Parent, Teacher, and Administrator Views of Federally Funded Pre-Kindergarten: Emerging Themes in a State Evaluation

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Social Policy

Abstract

Growing understanding of the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping developmental and educational trajectories (e.g., Yoshikawa et al., 2013) has heightened social policy interest in early childhood education for children from low-income families. Decades of research show the importance of public Pre-Kindergarten programs on school readiness outcomes (e.g., Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013), and federal investment in such programs is intended to build on these findings. In 2014, 18 states were awarded federal Preschool Development Expansion Grants (PDG) to expand public preschool opportunities. In a series of descriptive and explanatory studies, an evaluation of the PDG program in one Mid-Atlantic state was conducted to determine the impact of increased public preschool opportunities on readiness indicators for children from low- and moderate-income families; results from other parts of the evaluation are reported elsewhere.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of parents, teachers and administrators on the value and impact of the PDG program. Focus groups were conducted in three of 24 state school districts. Parents (80% mothers; N=10), teachers (100% female; N=21), and administrators (91% female; N=11) affiliated with PDG programs during the 2017-2018 school year were invited to participate in eight separate focus groups in local elementary schools. Recordings was transcribed and coded using NVivo v12 (2018). We coded participant responses (see Table 1 for sample questions) into 14 non-mutually exclusive categories (e.g., social-emotional learning, school readiness). Using grounded theory and matrix coding, four common themes emerged.

1: Doing School. The most salient theme involved helping children learn the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to “do school” successfully. These positive attributes cut across both academic and social-emotional domains, and together formed the framework for a successful transition into Kindergarten. Twenty percent of parent conversations included some reference to this theme, as did 14% of teachers’ and 15% of administrators’ comments.

2: Developmentally Appropriate Instruction and Kindergarten Preparation. A second theme focused on how Pre-Kindergarten prepared children for Kindergarten readiness assessments. Tensions between developmentally appropriate instruction and preparation for academics, including assessment, was mentioned often. Teachers were especially aware of this challenge (12% of conversation); administrators also expressed concern (6% of conversation), whereas parents rarely mentioned it.

3: Connections with Community Providers. Another theme involved connections between the PDG program and community-based providers. Common meeting spaces and shared events brought together different organizations, all with a vested interest in promoting school readiness. PDG programs demonstrated a shared commitment with the larger early childhood community.

4: Supporting Parents. This theme centered on program contributions to supporting parents’ involvement in their children’s education. All three groups noted that the program engaged parents, creating a welcoming environment. This encouraged parents to become more closely involved and to feel part of the school. Although this theme was expressed in all groups (20% of the conversation), it was most common among parents and teachers (27% and 26%, respectively).

We discuss findings with respect to both future research and state and federal policy implications.

Authors

• Elisa L Klein, University of Maryland - College Park
  Presenting Author

• Jacquelyn T. Gross, United States Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE)
  Non-Presenting Author