Universal Preschool Works Best For Poor Kids, Study Finds
“Preschool is most likely to help low-income children if their classmates come from a range of family incomes, according to a new study. The new research contradicts the current strategy in most states of targeting public preschool only to low-income kids. That approach is based on the results of many earlier studies that have found attending preschool helps kids from disadvantaged backgrounds start kindergarten on a stronger academic footing. The benefits for higher income children are less pronounced. That is why most states and the federal government choose to spend taxpayer dollars on ‘targeted’ preschool programs open only to low-income families.”