Key Findings & Recommendations of the Universal Pre-K Study

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Joint City Council/School Committee Roundtable

December 2, 2019

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Agenda

Importance of Early Childhood Education

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Overview of Universal Pre-Kindergarten Study

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CPS Provided Universal Pre-Kindergarten Model

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Mixed Delivery Universal Pre-Kindergarten Model

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Cost Comparisons

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Next Steps

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Discussion

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Importance of Early Childhood Education

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Child Outcomes Associated with High Quality Early Education

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• Stronger social-emotional and self-regulation skills
• Stronger early literacy & math skills
• Reductions in referrals to special education
• Reductions in grade-level retention
• Increased high school graduation rates
• Increased college attendance rates

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• Key purpose: to provide roadmap for designing �a UPK system for four-year-olds that best aligns with the realities & needs of our community.
• The City of Cambridge and Cambridge Public Schools jointly contracted with Early Childhood Associates (ECA) in partnership with UMASS Donahue Institute, to:
• Analyze and evaluate two models of universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) programs for four-year-olds.
• Recommend a preferred model and provide �a framework of essential elements required to build a high quality UPK system.
• Prepare population projections for ages 0 to 17, and enrollment projection for Pre-K to 12th grade between 2020 and 2030.

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Universal Pre-Kindergarten Study

UPK Models Evaluated

Universal Pre-kindergarten is generally defined as a program supported with public funding that is available to all four-year-old children.

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CPS converts the current JK program to a pre-kindergarten and changes age eligibility from 4 ½ to 4 years old.

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Pre-kindergarten programs offered through a network of providers, including CPS, Head Start, DHSP and community-based programs.

• Nationally, the most common model of UPK is mixed delivery system.
• This is the model recommended by ECA.

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I. A Public School Model

II. A Mixed Delivery Model

High Quality UPK �programs have these �things in common:

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• Meets needs of families in terms of location, hours, and weeks of care
• Equity of access
• Diverse, competent and consistent staff
• Research-based curriculum
• Developmentally appropriate indoor �and outdoor learning environments
• Systems for establishing quality �criteria and on-going evaluation
• Robust family engagement and comprehensive services

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The study emphasized the importance of high quality programming regardless �of UPK model: �

“Greater access to mediocre or low quality care has been shown to further disadvantage already at risk children.”

Target Populations

• All children

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• Targeted subset �of children

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Framework for UPK System

The study identified 7 foundational components for pre-kindergarten systems and practices.

• Decisions about each of these components are crucial to the design of a high quality UPK—regardless of model.

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Program Delivery

• Public School Model

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• Mixed Delivery Model

Costs and Financing

• Free for all

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• Sliding scale fee based on family income

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Framework for UPK System (Continued)

Workforce Quality

• Teacher education & credentials
• Pipeline & career pathways
• Professional development
• Compensation

Governance & Administrative Structure

• Leadership and oversight
• Fiscal and operational management
• Equitable and inclusive recruitment of families

Accountability

• Data systems to monitor & evaluate
• Measures of program success

Quality Assurance

• Quality Improvement Systems
• Curriculum
• Learning Environment
• Program Dosage
• Family Engagement

How Many Four Year Old Children Live in Cambridge?

• In 2019, approximately 913 four-year-olds live in Cambridge.
• Between 2020 and 2030, �the projected number of four-year-olds will range from 852 to 1051.
• CPS kindergarten enrollment data indicate that the majority of children entering JK or K have been in care outside of the home.

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What are the programs serving �4- year-old children today?

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• CPS - JK programs
• CPS - Special Start
• CPS - Scholars College
• CPS - Montessori
• DHSP programs
• Community-based programs
• Private programs
• For-profit programs
• Family childcare

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Overview of Model 1: UPK Provided by CPS

• Entry age becomes four years of age by Sept 1 of enrollment year.
• CPS would eliminate mixed �JK/K classrooms.
• CPS would implement a new, developmentally appropriate �pre-k curriculum.
• Staff credentials and professional development would be adjusted to reflect early childhood focus.
• Indoor and outdoor environments would require re-tooling.

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“Expansion of CPS programming to include all children who live in Cambridge and turn 4 years old by Sept 1 of the enrollment year represents more than a simple change to the entrance age to the public school system.”

Lack of space is a key barrier to implementing a universal pre-k program hosted solely by the Cambridge Public Schools.

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UMDI projects Universal Pre-K enrollment of 767 to 946

Classrooms Required

39 to 47

2020-2030

Between

Currently

JK/M4 Enrollment: 390

Classroom Equivalents : 19

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However, only 14 classrooms could be dedicated to UPK, due to current practice of combined JK/K classrooms.

