Full-day preschool contributes to 1st-grade reading competence

In a paper to appear in Education and Urban Society, Joy Valenti and Diana Tracey report that preschool experience contributes to subsequent reading achievement. Here’s the abstract.

This study examined the relationships between students’ attendance at fullday, half-day, or no preschool and first grade reading achievement. 214 urban, low SES public first grade students of mixed ethnicities were studied. Using the students’ Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) scores (Beaver, 2006), results indicated that by the middle of first grade students who completed one year of full-day preschool significantly outperformed students who did not attend preschool. Students who completed one year of full-day preschool also outperformed students who completed half-day preschool, although not to a significant degree. Additionally, students who completed half-day preschool outperformed students who did not attend preschool, although not to a significant degree. The results further showed that significant differences between the groups were not apparent at the start of first grade, demonstrating that preschool attendance may not show immediate, positive benefits.

Valenti, J. E., & Tracey, D. H. (2009). Full-day, half-day, and no preschool effects on urban children’s first-grade reading achievement. Education and Urban Society (online first: doi:10.1177/0013124509336060).

Link to the journal home. I doubt that this link will be of much use except to those working from computers at institutions that subscribe to the journal.