Understanding Families' Equitable Access to Publicly Funded Pre-Kindergarten: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis

• In Event: Understanding Parent and Family Factors in Early Learning Settings

Abstract

Despite a steady increase in Prekindergarten (PreK) access every year, a large proportion of children in the U.S. still do not attend any center-based programs before kindergarten. Intrigued by this phenomenon, recent scholars have paid attention to examining parental PreK decision-making. Acknowledging that PreK exists in the intersection of early childhood education and K-12 worlds, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-synthesis is to synthesize studies on childcare and PreK decision-making and make suggestions to improve families’ equitable access to PreK. I conducted searches through online databases and included 48 eligible studies that met criteria. I found that existing studies on parental PreK decision-making are limited in understanding families’ life contextual factors affecting their PreK decisions and equitable access.

Author

• Jiyeon Lee, Oregon State University