Quality and Effectiveness of Pre-Kindergarten Programs in Georgia

• Introduction

• Background

• Expected Benefits of the Program

• Actual Benefits of the Pre-kindergarten Program

• Patterns of Parent Interaction with Children and Program Staff

• Logistics of the Program

• Conclusion

Introduction

Parents whose children participate in Georgia’s pre-kindergarten program overwhelmingly give it high marks in terms of quality and effectiveness. In a recent telephone survey conducted by the Applied Research Center of Georgia State University, a sample of participants’ parents were asked to rate the program on the expected and actual benefits, the frequency and quality of parent interactions, and the logistics of the Pre-K program. Parents perceived many benefits from the program. Their children enjoyed the program and have learned new skills to prepare them for school. Parents felt secure that their children are in a safe and nourishing environment. Additionally, the Pre-K program staff have taught parents effective parenting skills. Most parents said that they used an educational activity or strategy with their child that the Pre-K staff had taught them. They were kept well-informed of their child’s progress. Parents also found the fees for the program to be reasonable (most pay nothing for the services) and were satisfied with the amount and quality of the food served to the children.

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide information to those who will guide the operation and future development of the Pre-K program. Tremendous growth in the last three years and anticipated future expansion make program evaluation a timely and important tool for improvement. A systematic approach to evaluation, such as our parent survey, allows an evaluation of the program to provide information with which to guide the program.

Parents’ perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of the program provide a meaningful evaluation of the program. Parents are an important source of information since they gain direct and indirect information about the program from their observations of the program and their children. While the children who participate in the program surely have important things to say about it, as four year-olds, the participants are too young to be assessed or surveyed to evaluate the program on many important measures. The continued viability and success of the program lies with ensuring that parents are satisfied with the care and education that their children receive. Parents make the decision as to whether and where their children attend programs and their opinions are important to consider when making decisions about program improvement.

Parents agree with this approach and want to be able to influence the care and education that their children receive. When we asked parents who should have the most say in terms of instruction of pre-kindergarten aged children, 48% of parents indicated that both parents and teachers should share the responsibility. Thirty percent of parents thought that parents should have the most say and another 22% of parents thought teachers and other experts in childhood development should have the most say.

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Background

The first state-funded program of its kind, the Georgia Pre-K program has grown exponentially since its inception in 1993, when it was piloted with $2.9 million in state funds and served 900 Georgia children. In 1994, the program operated with $37.1 million in lottery funds and served 9,000 children. By 1995, these numbers increased to $80 million in lottery funds for 18,000 children. For fiscal year 1996, $180 million in lottery funds were appropriated, providing services to 43,968 children. Pre-K program administrators expect continued growth for 1997, with $185 million providing Pre-K programs for approximately 60,000 four year-olds.

The state-sponsored Pre-K program operates in a variety of settings and is run by different types of organizations. Some of the settings for pre-kindergarten programs are public and private schools, community centers, colleges and universities, and private child care centers. Table 1 shows the total number of children served during 1996 by organization type.

Table 1. Number of Organizations by Organization Type

The Applied Research Center at Georgia State University was commissioned by the Council for School Performance to survey a random sample of parents of four year olds enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs across the state. The breakdowns in Table 1 were used in order to select a sample. We randomly sampled 30 classes from each of the three provider types, which resulted in the following distribution of completed surveys:

• Local School System Parents from 30 classes sampled, 191 completed surveys
• Not-For-Profit Parents from 30 classes sampled, 200 completed surveys
• Private For-Profit Parents from 30 classes sampled, 210 completed surveys

To assess major issues of quality and effectiveness, parents were surveyed on a variety of program attributes. Parents’ perceptions about the following four areas were investigated in this study:

• The expected benefits of the pre-kindergarten program;
• The actual benefits of the pre-kindergarten program;
• The patterns of parent interaction with children and program staff;
• The logistics of the program (i.e. convenience, cost).

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Expected Benefits of the Program

Overview

Consistent with most child development experts, parents recognize the important developmental gains that children can acquire during the preschool years. They see that Pre-K provides not only the opportunity to prepare children for future academic success, but also teaches children other skills that are essential for healthy, normal development, such as learning social skills and making friends. Parents also recognize that four year-olds learn through play and that the traditional academic model of instruction is not appropriate for preschoolers. In fact, the vast majority of parents agreed that playing with other children is an important learning activity for four year-olds. They realize that children learn at different rates, rather than expecting all four year olds to learn the same skills.

