OR Head Start - Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

did not. According to a national poll ofkindergarten teachers conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling for FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS,nine out of 10 teachers reported that childrenwho attended pre-kindergarten programs arebetter prepared to succeed in school than thosewho did not. 13Decades of research also confirm that highquality pre-kindergarten programs have longtermeducational and economic effects. Astudy with a nationally representative sampleof 2,800 children showed that Head Startsignificantly raised average scores of children’sperformance. Moreover, the largest gains weremade by the lower-performing children,especially in the areas of vocabulary and earlywriting. The program narrowed the schoolreadiness gap between children from lowincomehomes who attended Head Start andchildren from higher-income homes. Testresults also showed that Head Start graduatescontinued to outpace other similar children intheir learning during kindergarten, therebyfurther narrowing the performance gap. 14 Aseparate new national study, utilizing the bestdesign possible – a randomized controltrial – found that,“Head Start reduced, byalmost half, the achievement gap in prereadingskills between Head Start children andthe national average for all 3- and 4-yearolds.” 15 In another large national survey,researchers found that former Head Startstudents were more likely to graduate fromhigh school and to attend college than theirsiblings who attended other preschools. 16In addition to these important gains in schoolperformance, Head Start also promoteschildren’s health and can reduce mortality fromchronic childhood illnesses. One recentanalysis examined data from Head Start’sbeginning years when the program was beingphased in. It found that Head Start’s healthservices and health screening led to a 33percent to 75 percent decline in mortality ratesfor children at ages five to nine compared tosimilar children in other counties with less orHead Start Narrows the Gap between ItsYoungsters and Other American ChildrenPercentile ranking for vocabulary scores ofHead Start children*14thBeginning ofHead Start21stEnd ofHead Startno Head Start funding. 1732ndEnd ofkindergarten*A 14th percentile rank means that Head Start children scoredabove 14% of American children (of the same age).Like Head Start, Early Head Start also helpslow-income children prepare for future schoolsuccess. Early Head Start was created in 1994to provide comprehensive child developmentand family strengthening services to babies andtoddlers from birth to age three. A largeevaluation study of Early Head Start found thatfamilies randomly assigned to receive thecombined center/in-home parent coachingapproach were 62 percent more likely to readto their children daily than families who didnot receive the program. Children left out ofthe combined Early Head Start approach were34 percent more likely to score in the low rangeon a test of cognitive, social and emotionaldevelopment than those enrolled in theprogram. 18The success of Head Start carries over into highschool. Leading experts in the field of earlyeducation, like Dr. W. Steven Barnett of theNational Institute for Early Education Research(NIEER), have critically reviewed Head Startstudies and determined that the positive effects4 FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS OREGON