A new article by UD assistant professor finds mixed evidence on the long-term effectiveness of preschool

Early childhood education programs can help young children develop foundational academic and social-emotional skills, especially for children in underserved communities. However, a new article published by University of Delaware Assistant Professor Anamarie Whitaker and her co-authors argues that the science on the long-term effects of early childhood education is unsettled. 

In a new review published in Science, Whitaker and her co-authors at the University of Virginia, the University of California, Irvine and Teachers College, Columbia University find mixed evidence on the long-term effectiveness of today’s preschool programs. The article reviews four rigorous evaluations of publicly funded preschool programs, which report a mix of positive, negative and no differences in the school performance of children who did and did not attend preschool programs in elementary school and beyond. The findings challenge long-held beliefs about the universal long-term benefits of preschool programs, but the authors argue that additional research is needed. 

“Many families rely on preschool programs to provide care while parents work,” said Whitaker, who specializes in early childhood education policy in UD’s College of Education and Human Development. “So, we need to understand how to ensure programs provide children with the best foundation possible to support their development.”