Who’s in the Circle?
A Study of Family Participation in Georgia’s Pre-K Program
December 1, 2011
Dale Epstein and Stephanie M. Curenton
This NIEER working paper presents the results of a study that examines which household characteristics are related to the probability of participating in the voluntary pre-K program.
Georgia’s Pre-K Program offers universal voluntary prekindergarten to all 4-year-old children in the state. In 2007-2008, Georgia’s preschool program served 76,491 children, around 53 percent of its 4-year-olds. The purpose of the study was to examine which household characteristics are related to the probability of participating in the voluntary pre-K program. This report summarizes the results of a telephone survey conducted in October 2007 to parents across the state of Georgia, and their reasons for either choosing to enroll or not in the program, as well as the relation between those choices, the information parents may have about the program, and mother’s choices in the labor market.
The Authors
W. Steven (Steve) Barnett is a Board of Governors Professor and the founder and Senior Co-Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. Dr. Barnett’s work primarily focuses on public policies regarding early childhood education, child care, and child development.
Dr. Milagros Nores is the Co-Director for Research and Associate Research Professor at the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). With a profound expertise in early childhood evaluation, informing data-driven policy and programming, cost and benefits of early interventions, evaluation design, equity, and English language learners, she has established herself as a leading researcher in the field of early care and education.
About NIEER
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, conducts and disseminates independent research and analysis to inform early childhood education policy.
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