Research Findings

To uncover what parents expect their children to gain from the pre-kindergarten program, we addressed the issue in different ways. A general question was posed, in which parents were asked to choose one of two statements that best matched their opinion about the pre-kindergarten program: All four year olds should learn the same skills, or pre-kindergarten should encourage each child to learn at his or her own rate. Parents recognize that children should be learning at their own rate, with 84% of parents agreeing with this statement, which is in agreement with the prevailing theory in the child development field. Parents seem to recognize that children develop at different rates.

When parents were asked to agree or disagree with the statement, playing with other children is an important learning activity, an overwhelming majority (99%) agreed. They clearly understand that skills are acquired through play and social activities. The traditional classroom where students listen quietly at their desks is not the image that parents have of the Pre-K program. Rather, their responses present an image of an activity-filled room with children interacting with one another and engaging in painting, coloring, and other developmental play.

Responses were quite varied when we asked parents to choose the most important benefit of having their child enrolled in the program. The most common response was that their child could learn and increase their education, which was answered by 31% of parents. Another common response was that pre-kindergarten could give their child early learning, or a head start on kindergarten (29% of parents). Other parents said that pre-kindergarten’s most important benefit was that their child gained beneficial social skills from the program through interaction with other children (23% of parents). Only 9% of parents mentioned that the low cost of the program was the most important benefit. Though parents surely appreciate that they pay nothing for the program, they focus on the long-term benefits for their children’s intellectual and social development.

Next, we investigated parents’ opinions about various aspects of the pre-kindergarten program in general. For instance, we asked how certain they are that they know what is appropriate for their children to learn at pre-kindergarten. The majority of parents (87%) were either very certain (58%) or certain (29%) that they know what is appropriate for their children at that age.

For a more detailed perspective, parents rated two series of benefits. The first series asked about activities-- what parents expected their children to be doing during Pre-K. The second series asked about more specific learning objectives-- what parents expected their children to learn as a result of Pre-K. Ratings for the first series were on a scale from one to ten, where one meant very unimportant and 10 meant very important. Items ranged from benefits such as providing various activities for their child to helping the child develop socially, as well as helping the child develop academically. Figure 1 shows the overall mean (average) ratings by the parents for the items in the first series of benefits.

As seen in the figure, all of the potential benefits of pre-kindergarten were considered important, with average ratings no lower than 7.6 and most of the average ratings at 9 or higher, on a 10 point scale. Providing a safe environment for a child was the most important benefit for parents. This is the most basic requirement with which parents are concerned. Following the safety of the program was helping my child develop social skills such as getting along with other children, with an average rating of 9.6. Several expectations, such as learning in school or having access to various activities, all had average ratings above eight. Parents have many learning objectives for their children. They clearly understand that skills build upon each other and that simple skills provide the base for more complex skills.

The least important expectation of the pre-kindergarten program was that it could serve as a form of cheap daycare. As stated previously, most parents see the Pre-K program more as a means of fostering the intellectual and social development of their children than as a chance to save money. This finding indicates that parents have higher expectations of the program than for it simply to serve as a baby-sitter for their child.

Figure 1. Expected Benefits of the Pre-K Program

The second series of benefits included items about vocabulary, reading, using numbers, and social interaction to understand what parents expect to be the learning objectives of the program. Most parents agree that the children in the Pre-K program should be gaining competence in language, reading, and math. Seventy-three percent (73%) of parents agreed that their child should be learning more vocabulary. In terms of reading, 77% of parents believed learning the skills needed to read was something the program should be teaching their child while a smaller percentage (50%) of parents believed the program should actually be teaching their child to read. Related to this, 77% of parents believed their child should have learned the entire alphabet by the end of the pre-kindergarten program. Learning how to play with others was the most important objective to parents, as 99% agreed with this statement. Learning how to use numbers was very highly rated as well, with 97% of parents in agreement with this statement. While parents are less likely to expect their children to learn to read in Pre-K, they clearly expect increased ability in these important scholastic areas to be an outcome of the program. A graphical display of these findings is shown in Figure 2 (see next page).

