Ensuring Students in Most Need Have Priority for Pre-K Services

• In Event: 28.086 - Teaching. Learning. Leading. Models and Examples of Teacher Leaders Using Research to Impact Education Policy

Abstract

Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) has positive long-term impact on a child’s education, particularly for traditionally under-performing groups such as English Language Learners (ELLs) and students from low-income households. Enrollment in Pre-K has a great influence on a student’s reading level and the ability to comprehend words and vocabulary in text. Every dollar invested in Pre-K programs has the potential to return 10 cents annually over the lifetime of a child. Our collective experience with diverse student populations has demonstrated the need for equitable access to high-quality Pre-K in every district in New Mexico. Our perspective as current teachers in Pre-K through 12 New Mexico public schools is important as our state works to address the need to expand high-quality early childhood programs.

Currently, just under 42 percent of New Mexico’s districts offer the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) or the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) sponsored Pre-K programs. Unfortunately, one-fifth of New Mexico’s children live in areas of concentrated poverty, with four counties—McKinley (67 percent), Luna (62 percent), Curry (45 percent), and Doña Ana (44 percent)—reporting rates of children living in poverty higher than that of the state as a whole. According to the FY18 NMPED Pre-K Contact Information form, of the four, only McKinley and Luna offered NMPED approved Pre-K programs in their districts. Commendably, however, New Mexico has increased state appropriations for Pre-K services from roughly $5 million in 2005 to over $45 million in 2016, establishing our state nationally as 16th for Pre-K access for four-year-olds and 20th for state spending.

Despite advances in program expansion and support, the lack of accessible opportunities for families, especially in poor districts, to enroll their children in full-day programs remains a problem. Our research examined the benefits that Pre-K brings to young children and their families and, based on this, we developed a priority list for providing targeted Pre-K support for children that would benefit from this the most. The use of a statewide checklist, based on demographic and socioeconomic information, would ensure that most-in-need four-year old children in New Mexico receive a timely, high-quality education through a priority enrollment process. The goal in creating this checklist is to guide the PED, CYFD, and school districts to intentionally select at-risk students, as identified in this report, into high-quality Pre-K programs.

In our research, we conducted a review of literature on the effect of Pre-K learning and students who benefit most from extended learning through Pre-K. We collected statewide data looking at the needs of our student population, including demographic data from districts, the NMPED, and the Child Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to determine current processes for admittance into a Pre-K program for each individual student. Additionally, we referenced national data to quantify the benefits of Pre-K in various states and student population contexts.

Author

• BRITTANY Layne BEHENNA GRIFFITH