City and state-run preschool programs show positive effects for children who enroll in them, according to a new research analysis from the RAND Corporation.
However, quality programming is key to seeing benefits, said lead author Lynn A. Karoly, a RAND senior economist.
The RAND analysis analyzed studies of preschool programs in Boston, Chicago, and Tulsa, Okla. It also examined studies in Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Tennessee, and West Virginia, among other states, and incorporated 2012 results of an extensive study of Head Start’s effects.
The report finds that the city and state programs evaluated mostly show a “return” of $2 to $4 for every dollar invested in a high-quality state or city-run preschoolnot the $17 return on a $1 investment reported in previous studies.
