Short- and Long-Term Impacts of High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs

State policymakers have prioritized investing in early childhood education programs. In Nevada, Assembly Bill 400 allocated $70 million for the Early Childhood Innovative Literacy Program. This funding can be used by school districts, sponsors of charter schools, and non-profit organizations to: 1) “expand access to high-quality preschool” or 2) “establish an innovative new program or to expand an existing early literacy program that supports children less than the age of six, their families, and early childhood professionals.”¹

Through REL West’s “Ask an Expert” service, the Nevada State Board of Education (NSBE) requested a summary of the benefits associated with attending early childhood education programs and the components of such programs that constitute high quality. REL West worked with Dr. Christina Weiland, an expert on early childhood education programs, to summarize the research for NSBE.

Outcomes Associated with High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs

Kindergarten Readiness

Students who enrolled in early childhood education programs…

• were more prepared for kindergarten.²
• had more advanced language, reading, writing, and math skills.³
• had improved social-emotional development, executive functioning, and emotion recognition.⁴

Early Educational Benefits

Students who enrolled in early childhood education programs experienced…

• reductions in special education placement and grade retention.⁵
• decreased high school disciplinary measures, including juvenile incarceration.⁶

Postsecondary Education and Economic Benefits

Students who enrolled in early childhood education programs had…

• a greater likelihood of college enrollment.⁷
• higher rates of high school completion, college attendance, and employment.⁸

Health Benefits

Students who enrolled in early childhood education programs experienced…

• a reduction in risk factors for chronic diseases.⁹

Early Childhood Education programs often yield larger benefits for children who are most in need, such as children from low-income families, children of color, and those living in environments with fewer educational resources.¹⁰

Key Features of High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs

Early childhood education programs vary widely, and quality can be hard to measure; including these key features can support quality. However, Dr. Weiland identified four key features of high-quality early childhood education programs. These four key features and their components were discussed with the NSBE and summarized below:

Evidence-Based Curriculum and Instruction¹¹

• Curriculum that is play-based, domain-specific, and has a clear scope and sequence
• In-classroom coaching, regular professional learning, and protected planning time for teachers

Qualified Teachers and Competitive Compensation¹²

• Teachers with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field
• Teacher compensation and benefits that are on par with K–12 educators’

Structural Quality Provisions¹³

• Class sizes capped at 20
• Staff-child ratios that are 1:10 or less
• Universal developmental and health screenings for children

Full-Day Program¹⁴

• Full-day versus half-day programs

NSBE distributed the summary to a number of policymakers and practitioners in the state, including members of the state legislature and leaders of school districts. The research included in the summary is applicable to other states.

¹ Nevada Department of Education. (2023). Second round of $70 million in funding for early childhood education programs open for applicants. Retrieved from https://doe.nv.gov/news-media/pressreleases/2023/second-round-of-dollar70-million-in-funding-for-early-childhood-education-programs-open-for-applicants/

² Phillips, D. A., Lipsey, M. W., Dodge, K. A., Haskins, R. Bassok, D., Burchinal, M. R., et al. (2017). Puzzling it out: The current state of scientific knowledge on pre-kindergarten effects. A consensus statement. Brookings Institution Duke Center for Child and Family Policy.

³ Gormley, W., Gayer, T., Phillips, D., & Dawson, B. (2005). The effects of universal pre-k on cognitive development. Developmental Psychology, 41, 872-884.

⁴ Gormley, W. T., Phillips, D. A., Newmark, K., Welti, K., & Adelstein, S. (2011). Social-emotional effects of early childhood education programs in Tulsa. Child Development, 82(6): 2095-2109.

⁵ McCoy, D. C., Yoshikawa, H., Ziol-Guest, K. M., Duncan, G. J., Schindler, H. S., Magnuson, K., Yang, R., Koepp, A., & Shonkoff, J. P. (2017). Impacts of early childhood education on medium- and long-term educational outcomes. Educational Researcher, 46(8), 474-487.

⁶ Gray-Lobe, G., Pathak, P. A., & Walters, C. R. (2023). The long-term effects of universal preschool in Boston. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 138(3), 363-411.

⁷ Gormley Jr., W. T., Amadon, S., Magnuson, K., Claessens, A., & Hummel-Price, D. (2023).

Universal pre-k and college enrollment: Is there a link? AERA Open, 9, 1-17.

⁸ Carniero, P., & Ginja, R. (2013). Long-term impacts of compensatory preschool on health and behavior: Evidence from Head Start. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.

⁹ Campbell, F. A., Conti, G., Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Pungello, E., & Pan, Y. (2014). Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health. Science, 343(6178),

¹⁰ Watts, T. W., Jenkins, J. M., Dodge, K. A., Carr, R. C., Sauval, M., Bai, Y., Escueta, M., Duer, J., Ladd, H., Muschkin, C., Peisner, F. E., & Ananat, E. (2023). Understanding heterogeneity in the impact of public preschool programs. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 88(1), 7-182.

¹¹ Weiland, C., & Rosada, P. G. (2022). Widely used measures of pre-k classroom quality: What we know, gaps in the field, and promising new directions. Measures for Early Success.

¹² Weiland, C., Chaudry, A., Shapiro, A., Berne, J., Hyland, K., Hamp, N., & Taylor, A. (2023). An evidence-based path to expanding high-quality Pre-K in Michigan. EPI Policy Brief.

¹³ Weiland, C., Chaudry, A., Shapiro, A., Berne, J., Hyland, K., Hamp, N., & Taylor, A. (2023). An evidence-based path to expanding high-quality Pre-K in Michigan. EPI Policy Brief.

¹⁴ Atteberry, A., Bassok, D., & Wong, V. C. (2019). The effects of full-day prekindergarten: Experimental evidence of impacts on children’s school readiness. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 41(4), 537–562.