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Paying the Price for the High Cost of Preschool in California

A report from FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California

Acknowledgements

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California gratefully acknowledges the support of its funders and ofthose who contributed time and expertise to the research and production of this report.

Major funding for FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California is provided by:

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation • Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund • The CaliforniaEndowment • The California Wellness Foundation • James Irvine Foundation • JEHT Foundation• The Pew Charitable Trusts—Advancing Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is supported by tax-deductible contribution from foundations,individuals, and corporations.

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS receives no funds from federal, state, or local governments.

This report was authored by Brian Lee.

Special thanks is owed to FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California staff members Michael Klein,Erica Terry Derryck, Barrie Becker, Catherine Hazelton and Danielle Wondra, Bill Christeson,David Kass, Michael Kharfen, Jeff Kirsch and Stephanie Schaefer of the national office; SandraNaughton of Children Now; Catherine Atkin, Susanna Cooper, Aleksandra Holod and MaryannO’Sullivan of Preschool California; Michael Jett and Deborah Lindley of the CaliforniaDepartment of Education; Fran Kipnis and Carlise King of the California Child Care Resource &Referral Network; Randy Zu Wallack; and St.Vincent’s Day Home.

Cover photo by Michael Klein of students at St.Vincent’s Day Home in Oakland, CA.

Publication Design by Elizabeth Kuehl.

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS CALIFORNIA • 414 13th Street • Oakland, CA 94612 • 510.836.2050 • Fax 510.836.2121

1Paying the Price for the High Cost of Preschool in California

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS CaliforniaExecutive Committee Members

Sheriff Leroy Baca, Los Angeles CountySheriff Michael Carona, Orange County Sheriff Jim Denney, Sutter CountySheriff Curtis J. Hill, San Benito CountySheriff Clay Parker, Tehama CountyChief William Lansdowne, San DiegoChief Susan Manheimer, San MateoChief Albert Nájera, SacramentoChief Camerino Sanchez, Santa BarbaraChief Paul Walters, Santa AnaHon. Elizabeth A. Egan, District Attorney, Fresno County Hon. George Kennedy, District Attorney, Santa Clara CountyHon. Tom Orloff, District Attorney, Alameda County Hon. Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney, Orange CountyHon. Grover C. Trask II, District Attorney, Riverside CountyMr. Griffin Dix, PhD., Violence Prevention ConsultantMs. Alexandra Matteucci-Perkins, The Joseph Matteucci Foundation forYouth Non-ViolenceMs. Nina Salarno Ashford, Consultant to Crime Victims UnitedAttorney GeneralHon. Bill LockyerChairman EmeritusChief Burnham Matthews (Ret.), Alameda

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California is a non-profit, bipartisan anti-crime organization ledby California’s sheriffs, police chiefs, district attorneys and crime victims dedicated toreducing crime by promoting public investments in programs proven to keep kids frombecoming involved in crime. FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California is part of the nationalFIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS organization.

This report is available free of charge on the FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California websiteat http://www.fightcrime.org/ca.

For printed copies or more information about FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California, seeback cover.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved, 2006, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Washington, DC

2 FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California

Quality preschool programs lay the foundation for children’s success, providing critical academicand social skills. These benefits extend well beyond preparing young children for kindergarten.They help children succeed in school and in life and prevent future crime and violence.

However, faced with the high costs of paying for preschool on their own, too few Californiafamilies can afford to enroll their children in quality preschool programs. California pays the pricefor quality preschool being out of reach of so many children. Without quality preschool, morechildren get started on the wrong track, struggle in school, drop out, and turn to crime later in life.

Part-time Private Preschool Is More Expensive than Attending a California StateUniversity

• A private, part-time, center-based program for a preschool-age child costs families anaverage of $4,022 per year. This average includes both preschool and child care programs ofvarying quality.

• Sending a child to a part-time private preschool costs more than the full-time cost of aCalifornia State University (CSU). CSU tuition for full-time students in 2005-2006 averages$3,164—less than the average cost of part-time private preschool and child care in everyCalifornia county.

