1/20/12

A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill recent study affirms convention wisdom that early childhood education programs can produce dramatically positive results that serve to break the vicious cycle of poverty.  The UNC study, referred to as the Abecedarian Project, followed over 100 infants from low-income families until the individuals were 30 years of age.  The infants that were enrolled in early education were more likely to pursue post-secondary education and less likely to become teenage parents. 

For reasons affirmed by the Abecedarian Project, many Texas school districts are continuing to provide early childhood education and prekindergarten educational programs in settings that no longer qualify (beginning with school year 2011-2012) for funding from state aid sources.  TASBO applauds the above-and-beyond efforts of these school districts to make a lasting difference in the lives of children from low-income families. 

In summary, the Abecedarian Project's findings are: 

• "Children who participated in the early intervention program had higher cognitive test scores from the toddler years to age 21.
• Academic achievement in both reading and math was higher from the primary grades through young adulthood.
• Intervention children completed more years of education and were more likely to attend a four-year college.
• Intervention children were older, on average, when their first child was born.
• The cognitive and academic benefits from this program are stronger than for most other early childhood programs.
• Enhanced language development appears to have been instrumental in raising cognitive test scores.
• Mothers whose children participated in the program achieved higher educational and employment status than mothers whose children were not in the program. These results were especially pronounced for teen mothers."

To access a press release on this topic, click on the link below. 

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/news/highlight_detail.cfm?id=976

To access "The Carolina Abecedarian Project" web page, click on the link below.

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~abc/#home