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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A new study at the University of Minnesota found that child participants who attended all-day preschool were better prepared for kindergarten than those who didn't.
Early childhood education advocates say the results show Minnesota should invest more in preschool programs. They say the move could help narrow the achievement gap between white and minority students in Minnesota.
Researchers compared 3- and 4-year-old students who attended preschool seven hours a day to those who attended three-hour programs, and then tested them to see if they were socially and academically prepared for kindergarten, Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1viOoYn ) reported. The team determined that out of the 1,000 students, 81 percent of all-day preschoolers were ready, compared to 59 percent of half-day preschoolers.
The study's lead author, Arthur Reynolds, said the results show that students learn more based on the amount of time they spend in preschool.
"You can go much farther in not only the math side, but language and literacy, reading and drawing and science," he said.
The study also found the rates of daily attendance were better among all-day preschool students, which could be caused by a greater investment in the program felt by both students and parents, Reynolds said.
Teachers at Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary in St. Paul agree. The all-day program allows teachers to spend more time working with students and also gives the kids more time to play, make friends and adjust to a full day of school, said Lisa Parins, a pre-K teacher at Obama Elementary.
Allocating time for children to learn social skills is just as important as time for academic work, according to Megan Gunnar, director of the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota.
"If you can regulate yourself, if you can follow directions, if you can think through a problem, then you're really ready to learn," she said.
In Minnesota, pre-K scholarships have helped 5,800 students from low-income families attend preschool since funding was approved by lawmakers last year.
The study appeared Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org
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