Figure 2. Expected Learning Objectives

Differences by Demographic Variables

In looking at group differences, African-Americans, lower educated parents, lower income parents, and parents whose children were enrolled in metro Atlanta (five county region) had higher expectations for their children than whites. However, racial differences seem to be the most significant among the demographic variables. African-Americans rated developmental play and learning more vocabulary significantly higher than whites. Further, there was a higher expectation among African-American, lower income, and lower educated parents that the pre-kindergarten program should teach discipline. Additionally, these parents were also more likely than their counterparts to consider important the fact that the program is inexpensive. These results indicate clear differences between lower socio-economic parents and their higher socio-economic counterparts, where the parents with a lower socio-economic status are understandably more concerned with the cost of daycare.

There were also demographic differences in terms of reading-related activities. While African-Americans were more likely than whites to be concerned with vocabulary, they were also more likely than whites to think their children should learn the entire alphabet in the program. In addition, parents who had their children enrolled in metro Atlanta were more likely than those whose children were enrolled elsewhere to believe that their children should be learning to read. Being enrolled in the metro area was the only demographic variable that was significantly correlated to learning to read, when controlling for all others.

Finally, African-American parents were somewhat more likely than whites to believe that all four year olds should learn the same skills is closer to their opinion than children should learn at their own rate. There were 22% of African-American parents as opposed to 11% of white parents who chose the first statement. However, overwhelming majorities of parents of both races believed that children should learn at their own rate.

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Actual Benefits of the Pre-kindergarten Program

Overview

Parents observe social, emotional, and intellectual developments in their children from participation in the Pre-K program. Children are in a safe and fun environment with teachers who "are doing a good job." Children participate in developmental play activities, such as painting, drawing, and using building blocks, and develop motor skills. They are being prepared for future academic success by improving their vocabulary, learning to count, and gaining other skills. Consistent with parents’ expectations, their four year olds were not learning to read. However, parents seem to recognize that their children are gaining skills that prepare them for reading.

Research Findings

A set of sixteen statements was asked similar to those about expected benefits discussed in the previous section. Parents were asked to indicate whether their children had actually gained certain skills and received specific benefits from being enrolled in the program. Once again, we asked parents to rank all items on a 1-10 scale, where 1 meant strongly disagree and 10 meant strongly agree. Figure 3 shows all of these statements rank ordered from the one with which parents most strongly agreed down to the one with which they least strongly agreed.

Figure 3. Actual Benefits of the Pre-K Program

As seen in Figure 3, parents believed the greatest benefit of the program is that their children participate in developmental play activities, such as drawing, painting, and using building blocks. This item had an average ranking of 9.7 out of 10. The next highest rated benefit was that parents felt that their children enjoyed participating in the program, which received a mean rating of 9.6. These two ratings would seem to indicate that these parents understand the important role that play has in the learning process in the early years of life. Similar to what parents saw as an important expectation of the program, parents also believed that the programs are providing a safe environment for their child. Parents felt strongly that the program has prepared their children to succeed (9.3) and helped their children develop social skills (9.3), which were also high expectations of the program as shown in Figure 1. Generally, the majority of the actual benefits of the program were rated highly by parents, with average scores of 8 or higher. Parents are seeing many noticeable benefits from the program. The slight differences in mean scores between many of the benefits suggests that parents believe the Pre-K program delivers all of these benefits.

The only benefit of the program that parents did not agree with very strongly was that their child has learned to read in the program. This item had an average rating of 5.3, which is not so surprising since a fairly sizable percentage of parents did not agree that learning to read was an expected benefit of the program (43% disagreed, as discussed in the previous section). This finding suggests that these parents are more concerned that Pre-K prepares their children for acquiring future skills such as reading, than actually teaching them this skill. These parents seem to recognize that other verbal skills, such as increasing vocabulary, will be helpful before their children can learn to read.

