Leadership Matters FY11
This report from Pre-K Now examines governors' budget proposals for preschool education programs.

Estimated State and Local Fiscal Effects of the Nurse Family Partnership Program
This recent working paper from Senior Economist Timothy J. Bartik of the Upjohn Institute focuses on the fiscal benefits of the Nurse Family Partnership program.

How Policymakers Should Deal with the Delayed Benefits of Early Childhood Programs Senior Economist
Timothy J. Bartik examines the effects on earnings of early childhood programs in this working paper from the Upjohn Institute.

Distributional Effects of Early Childhood Programs and Business Incentives and Their Implications for Policy
This working paper from the Upjohn Institute's Timothy J. Bartik looks at the effects of early childhood programs and business incentives on income distribution.

The Serious Need for Play
Melinda Wenner (January 2009)
This article explores the role of child's play in social, emotional and cognitive development.

Early Learning Prevents Youth Violence
Richard Tremblay, Jean Gervais, and Amelie Petitclerc (2008)
Report shows intervention at preschool age can have a greater impact on childhood aggression than interventions at later ages.

Partnering for Preschool
In this study of the New Jersey Abbott preschool program, researchers identify ingredients of success others can use in developing programs with mixed delivery systems.

Mathematics Education for Young Children: What It is and How to Promote It
Herbert P. Ginsburg, Joon Sun Lee, Judi Stevenson Boyd (2008)
A new policy brief offers recommendations for early childhood mathematics education (ECME).

Meaningful Investments in Pre-K: Estimating the Per-Child Costs of Quality Programs
Barbara Gault, Anne W. Mitchell, Erica Williams, Judy Dey, and Olga Sorokina (2008)
This report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research provides information on the costs of developing or expanding high-quality preschool education programs in such a way as to maximize the benefits of pre-K for children.

A Center Piece of the PreK Puzzle: Providing State Prekindergarten in Child Care Centers
Karen Schulman and Helen Blank (2007)
This report from the National Women's Law Center finds that states can ensure more children receive the benefits of preschool education by funding diverse types of pre-k providers.

Million Dollar Babies: Why Infants Can't Be Hardwired for Success
Sara Mead (2007)
The first three years of life are important for a child's mental development, but are they as important as previously thought?

Effects of a Preschool and School-Age Intervention on Adult Health and Well Being: Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study
Arthur J. Reynolds et al (2007)
This report chronicles the benefits of an early intervention program on the lives of children into their adult years.

Second-Language Acquisition and Bilingualism at an Early Age and the Impact on Early Cognitive Development
Ellen Bialystok (2006)
This report looks at recent research on bilingual education and studies the implications of these findings to answer important questions about bilingualism and its effects on cognitive development.

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds
Kenneth R. Ginsburg (2006)
This report from the American Academy of Pediatrics explores a variety of reasons that reduce children's free play time and offers guidelines on how pediatricians can advocate for play as an important part of children's development.

Dual-Language Programs in U.S. Schools: An Alternative to Monocultural, Monolingual Education
Eugene E. Garcia and Bryant Jensen (2006)
This paper examines the effectiveness and significance of dual-language immersion in the U.S. public education system.

What is the cost of a preschool program?
Henry M. Levin and Heather L. Schwartz (2007)
This paper looks at the costs of different features of an effective preschool program.

Poverty and Early Childhood Educational Intervention
Elizabeth P. Pungello, Frances A. Campbell, and W. Steven Barnett (2006)
December 2006 brief from the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity Policy Brief Series.

An Economic Analysis of Pre-K in Arkansas
Clive R. Belfield (November 2006)
This report, commissioned by Pre-K Now, shows that expanding the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) preschool education program makes sound educational and economic sense.

The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development
William T. Gormley, Jr. et al. (November 2004)
This report from Georgetown University discusses whether Oklahoma's universal prekindergarten program has been successful in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.

The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation
Committee for Economic Development (2006)
This report concludes that implementing preschool programs for all can be expected to generate $2 to $4 for every dollar invested and provide a boost to long-term economic growth.

Preparing the Early Education and Care Workforce: The Capacity of Massachusetts' Institutions of Higher Education
Nancy L. Marshall, Julie Dennehy, Elizabeth Starr and Wendy Wagner Robeson (2005)
This NIEER-funded study assesses the current capacity of Massachusetts' public and private institutions of higher education to effectively educate students entering the early education and care field.

