An 18-year study tracking 27,814 Miami-Dade students found that the type of preschool they attended was associated with differences in later academic performance. Researchers compared children who, at age 4, attended public school preschool, center-based childcare, or home-based care, following their academic records while they remained in the public school system.
Public preschool participants achieved the strongest third-grade reading and math scores and grade point averages. Children from center-based programs generally outperformed those from home-based care. Compared with the other groups, public preschool students were 35% less likely to be held back in third grade.
Although attendance at higher-quality elementary schools was associated with better average outcomes, it generally did not eliminate differences between preschool groups. Reading was the exception: students from childcare centers who subsequently attended stronger elementary schools were better able to close the gap with public preschool participants.
The researchers suggest that shared resources and organizational continuity may help explain the public programs' advantage. Public preschool teachers needed at least a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential, whereas other settings required less education at the time. A districtwide curriculum and readily transferable academic records also helped children maintain continuity when moving between schools.
Children in all three settings made substantial gains in school readiness during the year they were 4, though public preschool participants improved more. The researchers emphasize that families need different forms of early care, rather than suggesting public preschool is essential for every child's success. Center- and home-based programs in Miami-Dade have also improved since the study began in 2002, with more accredited centers and better-educated teachers.