• Many families pay far more. Part-time programs in the top 15 percent of the price scalestart at $5,552 per year.

High Cost Puts Preschool Out of Reach of Low- and Middle-income Families

• The high cost of preschool helps explain why most children from both low-income andmiddle-income families are unlikely to be enrolled in any program at all, and why very feware likely to be enrolled in a quality preschool.

• Middle-income families, earning between $30,000 and $60,000 in 2000, are particularlyhard hit. Higher-income families are 43 percent more likely to enroll their children inpreschool than middle-income families. Children from these middle-income families arealmost as unlikely as low-income children to be enrolled in preschool.

• With a family of four in California in 2005 needing to earn up to $70,000 just to makeends meet, many middle-income families would have to shortchange basic necessities—such as housing, food or health care—to afford preschool.

Executive Summary


Quality Preschool Is Even More Out of Reach Due to Higher Costs

• Quality preschool costs much more than the average rate for both preschool and childcare programs of mixed quality. Economists at the RAND Corporation estimate that theannual cost of providing quality part-time preschool in California is close to $6,000 perchild—over 40 percent more than the average for part-time, center-based programs.

• Less than 15 percent of part-time, center-based programs charge as much as RANDestimates is necessary to run a quality preschool.

California Pays the Price

• As high costs preclude many families from enrolling their children in quality preschool,children who could have started on the right track instead struggle in school, drop out andturn to crime.

• If quality preschool were universally available in California, juvenile crime would bereduced by 19 percent, and high school dropouts would fall by 14 percent.

California must invest in making quality preschool available to all California children to preparethem for lifelong learning and to prevent future crime.


The more than 350 sheriffs, police chiefs,district attorneys, other law enforcementleaders and crime survivors who lead FIGHT

CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California are determinedto put dangerous criminals behind bars. Butthose on the front lines know that locking upcriminals is not enough to win the fight againstcrime. Law enforcement leaders and victims ofviolence recognize that among the mostpowerful weapons to prevent crime andviolence are quality preschool programs.Quality preschool, with qualified teachers andage-appropriate curricula, helps kids get theright start in life when their brains are rapidlydeveloping and ready to learn.

Years of research confirm that quality preschoolprograms lay the foundation for children tobecome responsible adults. Quality preschoolprovides critical academic and social skills,which not only prepare children forkindergarten, but also help children succeed inschool and life and prevent future crime andviolence.

Yet, faced with the high costs of paying forpreschool on their own, too few Californiafamilies can afford to enroll their children inquality preschool. Due to high costs, as well aslimited public funding and long waiting lists forpublicly-funded programs, too many familieshave no choice and simply cannot enroll theirchildren in quality preschools that could makesuch a difference to their children and toCalifornia.

Part-time Private Preschool Is MoreExpensive than Attending a CaliforniaState University

The thousands of dollars it costs to send a child

to private preschool make preschool,particularly quality programs, unaffordable fortoo many California families. New researchshows that a private, part-time, center-basedprogram for a preschool-age child costsfamilies an average of $4,022 per year, based ondata from the California Department ofEducation.1 This average includes bothpreschool and child care programs of mixedquality, making it a conservative estimate ofwhat parents actually pay for preschool.

Sending a child to part-time preschool costsmore than the full-time cost of a CaliforniaState University (CSU). CSU tuition for 2005-2006 averages $3,164—less than the averagecost of part-time private preschool and childcare in every California county, and well belowthe price of higher-cost programs.2

And many families pay far more. For example,part-time programs in the top 15 percent of the

Paying the Price for the High Cost of Preschool in California

Part-time Private Preschool Costs More than California State University

$3,164

$4,022

CSU full-time tuition

Average cost ofpart-time preschool

and child care

CA Dept. of Education 2005, CA State University 2005

price scale start at $5,552 per year.3 Analphabetical list, by county, of the average costand top 15 percent cost is provided in theAppendix.

Working families need to spend even more,given their need for full-time, year-round care.4

The annual part-time rate is based on a 180-day school year.5 A child is in part-time care ifhe or she participates for less than 30 hours perweek. In practice, the vast majority of part-time children attend 20 hours or less perweek.6

High Cost Puts Preschool Out of Reachof Low and Middle-income Families

The high cost of preschool helps explain whymost children from both low-income familiesand middle-income families are unlikely toenroll in preschool, and why very few are likelyto be enrolled in a quality preschool.7

Low-income families earn under $30,000. Theyrank in the bottom third of family income,based on the 2000 Census.8

Middle-income families, who earn between$30,000 and $60,000 and tend not to be eligiblefor publicly-funded preschool programs suchas Head Start or State Preschool, areparticularly hard hit by the high price ofpreschool. In fact, even though middle-incomefamilies earn more, the enrollment rates forlow-income and middle-income children arecomparable.

Meanwhile, preschool-age children fromhigher-income families (earning over $60,000in 2000) are 43 percent more likely to attendpreschool than children from middle-incomefamilies.9

Given the cost of living in California, manymiddle-income families would have toshortchange basic necessities—such ashousing, food or health care—to afford qualitypreschool. According to a 2005 study, just in


CountyMARINSANTA CLARASAN MATEOSAN FRANCISCOSANTA CRUZALAMEDACONTRA COSTAORANGEMONTEREYSTATE AVERAGESAN BENITOSANTA BARBARAMONOVENTURASAN DIEGOSONOMALOS ANGELESPLACEREL DORADOYOLOSOLANOALPINEKINGSNAPASACRAMENTORIVERSIDEAMADORSAN BERNARDINOGLENNSAN JOAQUINKERNSTANISLAUSFRESNODEL NORTEYUBAIMPERIALTUOLUMNEMENDOCINOTULARENEVADACOLUSALASSENMARIPOSAMERCEDMODOCPLUMASSIERRASUTTERTEHAMATRINITYSAN LUIS OBISPOSHASTAMADERAINYOSISKIYOUCALAVERASBUTTELAKEHUMBOLDT

Average$4,859 $4,700 $4,697 $4,574 $4,488 $4,210 $4,143 $4,075 $4,031 $4,022$4,004 $3,984 $3,942 $3,929 $3,847 $3,846 $3,783 $3,772 $3,741 $3,737 $3,714 $3,697 $3,691 $3,665 $3,566 $3,550 $3,536 $3,524 $3,514 $3,509 $3,504 $3,480 $3,478 $3,477 $3,465 $3,463 $3,455 $3,450 $3,443 $3,441 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,427 $3,427 $3,422 $3,420 $3,385 $3,384 $3,382 $3,374

Average Cost to Families of Part-time Private Preschool and Child Care

CA Dept. of Education 2005

order to make ends meet, a family of four withtwo children needs to earn from approximately$50,000 (for a family with a stay-at-homeparent) to close to $70,000 (for a family withtwo working parents, who face full-time childcare costs and additional transportationexpenses and taxes).10 Faced with the choicebetween preschool and meeting basic needs,many families in the “middle”do not havethousands of dollars to spare to pay forpreschool.

Coupled with the high costs, the under fundingof publicly-funded preschool programscontributes to low enrollment rates inCalifornia. Together, the primary state andfederally-funded programs reach only 20percent of all preschool-age childrenstatewide.11 Three out of four publicly-fundedprograms surveyed have waiting lists.12

This lack of funding impacts many middle-income families who would otherwise beeligible for state-funded programs if not for thefact that the eligibility level has not been raised

since 2000 to reflect increases in the cost ofliving. The current eligibility level for state-subsidized preschool programs is $39,000 for afamily of four, and would be $50,861 if cost-of-living increases were taken into account.13

Quality Preschool Is Even More Out ofReach Due to Higher Costs

Quality preschool costs much more than theaverage rate. Economists at the RANDCorporation estimate that the annual cost ofproviding quality preschool in California isclose to $6,000 per child—over 40 percentmore than the average part-time rate for bothpreschool and child care programs of mixedquality.14

Indeed, in California quality programs are theexception, rather than the rule. Based onteacher qualifications alone, at best only one infive California children is estimated to beenrolled in a quality preschool.15 And less than


15 percent of part-time,center-based programscharge as much as RANDestimates is necessary to runa quality preschool.