Assessment in a Continuous Improvement Cycle: New Jersey's Abbott Preschool Program
by Ellen C. Frede, Ph.D. (2005)
This paper presents an overview of the efforts over three years (2002-2005) to develop and implement an assessment system for the New Jersey Abbott Preschool Program. From February, 2002 through August, 2005, Dr. Frede was assistant to the commissioner, Office of Early Childhood Education, New Jersey Department of Education.

What Can Be Learned From State-Funded Prekindergarten Initiatives? A Data-Based Approach to the Head Start Devolution Debate
Walter S. Gilliam & Carol H. Ripple (2002)
A book chapter that examines data on state-funded preschool programs to discuss the possible outcomes of shifting control of Head Start from the federal to the state level.

Public Preschool in New Jersey is One Roadmap to Quality
Betty Holcomb (2004)
Sparked by the New Jersey Supreme Court's landmark 1998 decision in the Abbott v. Burke court case, the state has developed a whole new system of pedagogy focused on 3- and 4-year-olds.

The State with Two Prekindergarten Programs: A Look at Prekindergarten Education in New York State (1928-2003)
Anne Mitchell (2004)
New York is unique among the many states with state-funded preschool: it has two contrasting, yet successful programs.

Early Childhood Education: How Important are the Cost-Savings to the School System?
Clive R. Belfield (2004)
This paper outlines the key aspects of investment in early childhood education. With a focus on the medium-term cost-savings to a state education system, the author also considers the long-term benefits to a society committed to providing every child with a "sound basic education."

Supporting Learning and Behavior of At-Risk Young Children: Computers in Urban Education
James M. Laffey, Linda Espinosa, Joi Moore, and Anika Lodree (2003)
This article reports on an exploratory study that examines the potential of interactive computer technology (ICT) to contribute to the learning and behavior of at-risk young children.

Investing in the Child Care Industry: An Economic Development Strategy for Kansas
Louise Stoney, Mildred Warner, Adrienne E. Woolley, and Abby Thorman (April 2003)
A report from the Mid-American Regional Council points to Kansas' need to increase its investment in child care.

Equal from the Start: Promoting Educational Opportunity for all Preschool Children - Learning from the French Experience
Michelle J. Neuman and Shanny Peer, French-American Foundation (December 2002)
Analysis of free preschool system in France. What works and what can we learn from the French ecole maternelle?

Inside the Pre-K Classroom: A Study of Staffing and Stability in State-Funded Prekindergarten Programs
Center for the Child Care Workforce (2002)
This study of state-funded prekindergarten programs finds teachers in publicly-operated settings are better educated, better paid, and more likely to stay in their jobs than teachers in private settings.

The Vast Majority of Federally-Eligible Children Did Not Receive Child Care Assistance in FY 2000 - Increased Child Care Funding Needed to Help More Families
Center for Law and Social Policy (October 2002)
This report estimates that in fiscal year 2000 only one in seven children eligible for federal child care assistance received it.

Side-by-Side Comparison of Child Care and Early Education Provisions in Key Senate, House, and Administration Bills and Proposals
Center for Law and Social Policy (September 2002)
A comparison of several current federal provisions and laws addressing reauthorization of early education programs.

Measuring Preschool Costs and Revenues: Issues and Answers
A Summary Report of the 2002 Early Education Cost Symposium (September 19-20, 2002)
Edited by W. Steven Barnett and Pamela J. Kelley

Set for Success: Building a Strong Foundation for School Readiness Based on the Social-Emotional Development of Young Children
Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation (September 20, 2002)
Children who are not socially and emotionally prepared for entering school are at high risk for problems initially and later in school, as well as in the workplace.

A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention
National Institute for Early Education Research (2002)
For every dollar spent on high-quality early education programs, taxpayers can expect four dollars in benefits. These programs not only lead to greater academic success, they boost lifetime earnings for participants and their mothers.

Child Care: States Have Undertaken a Variety of Quality Improvement Initiatives, but More Evaluations of Effectiveness are Needed
U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) (September, 2002)
States report a variety of initiatives to improve the quality of child care, such as training caregivers, raising compensation, and increasing safety. However, few states have studied the effect of their initiatives on children.