The remaining items shown in Figure 3 that were scored lower than 8 are actually indications that the pre-kindergarten program is doing a good job. The average score to the statement I really wish that my child could learn more in the pre-kindergarten program was 7.3 out of 10, which is still fairly high. This might suggest that parents are satisfied with their children’s progress but want them to learn as much as possible. Also, the lowest rated item, scored 2.8 out of 10, was I have not noticed very many benefits to my child as a result of being in the pre-kindergarten program, which indicates that the majority of parents have noticed benefits of having their children enrolled in the program. Finally, the average score of 6.7 for the statement the biggest benefit of the pre-kindergarten program is that it has saved me money suggests that money was not as big a factor as some of the other possible benefits that have been gained from having their child in the program. Parents clearly value the developmental aspects of the program and feel the Pre-K program is delivering those benefits.

Differences by Demographic Variables

Once again, racial differences seem to be the most pronounced of all the demographic differences regarding actual benefits. Not only do African-Americans reportedly expect more from a program, but they also seem to want more from the program than they believe they are getting. African-American parents rated I wish my child could learn more in the pre-kindergarten program significantly higher than their white counterparts. They were also more likely than whites to claim that they did not notice very many benefits to their children from being in the program.

On the other hand, African-Americans as a group were more likely than whites to believe that their children have increased their vocabulary, learned to use numbers, and are learning to read in the program. African-American parents were also more likely than whites to report that they know what their children are supposed to learn in pre-kindergarten, as well as what their children are actually learning in the program. These findings indicate that African-American parents, while they would like to see continued results from the program, are recognizing more than white parents some achievements of their children from being in the program.

The only other demographic variables related to actual benefits were income and education, where African-American, lower income, and less educated parents were more likely than their counterparts to say that the biggest benefit of the program was that it has saved them money.

There were also significant findings for some of the perceived benefits of the program when they were examined by program type. There were eight actual benefits of the program with mean scores that were found to be significantly different depending on whether the parent’s child was enrolled in a private for-profit program, a not-for-profit program, or a local school system. Table 2 shows the eight actual benefits and the differences by program type. As seen in the table, parents with children in private for-profit programs had lower mean averages than their counterparts on all of the variables. Parents whose children were in the local school systems had consistently higher mean ratings on these items than the private for-profit group, and the not-for-profit group seems to be somewhere in the middle with high as well as low average scores. While the logic about school choice would seem to suggest that private for-profit schools would be perceived as higher quality than other schools, our findings suggest the opposite. Parents with children enrolled in local school systems are generally more content

with what has been gained from the program than their counterparts. One reason why some might expect lower scores for the private for-profit category is that these parents might have had higher expectations of the program. However, our analysis shows no evidence to support that expectations were higher for parents who enroll their children in private for-profit programs. Table 3 shows the actual mean ratings for these eight items divided by program type.

Table 2. Differences in Actual Benefits By Program Type

Note: Plus signs (+) indicate that responses were significantly higher than minus (-) groups. Minus signs indicate that responses were significantly lower than plus signs.

Table 3. Means for Actual Benefits By Program Type

Note: Items were rated on a ten point scale, where 10 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree.

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Patterns of Parent Interaction with Children and Program Staff

Overview

Parents interacted frequently with teachers and have learned and used new skills to play with and teach their children. Most parents of Pre-K participants felt satisfied with the frequency and quality of their interactions with Pre-K program staff. Parents are well-informed of their child’s progress in the program. The following provide details of parent interactions with their children and Pre-K program staff:

• Most parents (93%) said they are informed about their child’s progress once a week or once or twice a month.
• Ninety-one percent (91%) of parents visit the program in-person for teacher meetings at least once or twice a month.
• Sixty-seven percent (67%) of parents have used some strategies at home that were taught to them by program staff.
• The majority of parents (61%) claimed that the amount of time they spend with their child has increased as a result of the pre-kindergarten program.

These findings are indications that the program might be a catalyst for more quality time spent with children. Parents’ involvement in their child’s development and education is an important ingredient for continued success.

Research Findings

This section investigated the ways in which parents interact with program staff and their children, their knowledge about the program staff and curriculum, and whether any changes have occurred in their interaction with their children as a result of the program. We addressed this issue in five ways. First, we investigated the ways in which parents learn of their child’s progress in the program. Second, we uncovered how often they are informed about the activities and events at their child’s pre-kindergarten program. Third, we examined the frequency of parent-teacher meetings. Fourth, we asked a few questions to determine whether or not parents feel that the frequency and quality of their interaction with their child has changed as a result of the program. Finally, we asked if parents knew the qualifications of their child’s lead teacher and the type of curriculum used in their child’s program.