While higher costs do notguarantee higher-qualityprograms, cost and qualitytend to be related. Programswith more funding generallywill be better able to meetthe standards that qualitydemands, including:

• Highly-qualifiedteachers with appropriatecompensation;16

• Comprehensive andage-appropriatecurricula;17

• Strong parentinvolvement;18

• Ratios of no more than 10 children perstaff member;19

• Class sizes of no more than 20children;20 and • Screening and referral services.21

As researchers from the Urban Instituteexplain,“Even though not all higher cost care isof high quality it does generally cost more toprovide higher quality care because of thehigher costs associated with better trained andpaid teachers, as well as better materials andfacilities.”22

California Pays the Price: Less Accessto Quality Preschool Leads to MoreDropouts and More Crime

California pays the price for quality preschoolbeing out of reach of so many children andfamilies. Research shows that children deniedquality preschool are more likely to struggle inschool, drop out, and become involved in crime.

For example, the High/Scope Research

Foundation conducted a study of randomlyselected 3- and 4-year-olds at the PerryPreschool Program in Ypsilanti, Mich., startingin 1962. The Perry Preschool Program is a high-quality, one- to two-year educational programwith a home-visiting component that isconsidered the model for early childhoodeducational programs. In November 2004, theFoundation released the most recent findingson the lifetime effects of the Perry PreschoolProgram.

Compared to children who did not attend thePerry Preschool Program, by age 40 those whodid attend the program were more likely tograduate from high school (65 percent versus 45percent).23 Children who were not enrolled inthe Perry Preschool Program were also twice aslikely to be placed in special education classes.

By age 40, those who did not attend PerryPreschool were more than twice as likely tobecome career criminals with more than 10arrests, and four times more likely to bearrested for drug felonies.24


Rent & Utilities Car Groceries Doctors Bills &Insurance Clothing, etc. Taxes TOTAL

$ Left for Preschool

$18,000 $4,092 $8,520

$9,240 $4,944 $6,384 $51,180

$0

Minimum Budget to Make Ends Meet in CA

(family of 4: 2 children, 1 working and 1 stay-at-home parent)Family Earning $50,000

Has No Money Left For Preschool

California Budget Project 2005

A study of the larger-scale Chicago Child-Parent Centers, a federally-funded programthat has served 100,000 3- and 4-year-oldssince 1967, also found that quality preschoolhas a significant crime-prevention impact.Children who did not participate in theprogram were 70 percent more likely to bearrested for a violent crime by age 18.25

If all children had access to quality preschool,California would benefit tremendously. In 2005,the RAND Corporation concluded that aquality universal, voluntary preschool programfor all California 4-year-olds would lead to:

• A 19 percent reduction in juvenilecrime;• Significant reductions in the numberof children abused and neglected;• Improved academic success, includinga 19 percent reduction in graderepetition, 9 percent fewer specialeducation years, and a 14 percentreduction in high school dropouts; and• Increases in lifetime earnings forparticipants.

As a result, there would be 29,000 fewercriminal charges filed against juveniles and

10,000 fewer high school dropouts for everyclass year of preschoolers.26

Quality preschool pays off in saved dollars, aswell as saved lives. RAND found that for everydollar invested, California society would getback $2.62 in benefits.27

While RAND recognized that quality preschoolmost dramatically benefits the mostdisadvantaged children who are most at risk ofstarting school behind, dropping out, andturning to crime; it concluded that qualitypreschool can benefit a broader range ofchildren. RAND reviewed the availableresearch regarding the impact of preschool onchildren across the economic spectrum. Forexample, it considered a 2005 study ofOklahoma’s universal preschool system, whichfound that the program improved schoolreadiness skills for students across incomelevels.28 Based on such evidence, RANDestimated that middle- and higher-incomechildren who would not otherwise attendpreschool would also benefit from participatingin a statewide universal preschool program.29

Given the potential benefits quality preschooloffers California’s children and communities,overcoming the hurdle of high costs is critical.Every day California fails to invest in makingpreschool more accessible is a costly missedopportunity to prepare children to succeed andimprove public safety.

Conclusion/Recommendations

The high costs of preschool keep too manyCalifornia children out of quality preschool,and California pays the price for continuing tolet cost stand in the way of every child havingthe opportunity to get started on the righttrack. It’s time to invest in what works. The lawenforcement leaders and crime survivormembers of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS

California call on the state and federalgovernments to make quality preschoolavailable to all California children.


14%

31%

Perry Preschool children

Similar children randomly excluded from Perry Preschool

More than 10 arrests by age 40

Schweinhart, et al., 2004

Kids Left Out of Quality Preschool Twice as Likely to be Career Criminals

Appendix


CountyALAMEDAALPINEAMADORBUTTECALAVERASCOLUSACONTRA COSTADEL NORTEEL DORADOFRESNOGLENNHUMBOLDTIMPERIALINYOKERNKINGSLAKELASSENLOS ANGELESMADERAMARINMARIPOSAMENDOCINOMERCEDMODOCMONOMONTEREYNAPANEVADAORANGEPLACERPLUMASRIVERSIDESACRAMENTOSAN BENITOSAN BERNARDINOSAN DIEGOSAN FRANCISCOSAN JOAQUINSAN LUIS OBISPOSAN MATEOSANTA BARBARASANTA CLARASANTA CRUZSHASTASIERRASISKIYOUSOLANOSONOMASTANISLAUSSUTTERTEHAMATRINITYTULARETUOLUMNEVENTURAYOLOYUBASTATE AVERAGE

Average$4,210 $3,697 $3,536 $3,384 $3,385 $3,428 $4,143 $3,477 $3,741 $3,478 $3,514 $3,374 $3,463 $3,422 $3,504 $3,691 $3,382 $3,428 $3,783 $3,427 $4,859 $3,428 $3,450 $3,428 $3,428 $3,942 $4,031 $3,665 $3,441 $4,075 $3,772 $3,428 $3,550 $3,566 $4,004 $3,524 $3,847 $4,574 $3,509 $3,428 $4,697 $3,984 $4,700 $4,488 $3,427 $3,428 $3,420 $3,714 $3,846 $3,480 $3,428 $3,428 $3,428 $3,443 $3,455 $3,929 $3,737 $3,465 $4,022

Cost to Families of Part-time Private Preschool and Child Care

CA Dept. of Education 2005

15% Highest-Cost Programs Start at $5,852 Start at $6,127 Start at $5,588 Start at $4,991 Start at $4,734 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,706 Start at $5,611 Start at $5,193 Start at $5,453 Start at $5,597 Start at $4,670 Start at $5,605 Start at $5,613 Start at $5,466 Start at $5,099 Start at $4,924 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,511 Start at $5,622 Start at $7,120 Start at $5,624 Start at $6,120 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,624 Start at $4,835 Start at $5,148 Start at $4,771 Start at $5,334 Start at $5,732 Start at $4,954 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,087 Start at $5,107 Start at $4,826 Start at $5,543 Start at $5,453 Start at $6,336 Start at $5,351 Start at $4,540 Start at $6,676 Start at $5,915 Start at $6,673 Start at $5,852 Start at $5,622 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,610 Start at $4,851 Start at $4,820 Start at $6,125 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,624 Start at $5,621 Start at $5,588 Start at $5,089 Start at $6,135 Start at $5,614 Start at $5,552


Endnotes1 Based on data from Randal Zu Wallack. (2006, February 13).Personal Communication. Randal Zu Wallack is an analyst withORC Macro, which conducted the Regional Market Rate (RMR) sur-vey for the California Department of Education. County averageswere provided by: California Department of Education. (2005).“Statewide RMR for Preschoolers.” The California Department ofEducation reported average and top 15 percent rates by local juris-diction, both by zip code and by county.The RMR is determined by a formula based on the amount that differ-ent types of providers charge for care in each region of the state.The RMR survey collects information on current rates charged byCalifornia’s child care centers and family child care homes, which inturn is used to calculate the maximum reimbursement ceilings for par-ticipants in a variety of voucher-based state- and federally-subsidizedchild care programs. Preschool-age children are defined for purpos-es of the RMR as from 2 to 5 years old. The RMR survey relied uponfor this report was conducted in Spring 2005. To address limitationsdue to sample sizes and response rates, local estimates of ratescharged reflect responses from both the local jurisdiction and fromcomparable jurisdictions. Data was initially organized by groupingtogether demographically-comparable zip codes across the state into13 market profiles.As of February 2006, the 2005 RMR data is not yet being used toset rates, pending determination of whether rates should be based onzip code or county. The validity of neither the county rates nor thezip code rates is at issue. The issue relates to which data is appropri-ate for setting rates.In order to determine a state average, it was necessary to “weight”the local data, so that jurisdictions with more children in part-timeprograms were given greater consideration. Weighting was basedon number of children served. Data was not available on the num-ber of children served by county. Instead, weighting data was avail-able by market profile, and the state average was determined byweighting the rates for each market profile. 2 CSU 2005/06 Academic Year Resident Undergraduate Fees.Available on the California State University website: http://www.cal-state.edu/budget/FeeEnrll_Info/FeeInfo/Campus_Mand_Fees/Mand_Fees_ToC.shtml. Total tuition includes the Student University Fee andmandatory Campus Fees, including: Health Facilities and Services;Instructionally-Related Activities; Materials, Services and Facilities;Student Body Association; and Student Body Center. 3 Based on data from Randal Zu Wallack. (2006, February 3).Personal Communication. Randal Zu Wallack is an analyst withORC Macro, which conducted the Regional Market Rate survey forthe California Department of Education. The state uses this rate, the85th percentile, as the maximum value for a voucher for child careassistance for low-income working families. A principle behind set-ting reimbursement ceilings is to ensure that families receiving subsi-dies have equal access to child care comparable to the care avail-able to nonsubsidized children.4 The average cost for full-time, full-year center-based programs forpreschool-age children ranges from $10,371 in the most expensivecounty to $6,164 in the least expensive. California Department ofEducation. (2005). “Statewide RMR for Preschoolers.” The full-yearrate was determined by multiplying the monthly rate by 12.5 The 180-day rate was determined by dividing the weekly rate byfive to calculate a daily rate and multiplying that rate by 180.6 In its question regarding part-time rates, the RMR survey includesan “interviewer note” that “part-time is less than 30 hours/week.”Questionnaire obtained from California Department of Education.With part-time defined so broadly, the rate statistics may reflect avariety of part-time schedules (such as five half-days weekly, three fulldays, or three half-days). Although different part-time schedules exist,individual respondents had the opportunity to respond about only

