This report takes a fresh look at the evidence that high-quality preschool programs can help to improve the school readiness of at-risk children. The report focuses on 10 programs that have been the subjects of careful evaluations. These programs include four well-known "model programs" — the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, the Carolina Abecedarian Project, the Chicago Child-Parent Centers, and the New York State Experimental Prekindergarten program — and the federal Head Start program. The other five programs are state programs in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas. The report concludes with a discussion of the characteristics that distinguish these programs as high-quality.

Key words: preschool, prekindergarten, school readiness, early childhood, quality

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Catalog info: By David R. Denton (01H02); 24 pages; 2001; $5

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