North Carolina’s state-funded pre-K program for 4-year-olds has produced better-than-expected positive outcomes for participants, new research says.
Significant gains were seen across all areas of learning including language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge, and social skills, states the report released earlier this month.
“Children are progressing at an even greater rate during their participation in NC Pre-K than expected for normal developmental growth,” said Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, who led the research team that evaluated the program at the University of North Carolina’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in Chapel Hill.
In addition, preschoolers with lower levels of English proficiency made greater gains on standardized tests than their peers for some skills, suggesting that the program is especially beneficial for such children, the report states.
The study also notes a steady increase in the proportion of teachers holding bachelor’s degrees and the appropriate licenses.
