title: Association of a full-day vs part-day preschool intervention with school readiness, attendance, and parent involvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early childhood interventions have demonstrated positive effects on well-being. Whether full-day vs part-day attendance improves outcomes is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association between a full- vs part-day early childhood program and school readiness, attendance, and parent involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  End-of-preschool follow-up of a nonrandomized, matched-group cohort of predominantly low-income, ethnic minority children enrolled in the Child-Parent Centers (CPC) for the full day (7 hours; n = 409) or part day (3 hours on average; n = 573) in the 2012-2013 school year in 11 schools in Chicago, Illinois.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Midwest CPC Education Program provides comprehensive instruction, family-support, and health services from preschool to third grade.
  
  
  METHODS
  School readiness skills at the end of preschool, attendance and chronic absences, and parental involvement. The readiness domains in the Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System include a total of 49 items with a score range of 105-418. The specific domains are socioemotional with 9 items (score range, 20-81), language with 6 items (score range, 15-54), literacy with 12 items (score range, 9-104), math with 7 items (score, 8-60), physical health with 5 items (score range, 14-45), and cognitive development with 10 items (score range, 18-90).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Full-day preschool participants had higher scores than part-day peers on socioemotional development (58.6 vs 54.5; difference, 4.1; 95% CI, 0.5-7.6; P = .03), language (39.9 vs 37.3; difference, 2.6; 95% CI, 0.6-4.6; P = .01), math (40.0 vs 36.4; difference, 3.6; 95% CI, 0.5-6.7; P = .02), physical health (35.5 vs 33.6; difference, 1.9; 95% CI, 0.5-3.2; P = .006), and the total score (298.1 vs 278.2; difference, 19.9; 95% CI, 1.2-38.4; P = .04). Literacy (64.5 vs 58.6; difference, 5.9; 95% CI, -0.07 to 12.4; P = .08) and cognitive development (59.7 vs 57.7; difference, 2.0; 95% CI, -2.4 to 6.3; P = .38) were not significant. Full-day preschool graduates also had higher rates of attendance (85.9% vs 80.4%; difference, 5.5; 95% CI, 2.6-8.4; P = .001) and lower rates of chronic absences (≥10% days missed; 53.0% vs 71.6%; difference, -18.6; 95% CI, -28.5 to -8.7; P = .001; ≥20% days missed; 21.2% vs 38.8%; difference -17.6%; 95% CI, -25.6 to -9.7; P < .001) but no differences in parental involvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an expansion of the CPCs in Chicago, a full-day preschool intervention was associated with increased school readiness skills in 4 of 6 domains, attendance, and reduced chronic absences compared with a part-day program. These findings should be replicated in other programs and contexts.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis4Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis3Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Brandt A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis4Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Momoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lease
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Mallory
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warner-Richter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Englund
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis2Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Suh-Ruu
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis4Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D002641:Chicago; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011203:Poverty; D012574:Schools; D013997:Time Factors