How Michigan Can Get Lasting Returns on Preschool Investment Lawrence J. Schweinhart, Ph.D. President, HighScope Educational Research Foundation Webinar on The Economic Case for Early Childhood Investments June 25, 2012

The HighScope Perry Preschool Study 123 children born in poverty in Ypsilanti, Michigan Randomly assigned to preschool or no preschool The HighScope Curriculum is highly interactive and focuses on children’s development Followed from 3 to 40 with little missing data

Perry Preschool Childhood Effects

Perry Preschool Adult Effects

Perry Preschool Return on Investment

Cost Savings of School Readiness per Additional At- Risk Child in Detroit and Michigan Every 1% improvement in school readiness: Among Detroit’s approximately 7,200 kindergarteners would result in a $7.2 million dividend. Among140,000 kindergarteners statewide would result in a $55.3 million dividend. Wilder Research

To get what we got, do what we did that worked— 1.Pay for enough qualified teachers 2.Learn and use a validated child development curriculum 3.Work with parents 4.Regularly assess program quality and child development

Michigan’s Preschool Programs Of the state’s 131,000 4-year- olds: The state’s Great Start Readiness Program serves 16%. Head Start serves 24%. Special education serves 10%. So these public preschool programs serve 50% in all.

Evaluation of Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) In six Michigan school districts – Detroit, Grand Rapids, Grayling, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, and Port Huron. A study of 595 low-income children entering kindergarten in children attended GSRP, 257 did not but had family incomes low enough to qualify for GSRP.

Great Start Readiness Program Effects at Kindergarten Child Observation Record Scale=1–5

Great Start Readiness Program Effects at Grade 4

Grade Retention by Grade 12 by GSRP Status **Significant with a probability of less than.01

High School Graduation on Time **Significant with a probability of less than.01

Implications for Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program Maintain and increase overall funding Set the per-child funding high enough to pay for qualified teachers and quality support

Implications for Child Care Require more training for caregivers, including relatives and in-home aides. Set in place the Early Childhood Program Quality Rating and Improvement System. Michigan is one of only three states in which the majority of children receiving federal child care assistance is in unregulated care.