Factors Prior to Enrollment in Prekindergarten Associated with Educational Disparities

Background/Purpose:  The goal of this study was to examine factors associated with academic achievement in prekindergarten programming. From elementary school to college-age youth, academic achievement disparities persist among and between racial and socioeconomic groups. Many researchers have identified individual and family-factors as explanations for these disparities. However, these disparities may begin in earlier periods of educational experiences than the research currently suggests. For example, low-income and minority students may start prekindergarten programming behind their white and affluent peers in terms of academic progress. These disparities are significant, as they may be magnified in educational experiences following prekindergarten. To examine whether there are disparities in prekindergarten academic achievement, we examine factors prior to pre-k enrollment that predict achievement among students in the first three months of pre-k programming.

Methods:  Data was obtained from the SWEEP and Multi-State (two studies of statewide early education programs) studies, which consisted of a multistate sample of 2,208 prekindergarten students. Parent respondents completed measures of child gender, race/ethnicity, makeup of parents/caretakers in the household, annual household income, whether the child’s first language was English, and whether the child received formal, licensed childcare prior to prekindergarten enrollment. Child standardized test scores associated with early vocabulary, language and math skills were obtained from participating prekindergarten programs. These measures were combined to form a single measure of academic achievement (Cohen’s alpha = .83). A linear regression examined correlates of academic achievement.   

Results:  Linear regression results show that female children performed better on our measure of academic achievement in comparison to boys (B = .089, p < .05), and Black (B = .276, p < .05), Hispanic (B = .204, p < .05) and children of “other” racial/ethnic identities (B = .092 p < .05) scored lower in academic achievement in comparison to White non-Hispanic students. Children living with a single adult who was not their mother or father scored lower in comparison to children living with both parents. (B = .049, p < .05). Children from household income groups categorized as $20,001 or above scored higher our measure of academic achievement in comparison to students whose annual household income was between $0-$20,000. Children whose first language was English scored higher in academic achievement (B = .150, p < .05), and children enrolled in formal childcare settings prior to prekindergarten performed better than students in non-formal settings. (B = .107, p < .05).

Conclusions and Implications:  These results support prior research which documents disparities in educational achievement among elementary school to college-age youth. Implications for social work research and practice include the need for advocacy to expand the availability of formal programming by reducing the cost of childcare and revising standards to qualify for childcare stipends. Also, the availability of early educational resources to caregivers and childcare providers in non-formal settings could be expanded.  Finally, these findings also underscore the need for more longitudinal data analysis to examine educational disparities over time.