ERIC Number: EJ1357973
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0014-4029
EISSN: EISSN-2163-5560
Available Date: N/A
Did State Pre-Kindergarten Programs Affect the Head Start Enrollment of Children with Disabilities? A Quasi-Experimental Analysis
Zhang, Qing; Jenkins, Jade Marcus
Exceptional Children, v89 n2 p142-160 Jan 2023
Little is known about how the expansion of state pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs affects low-income children with disabilities in Head Start. Using almost 30 years of administrative data of all Head Start programs and a differences-in-differences design, this study tests the possibility that, as state pre-k differentially draws relatively more advantaged children from the pool of eligible 4-year-olds, Head Start taps into their relative programmatic strengths and serves more children with disabilities. We found that, overall, the introduction of state pre-k was associated with a 1 percentage point (7%) decrease in Head Start enrollment of children with disabilities. However, Head Start programs located in school systems did experience an increase in their enrollment of children with disabilities identified before Head Start enrollment. We also found that the decrease was primarily driven by children with speech impairment, suggesting that state pre-k might affect the Head Start enrollment of children with disabilities through "cream-skimming" because services for these children are relatively more common and less expensive. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Descriptors: Social Services, Federal Programs, Low Income Students, State Programs, Preschool Education, Students with Disabilities, Enrollment Trends, Speech Impairments, Program Effectiveness, Models, Program Content, Disability Identification, Geographic Location, Educational Legislation, Equal Education, Federal Legislation, Student Characteristics, Individualized Education Programs
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Head Start; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1749275
Author Affiliations: N/A