In-person contact with teachers and staff was the most popular way to learn about their child’s progress in the program, with 91% of parents using this method. There were 50% of parents who said they used the telephone to keep up to date on their child’s progress, 73% who used written communication, and about 20% who used other means besides these three, such as home visits, attending field trips, or simply asking their child how they are doing at school. It seems that parents are active in keeping in touch with program staff and following their children’s progress, and that many of these methods of communication are used simultaneously.

Parents’ responses varied with regard to how often they visit the pre-kindergarten program for various activities or teacher meetings. When asked how often they are informed about daytime activities at the program in which they can participate, 93% said either once a week (61%) or once or twice a month (32%). In terms of visiting the program during school hours for teacher meetings, 73% claimed to do this once a week (32%) or once or twice a month (41%). Fifty-eight percent (58%) of parents said they visited for teacher meetings after school once a week (29%) or once or twice a month (29%).

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of parents said that they have used an educational activity or strategy with their child that the pre-kindergarten staff had discussed with them. Further, 61% of parents claimed that the amount of time they spend with their child has increased as a result of the pre-kindergarten program, while 35% indicated that the time they spend with their child has stayed the same, and only 4% said that it had decreased.

There were 89% of parents who indicated that their child’s lead teacher was a certified teacher, as opposed to being a Child Development Associate, a Child Family Practitioner, or having some other credential. This indicates that parents are very knowledgeable about their children’s’ teachers, as statistics for all programs show that 90% of teachers are in fact certified. In addition, 65% of parents said their child’s curriculum was High Scope as opposed to Montessori or some other type of curriculum. This also implies that parents are well-informed, as the majority of pre-kindergarten programs in the state have a High Scope component to them.

Overall, these findings suggest that parents are knowledgeable about pre-kindergarten-related activities, and do a fair amount of interacting with program staff and teachers. Furthermore, the pre-kindergarten program is increasing the amount of time parents interact with their children, and perhaps even improving the quality of that time, as the majority of parents have indicated that they are using educational strategies with their children.

Differences by Demographic Variables

Group differences reveal that the parents whose children are enrolled in private for-profit programs and whose children are enrolled in metro Atlanta programs are more likely than their counterparts to use educational strategies with their children. Further, African-American parents were more likely than whites to report that they visit during school for teacher meetings, and parents who rent their homes and have their children enrolled in local school system programs were more likely than their counterparts to report visiting after school for teacher meetings.

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Logistics of the Program

Overview

There were very few logistical issues that are a problem for parents. Most parents (77%) reported that they did not pay any fees associated with the Pre-K program and those few parents who did pay fees for additional services thought that they were very reasonable. When parents paid fees, they usually were charged for meals or extended care for the child due to early drop-off or late pick-up. Finally, parents were very satisfied with the amount and the quality of the food for children at the pre-kindergarten program. Ninety-four percent of parents claimed that the food in meals and snacks given to their child was always sufficient (77%) or usually sufficient (17%). Most parents leave their children at the program at 7:30 a.m. and pick them up at 3:00 p.m., which is similar to a typical school day.

Research Findings

First, a short discussion of the nature of the sample and the history of their contact with pre-kindergarten programs is necessary. Of the total sample of 601 parents, 93% (or 556 parents) had had their child enrolled in the current pre-kindergarten program for the entire school year at the time of the survey. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the parents surveyed indicated that the pre-kindergarten program in which their child was currently enrolled was the first program in which they tried to enroll their child. Of the 15% who had enrolled their child in previous programs, 67% of these parents had only had their child in one other program, and 27% had their child enrolled in two previous programs. Most of the parents keep their children at the first Pre-K program that they choose.

The intent in this section was to uncover parent’s feelings about the convenience of the program in terms of various issues, such as drop-off times, fees, and the adequacy of food served to children. Parents were asked a series of questions about whether or not they had to pay a fee to drop their child off at the program at a certain time, and whether or not the food served was suitable and sufficient.

The most popular time to drop of a child at the program in the morning was 7:30 a.m., indicated to be the earliest time possible by 28% of the sample. The next most common response was 8:00 a.m., answered by 19% of parents. Fourteen percent (14%) of the sample indicated that 6:30 a.m. was the earliest drop off time. When asked if they had to pay a fee to drop their child off at the earliest hour possible, 93% of the sample said that they did not have to pay a fee. A small percentage of parents (7%, or 45 parents) who did have to pay a fee were then asked the earliest time they could drop off their child without a fee, and 42% of them answered 8:00 a.m., followed by 7:30 a.m. answered by 16% of the sample and 8:30 a.m. answered by 13%.

Parents were also asked the latest time they could pick up their child without a fee, and the most common response was 3:00 p.m., answered by 16% of the sample. The other commonly answered times were 2:30 p.m., answered by 13%, and 6:00 p.m., answered by 12% of the sample. This question was followed up by asking if they had to pay a fee to pick up their child at this late time, and 88% of the sample indicated that there was no fee. Those 12% (or 73 parents) who did have a fee were similarly asked when they could pick up their child without having to pay, and the most common answers were 3:00 p.m. (23%), 2:30 (22%), and 3:30 (also 22%). Clearly, most parents can drop off their children early and pick them up late without accruing a fee. It seems that the program has hours of operation similar to schools, which is suitable for most parents.

With regard to the food served at the program, parents seemed very content with the amount and the quality of it. Ninety-four percent (94%) of parents claimed that the food in meals and snacks given to their child was always sufficient (77%) or usually sufficient (17%). In terms of quality, 95% of parents said that they thought the meals and snacks given to their child were always suitable (73%) or usually suitable (22%). Children are eating enough at the program and parents are satisfied with the quality of it.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of the parents surveyed said that they do not pay any fees to the pre-kindergarten provider. Of the 23% (136 parents) who said they do pay fees, the most common reasons for these fees were either for meals (lunch, as well as breakfast and sometimes snacks), and extended care for the child due to early drop-off or late pick-ups. When these 23% of parents were asked how much they pay, the most common answer was $5.00, indicated by 13% of fee-paying parents, followed by $50.00 answered by 12% of those parents who paid fees. Only 11% (or fifteen) of the 23% of parents who said they were paying fees indicated that they were also paying fees, and reasons for these were most commonly after school or extended care for a child. Overall, meals and early drop-off or late pick-up times were the most common reasons parents were paying fees.

A final question was asked of parents to gauge their feelings about the fees of the pre-kindergarten program. Parents who paid fees were asked how reasonable they thought the current amount of fees were which they are paying for their child’s program. There were 85% of parents who claimed they were very reasonable (54%) or reasonable (31%). The indication here is that the majority of parents are happy with the current fees and do not believe they are being overcharged to have their child enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program. Cost for the additional services are not prohibitive for most parents using the Pre-K program.

Differences by Demographic Variables

Paying fees to the pre-kindergarten provider was the only issue around which there were demographic differences. Paying fees was associated with race, income, and school type, where white parents with higher incomes who had their children enrolled in either not-for profit or private for-profit programs were more likely to report paying fees.

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Conclusion

Overall, the actual benefits that parents believe their children have gained from the program were rated highly. While there have been some policy issues raised that the pre-kindergarten program is nothing but a form of free daycare, these results make it clear that parents have much higher expectations of the program, and that their expectations have been largely fulfilled. In addition, responses indicate that many of the parents’ views are consistent with those of child development experts, suggesting that parents are, on average, well informed with regard to their children’s pre-kindergarten education.

High expectations of the program are even more pronounced when we consider the socio-economic status of the parent. Findings reveal that African-American, lower income parents, lower educated, and those who have children enrolled in metro Atlanta have higher expectations of the program than their counterparts. African-American parents also see more actual benefits than whites as a result of the program.

Parents seem to be beginning a strong pattern of contact with the program teachers and staff that could lead to very positive involvement with their children in school and at home. Parents are also using strategies and activities that they discuss with staff in interaction with their children.

Despite the few problems that have arisen with the pre-kindergarten program’s significant expansion, most parents seem well satisfied with the program and what their children have gained from it. Challenges for future research are to see how student’s academic accomplishments, drop out rates, and special education rates are affected by their enrollment in the pre-kindergarten program. As this requires a longitudinal study, there is much to be learned with future research on pre-kindergarten enrollees and their families.