How Early Childhood Programs Interact with Early Life Circumstances: Evidence from Baltimore

• In Event: 486 - Section on Sociology of Education Paper Session. Education, Policy, and School Reform

Abstract

Using multilevel models of children in birth census tracts, we examine how early childhood program sequences are associated with kindergarten readiness in Baltimore in 2014.  Enrolling in Head Start for two years is associated with higher levels of kindergarten readiness and school attendance, and children who enroll in Pre-K or Head Start followed by Pre-K are the most likely to be kindergarten ready and attend school. The small number of children who enroll in Head Start for one year as a three-year-old followed by no program enrollment as a four-year-old appear to derive no benefit from the experience. The targeted curricular approach adopted by the Pre-K program are associated with higher levels of school readiness, especially in Mathematics and Language & Literacy. Mother’s education is strongly associated with both kindergarten readiness and attendance among the children with no program experience. The greatest differences are observed among children whose mothers reported low levels of education, suggesting that early childhood education may mitigate the intergenerational reproduction of educational inequality.

Authors

• Jeffrey Grigg, Johns Hopkins University

• Faith Connolly, Johns Hopkins University

• Stephanie D'Souza, UCLA

• Charlie Mitchell, Johns Hopkins