Additional classrooms needed for a UPK is:

25 to 33�(estimate)

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Challenges to Implementing Model 1

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Model 1 Challenges (Continued)

Projected enrollment growth for grades K to 12 during next decade �also impacts CPS’s ability to add classrooms for four-year-olds.

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• According to UMDI’s maximum projection scenario, CPS K-12 enrollment is expected to increase by 1,500 students between 2020 and 2030.
• 52% of the projected increase (812) is in K-5th grade

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• Demand for elementary (K-5) classroom space is projected to increase �by 20% or 37 classrooms to support the enrollment increases.

Projected Number K-5 Classrooms SY 20-21 to SY 30-31

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CPS K-12 Enrollment Growth

• Between 2008 and 2018, CPS added 1,112 K-12 students, an average annual increase of 2.1%

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• The UMDI maximum enrollment scenario (#5) projects an average annual increase of 1.9% over the 10 year period between 2020 and 2030 (+1,500).

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Projected K-12* Enrollment Growth

2020 to 2030 (UMDI Scenario #5)

CPS K-12* Enrollment Growth

2008 to 2018

*K-12 enrollment does not include 3 or 4-year-olds (JK/Montessori/Special Start).

Model 1: Other Important Impacts and Considerations

Studies point to the “crowd-out” effect �of public pre-K programs on community based providers:

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• Two-thirds of CBO program directors interviewed by ECA said that a public school-only program would negatively impact their programs.
• Smaller programs are likely to close because of lost enrollment.
• Cost of programs serving children �0 to 3 will increase
• High likelihood that the availability of care decreases & cost of care increases for children ages 0 to 3.
• High likelihood of less choice for families who need full day, full year options for four-year-olds.

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Overview of Model 2-Mixed Delivery System

• The system would include a mix of CPS Pre-k classrooms, DHSP program, community based childcare centers, and Head Start programs.

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Nationally, this is the most common model.

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• The study strongly recommends a mixed delivery system for Cambridge, highlighting:
• The value of high quality community programs focused on early childhood development.
• Family need for choice in full day, �year round programs.
• The detrimental impact of a public school UPK (Model 1) on the availability & cost of programs for children 0 to age 3.

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Addressing this will require:

• Increasing the number of �programs meeting state quality rating standards.
• Developing a pipeline of qualified teachers & career pathways with �a focus on a diverse workforce.
• Increasing workforce compensation.
• Implementing evidence-based curriculum.
• Expanding professional development.

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Challenges to Implementing Model 2

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The biggest challenge today is that Cambridge does not have enough capacity in high quality programs.

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Cost Comparisons of Two Models

ECA also compared the annual operating costs the two models. �Costs were organized into three primary components:

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• Leadership & program administration
• Classroom costs, including staff & materials
• Quality assurance

Estimated costs do not include cost of improving or building new classrooms

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When factoring in the cost of building new classrooms, Model 1 is significantly more expensive than Model 2.

CPS UPK��$29.8 Million or $28K per student

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Mixed Delivery UPK

�$23.8 Million or $23K per student

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MODEL 1

MODEL 2

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Convene community-based providers for feedback and input.

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Convene principals and JK teachers for feedback and input.

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Gather additional data regarding existing programs in Cambridge:

• How many slots are �filled with Cambridge children?
• How many slots could become dedicated to Cambridge children?

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Gather more information about Cambridge childcare workforce, including credentials and compensation.

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Explore options & decisions impacting system development.

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Continued learning from changes to preschool lottery and sliding scale fees.

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Next Steps: �Program Planning

Gather information and feedback from families in ways that engages and reflects diverse population.

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Options & Decisions Impacting System Development

• Which model best meets the needs of Cambridge
• Is the program free or is there �a sliding scale fee for families based on income?
• How to ensure that each participating program is diverse and inclusive?
• Will pre-K classrooms be 4-year-old only or mixed �3 and 4-year-olds?
• If a universal program is preferred how would implementation of universal pre-K be phased?

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• Will family enrollment be centralized?
• How will providers be enrolled?
• Will providers be paid per student or per classroom?
• What is the most appropriate governance & administrative structure?

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Expand work to improve quality of existing programs, including support to meet state quality rating standards.

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Expand professional development, including college courses offered in Cambridge.

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Increase Scholarship amounts in order to expand number of participating programs and children.

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Expand Family Childcare Quality Pilot.

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Provide financial support to Head Start �to expand program hours.

Expand support to programs around cultural proficiency.

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Next Steps: �Expanded Efforts �by Birth to Grade 3 Partnership

Discussion

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