expanding Pre-kindergarten in the Children First Reorganization,” Child Care, Inc. (2007)

Betty Holcomb, “A Diverse System Delivers for Pre-K: Lessons Learned in New York State,” Child Care, Inc. (2006)

For a sampling of research on the general impact of early childhood education, see:
Leslie J. Calman and Linda Tarr-Whelan, “Early Childhood Education for All: A Wise Investment,” Legal Momentum and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Workplace Center (2005) 

Ellen Galinsky, “The Economic Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Programs: What Makes the Difference?” Committee for Economic Development (2006)

Stacie Carolyn Golin, Anne W. Mitchell and Barbara Gault, "The Price of School Readiness: A Tool for Estimating the Cost of Universal Preschool in the States,” Institute for Women’s Policy Research (2004)

Robert G. Lynch, “Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation: Public Investment in High-Quality Prekindergarten,” Economic Policy Institute (2007) 
 
“The State of Preschool: 2006 State Preschool Yearbook,” National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University (2006)

For more on the work done by DMI’s Marketplace of Ideas panelists, see:
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn

Nancy Kolben, Co-director of the Winning Beginning NY Campaign

Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents