The Benefits of Prekindergarten for Middle Income Children

By Karen Schulman and W. Steven Barnett
NIEER Policy Report (March 2005)

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Summary

Many children from middle-income families enter kindergarten behind their peers, often because the supply of early care and education programs in middle-income neighborhoods is no greater than in low-income neighborhoods. Yet research shows that high-quality preschool programs provide gains for middle-income children, particularly in letter-word identification and spelling scores.

This policy report analyzes what the research says about access to and gains made in high-quality preschool programs by children from middle-income families.

Recommendations include expanding publicly funded preschool programs to include middle-income children and strengthening standards for child care and early education programs.