Connecticut Preschool Expansion Grant Evaluation

The primary objective of the Connecticut Preschool Expansion Grant, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, was to expand and improve high-quality State Preschool Programs to four-year-old children whose families have incomes at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. The evaluation, which we co-led with Dr. Shaun M. Dougherty and Dr. Casey Cobb, aimed to answer 6 evaluation questions:

1. What is the effect of enhanced teacher requirements and enhanced student services on short-term measures of academic and socio-emotional development among children in state-funded prekindergarten?
2. How does professional development for prekindergarten providers relate to measures of teacher retention and classroom quality?
3. To what extent does additional professional development change teacher-reported measures of work climate?
4. To what extent does the additional requirement of a bachelor’s degree and higher pay for teachers under the PDG change the probability that a teacher will remain a preschool teacher in Connecticut?
5. To what extent do family engagement efforts by preschools under the PDG lead to better reported measures of school climate? To what extent do these efforts change teacher reports of school climate? To what extent do these efforts change family reports of school climate?
6. What are the comprehensive costs associated with offering enhanced prekindergarten slots through the state-funded programs in Connecticut?

Partner / Institution affiliation:

CT Office of Early Childhood

Funding source

U.S. Department of Education