Voter Attitudes Toward Preschool and the State Government's Role in Funding and Administering Programs
National Institute for Early Education Research (August 2002)
A national poll of voters shows strong support for voluntary, universal access to high-quality, affordable preschool programs.

Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 1997
Census Bureau (August 1, 2002)
The first Census Bureau analysis of families who receive help in paying for child care shows grandparents were the leading child-care providers for preschoolers in 1997.

A Stark Plateau - California Families See Little Growth in Child Care Centers
Policy Analysis for California Education (July 19, 2002)
Study by a university-based independent research center shows California preschools and child care centers only have room for one in every seven children age 0-5, even though state spending for child care has nearly quadrupled since 1996.

Ready to Enter: What Research Tells Policymakers About Strategies to Promote Social and Emotional School Readiness Among Three- and Four-Year-Old Children
National Center for Children in Poverty (July, 2002)
Policy paper on what the emerging research tells us about the importance of intervening to help young children at risk for poor social, emotional, and behavioral development and what kinds of research-based interventions seem most effective.

Early Childhood Education
W. Steven Barnett (2002)
Chapter 1 of the book School Reform Proposals: The Research Evidence. An overview of the research showing the benefits of quality pre-kindergarten programs for disadvantaged children.

Preschool for All: Investing in a Productive and Just Society
Committee for Economic Development (February 5, 2002)
A report from a nonpartisan group of business and education leaders calling for free, high quality preschool education for all children age 3 and over.

Children and Welfare Reform: Analysis and Recommendations
Margie K. Shields and Richard E. Behrman (Winter/Spring 2002)
An analysis of how low-income children have been faring since federal welfare reform was enacted in 1996, and recommendations on how welfare can be restructured.

Quality Counts 2002: Building Blocks for Success
Education Week/Pew Charitable Trusts Special Report (January 10, 2002)
Comprehensive examination of what states are doing to provide high-quality learning experiences for young children.

Understanding Research: Top Ten Tips for Advocates and Policymakers
National Association of Child Advocates (2001)
Fact sheet on how to critically evaluate the credibility of research reports.

A Critical Meta-analysis of All Evaluations of State-Funded Preschool from 1977 to 1998: Implications for Policy, Service Delivery and Program Evaluation
Walter S. Gilliam and Edward F. Zigler, Yale University Child Study Center (2001)
The study finds that preschool programs paid for by states improve children's readiness for school and lead to greater academic success. The paper provides numerous policy and evaluation recommendations for states implementing prekindergarten.

Fragile Lives, Shattered Dreams
A Report on Implementation of Preschool Education in New Jersey's Abbott Districts
W. Steven Barnett, et al. (2001)
This report finds New Jersey has made little progress toward ensuring its poorest children receive a high-quality preschool education beginning at age 3, despite the state's promises to fully implement a state Supreme Court order. The report calls for major changes in state policy.

The School Readiness Initiative in South Central Connecticut: Classroom Quality, Teacher Training, and Service Provision
Walter S. Gilliam (2000, 2001)
These two reports document the degree to which the Connecticut School Readiness Initiative (CSRI) classrooms operating in south-central Connecticut during FY 1999 and FY 2000 have achieved high quality. While most classrooms provided high quality education and care for preschoolers, quality varied greatly, and many classrooms needed improvement in at least one area. Recommendations include improving quality through NAEYC accreditation.

Who Reads to Young Children? Identifying Predictors of Family Reading Activities
Donald J. Yarosz and William Steven Barnett (2001)
A telephone survey of parents and guardians of more than 7500 preschoolers found that frequency of parents' reading to children varied by ethnicity, primary language spoken in the home, age of the child, number of siblings, and mother's educational attainment, with ethnicity being the most influential single factor.

Maternal Employment and Time with Children: Dramatic Change or Surprising Continuity?
Suzanne M. Bianchi, The Population Association of America (2000)
The report finds mothers' time and attention to children has been far more constant
over the past few decades than might be expected, given the increase in women's labor force participation. It also finds preschool enrollment has climbed as rapidly for children whose mothers are not in the labor force as for those whose mothers are.

Readiness for School: A Survey of State Policies and Definitions
Gitanjali Saluja, Catherine Scott-Little, and Richard M. Clifford (Fall 2000)
A study of states' policies on defining and assessing children's readiness for school as they enter kindergarten.