A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of a Community-Based Pre-Kindergarten Initiative on Children’s Literacy Development

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Innovations for School Improvement

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a five-year longitudinal study of the reading achievement of prekindergarten children served through a community-wide initiative to assure high quality in childcare centers. The initiative used dissemination of information, materials, and personnel support to assist preschool practitioners in achieving high-quality learning environments. Outcomes included specific literacy measures in addition to the mandated measures of children’s readiness for kindergarten and literacy achievement. The results support the impact of the program in the first three years, with little evidence of impact in later years. The study demonstrates the potential and limitations of Florida school readiness and early learning accountability measures to track student academic performance over time, with implications for other researchers doing longitudinal work.

Authors

• Katherine Kasten, University of North Florida

• Stephanie Wehry, University of North Florida

• Cheryl A. Fountain, University of North Florida