Review and Special ArticlesEffects of Full-Day Kindergarten on the Long-Term Health Prospects of Children in Low-Income and Racial/Ethnic-Minority Populations: A Community Guide Systematic Review☆
Section snippets
Income, Race and Ethnicity, and Educational Attainment
Educational attainment is one of the most important determinants of health.1, 2 Conversely, incomplete or poor-quality education can jeopardize a child’s prospects for health and well-being. This review investigates the potential of full-day kindergarten (FDK) to foster the public health goal of health equity, with a focus on low-income and racial/ethnic-minority populations in the U.S.
Risk factors for poor lifelong educational attainment appear even before children enter the formal educational
Evidence Acquisition
The Community Guide systematic review process was used to assess the effectiveness of FDK (vs. HDK/ADFDK) to improve the education-related health outcomes of low-income and racial/ethnic-minority populations.12, 13 The process involved forming a systematic review team (the team) to work with oversight from the nonfederal, independent Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force), to develop evidence-based recommendations.
The rules of evidence under which the Task Force makes its
Short-Term Effectiveness: FDK Versus HDK/ADFDK Observed at the End of Kindergarten or Beginning of First Grade
In total, Cooper and colleagues16 examined 655 study reports, and 290 were retrieved as potentially useful. Forty studies were included in the meta-analysis, of which seven were published. The studies assessed 55 “samples,” that is, separate populations. Dissertations and master’s theses accounted for 21 samples, and 16 samples were conference papers, government reports, school district reports, or other unpublished research reports.
The meta-analysis focused on FDK programs (compared with HDK
Evidence Gaps
Whereas prior reviews have indicated that FDK programs are especially effective for lower-income and minority populations,50, 51, 52, 53, 68, 69 the meta-analysis by Cooper et al.16 could only address this issue with a proxy measure. Lack of findings on variations in effect by race/ethnicity may have been a consequence of their seemingly stringent inclusion criterion of population homogeneity (i.e., “only one ethnicity”), which, if taken literally, is rare. Given that low-income and minority
Discussion
The present review demonstrates that, at least in the short term, children in the general population benefit more from FDK than HDK/ADFDK in academic and social development. Evidence on the long-term benefits of pre-K programs suggests that FDK also may have long-term educational and health benefits, particularly when reinforced by intensive ongoing education programs. Prior reviews suggest greater relative benefits among children in lower-income populations and racial/ethnic-minority
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Katherine Magnuson, PhD (University of Wisconsin); Elizabeth Dhuey, PhD (University of Toronto); Raj Chetty, PhD (Harvard University); Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, PhD (University of Pittsburgh); Harris Cooper, PhD (Duke University); Jessie Hood, ScD (CDC); and Jackie Buckley, PhD (Department of Education), in addition to our consultant team: Ann Abramowitz, PhD (Emory University); Geoffrey Borman, PhD (University of Wisconsin); Jeannie Brooks-Gunn, PhD (Columbia
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Cited by (16)
Whole-day or half-day kindergarten? Chinese parents' perceptions, needs, and decisions in a privatised marketplace
2019, Children and Youth Services ReviewCitation Excerpt :Through focus group meetings, Coughenour, Pharr, Gakh, Clark, and Cheong (2019) also recorded greater favouritism from parents, educators, and community members towards the whole-day kindergarten as they believed in its greater capacity in increasing children's social skills and physical activities and allowing teachers to detect children's special educational needs. In regard to non-academic learning, participation in the whole-day programme has been shown to enhance children's physical, social, and emotional development, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills, which may indirectly promote academic success (e.g., Crane, Talley, Cook, Naylor, & Temple, 2012; Hahn et al., 2014; Zhang, 2011). The longer school time has been associated with a lower body mass index, more physical education and outdoor playtime, rapid exercise, and less television watching (Gottfried & Le, 2017).
Is whole-day kindergarten better than half-day kindergarten? A mixed methods study of Chinese educators’ perceptions
2018, Children and Youth Services ReviewCitation Excerpt :More than half of the teachers rated the former whole-day kindergarteners as better than their half-day counterparts in terms of work habits, independence, fine and gross motor skills and coordination, handwriting, and following instructions. Data from standardized tests and teacher surveys have associated the whole-day program, or the children who attend it, with better reading and mathematics achievement, more active learning behaviour, higher cognitive and problem-solving skills, greater social competence and more prosocial behaviour, more outdoor physical activities and less sedentary behaviour, fewer special educational referrals and grade retention, and smoother transition to and greater school readiness for primary education (Cooper, Allen, Patall, & Dent, 2010; Crane, Talley, Cook, Naylor, & Temple, 2012; Elicker & Mathur, 1997; Gottfried & Le, 2017; Hahn et al., 2014; Herry, Maltais, & Thompson, 2007; Zhang, 2011). Hough and Bryde (1996) also claimed that the whole-day program's ability to enhance teacher–student relationships and parent–teacher communication could in turn aid the delivery of an educational curriculum catered to different children (Hough & Bryde, 1996).
Health impact assessment as an instrument to examine the health implications of education policies
2017, Public HealthCitation Excerpt :In the short term (at the end of kindergarten or beginning of 1st grade), kindergarteners that attend FDK tend to have higher test scores when compared with those who attend half-day kindergarten (HDK).17 While conclusions about the long-term educational benefits of FDK are less definitive, research suggests that certain students who attend FDK, particularly lower socio-economic status, minority, ELL, and inner-city students, maintain significant and positive differences in math and reading scores on 3rd and 5th grade standardized tests when compared with HDK students.17–19 The literature review also revealed that proficiency on 3rd-grade reading and math tests are relatively accurate predictors of high school graduation.20,21
Full-day kindergarten and children's later reading: The role of early word reading
2016, Journal of Applied Developmental PsychologyCitation Excerpt :In addition, initial academic benefits of attending full day-kindergarten are generally not sustained through elementary school (Gullo, 2000; Saam & Nowak, 2005; Votruba-Drzal et al., 2008; Walston et al., 2005; Wolgemuth et al., 2006). Researchers have speculated reasons for the fade-out, including the characteristics of children who attend full-day programs, the quality of instruction and support in school environments post-kindergarten, and summer learning loss (Hahn et al., 2014; Zvoch, 2009). Children who are at an increased likelihood of academic difficulty are more likely to attend full-day kindergarten (Lee et al., 2006; Walston & West, 2004), so it is plausible that, although full-day kindergarten has initial benefits, children's experiences post-kindergarten (e.g., lack of continued intervention, less individualized support) do not sustain the learning from kindergarten (Rothstein, 2013; Welner & Carter, 2013).
Education programs are likely to improve health, but will they improve health equity?
2015, American Journal of Preventive Medicine
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Names and affiliations of Task Force members can be found at www.thecommmunityguide.org/about/task-force-members.html