FamilyConnections

Family Connections has been providing tuition free preschool to families in San Mateo County for 15 years. We believe preschool sets the foundation for success in K-12 as well as later in life. We have assembled these current studies that support our belief that we can have a significant impact on low income families in the Bay Area by getting them off to a good start in preschool from the very earliest age:

From Santa Clara Partnership for School Readiness study,

“Children who are not only proficient in Kindergarten Academics but are also on track with their Social Expression skills – especially their ability to express needs and wants, as well as their curiosity and eagerness for learning – display an extra boost in test scores four years later.”

“Children’s proficiency on Kindergarten Academics – especially their recognition of letters and engagement with books – is strongly associated with their performance in both English and math at third grade.”

Data shows that by sending kids to preschool, they will be less likely to drop out of high school:

“Participants in the High/Scope Perry Preschool study were characterized by better academic performance than those in the control group, as measured by higher graduation rates, better grades, higher standardized test scores, and fewer instances of placement in special education classes.”

“At age 14 … the program group's scores were 29 percent higher than those of the control group.” “Seventy-one percent of the program group graduated from high school, compared with 54 percent of the control group.”

Attending preschool is strongly correlated with improved academic performance:

“William T. Gormley and colleagues measured the skills of 3,500 incoming kindergartners in Tulsa, finding that those who had been enrolled in the state's preschool for all program had better reading, math and writing skills than those who spent time in federally funded Head Start programs or attended no public preschool program.” [reference]

“Children who enter kindergarten near proficient across all readiness skills (aka "All Stars”) perform significantly better on standardized tests of English and math in third, fourth, and fifth grades than do children of different readiness profiles.” [reference]

From our local region, the Santa Clara Partnership for School Readiness study indicates “that children who have attended preschool and the KTK program enter kindergarten with higher scores in Kindergarten Academics, Social Expression, and focused attention.” KTK is “Kickoff to Kindergarten (KTK) program (a summer transitional program typically targeted to children who are English Learners and children who have not had a preschool experience).”

Breaking the cycle of poverty: A student who goes to pre-school has a statistically better chance of succeeding in life.

“High/Scope Perry Preschool Project developed a high-quality educational approach focusing on 3- and 4-year-olds at risk for school failure. The longitudinal study has found…positive outcomes, including a significantly lower rate of crime and delinquency and a lower incidence of teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency. By the age of 27, program participants were nearly three times as likely to own their own homes than the control group and less than half as likely to be receiving public assistance.” [reference]

“The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, which began in 1962, is the focus of an ongoing longitudinal study—conducted by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation—of 123 high-risk African American children.” “Children attended the preschool Monday through Friday for 2.5 hours per day over a 2-year period.” “The data for age 19 reveal that significantly more program group members were employed (50 percent versus 32 percent) and self-supporting (45 percent versus 25 percent).” [reference]