one kind of part-time schedule, when they were asked for their part-time weekly and part-time monthly rates for preschool-age children.Respondents had the discretion to determine which kind of part-timeschedule to respond regarding, and were not asked to identify whichkind of schedule it was. It is likely that most responses were forschedules of 20 hours or fewer because centers reported that theoverwhelming majority of part-time preschool-age children wereenrolled 20 hours or fewer per week (66 percent), rather than morethan 20 hours (34 percent). Randal Zu Wallack. (February 3,2006). Personal Communication. Randal Zu Wallack is an analystwith ORC Macro, which conducted the RMR survey. Of all respon-dents, including full-time participants, 19.12 percent participated for20 hours or fewer, while 9.75 percent participated between 20 and30 hours.7 The preschool enrollment rate for preschool-age children from mid-dle-income families is 42 percent, while the rate from low-incomefamilies is 39 percent. 60 percent of children from higher-incomefamilies are enrolled. California Research Bureau. (2004).Unpublished data (from 2000 Census, using 5% Public UseMicrodata Sample). Enrollment in quality preschool is much lower,given that only one in five children is estimated to be in a quality pre-school, based on teacher qualifications alone. Williams, J. (2005,November 17). “Reiner one step closer to putting preschool initiativeon ballot.” Sacramento Bee. Low- and middle-income children maybe less likely to be in quality preschool given higher costs often asso-ciated with quality programs. 8 The breakdown among low-, middle- and higher-income families isapproximate. Among families with preschool-age children, the actualdividing line for the bottom third is $29,000, and for the top third is$63,500. Sandra Naughton. (2006, February 27). PersonalCommunication. (From 2000 Census, using 5% Public UseMicrodata Sample.) Sandra Naughton is Director of Education atChildren Now. 9 California Research Bureau. (2004). Unpublished data (from2000 Census, using 5% Public Use Microdata Sample). Comparedto children from low-income families, children from higher-incomefamilies are 54 percent more likely to be enrolled in preschool.10 California Budget Project. (2005). Making Ends Meet: HowMuch Does It Cost to Raise a Family in California? P. 18. Retrievedfrom: http://www.cbp.org/2005/0509_mem.pdf. A family of fourwith one working parent needs to earn over $51,000 to make endsmeet; a family with two working parents needs to earn over$71,000. Necessary expenses include: housing and utilities; trans-portation; food; health care; miscellaneous (such as clothing, person-al care, and telephone services); and taxes. The analysis for the two-working-parent family assumes year-round, full-time child care expens-es for a school-age child and an infant in family child care homes,rather than child care centers. The income needed for a two-parentworking family with a preschool-age child would likely differ by afew thousand dollars, but whether it would be more or less woulddepend on the age of the second child. Given that the cost of childcare for preschool-age children tends to fall in the middle, if the sec-ond child were an infant, for whom care is generally the most expen-sive, the required family income to make ends meet would be more;if the second child were school-age, for whom care tends to be leastexpensive, the required family income would be less. 11 Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California. (2005). Public SafetyCan’t Wait: California’s Preschool Shortage, A Missed Opportunityfor Crime Prevention.http://www.fightcrime.org/ca/waitlist/capreschool.pdf 12 Id.13 According to the Census Bureau, the State Median Income forfour-person families in California for FY 2006 was $67,814. U.S.Census Bureau. (2004, July 8). Median Income for 4-PersonFamilies, by State. Retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau website:http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/4person.html. However, thestate has not updated the SMI for purposes of eligibility since 2000,when 75 percent of SMI was $39,000 for a family of four. Michael

Fuller. (2004, April 13 and December 16). PersonalCommunication. Michael Fuller was a Consultant for the CaliforniaDepartment of Education, Child Development Division.14 Karoly, L. & Bigelow, J. (2005). The Economics of Investing inUniversal Preschool Education in California. The RAND Corporation.P. 89. Retrieved from: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG349/. The estimated rate for quality preschool is$5,704 in 2003 dollars, which is 42 percent more than the $4,022average for center-based preschool and child care programs.15 Williams, J. (2005, November 17). “Reiner one step closer toputting preschool initiative on ballot.” Sacramento Bee.16 Several studies show that high-quality preschool teachers have atleast a four-year degree, partake in on-going training, and are paidwell. Whitebook, M. (2003). Early Education Quality: HigherTeacher Qualifications for Better Learning Environments—A Review ofthe Literature. Retrieved from the Center for the Study of Child CareEmployment website: http://iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/teacher.pdf. 17 Katz, L. (1999). Curriculum Disputes in Early ChildhoodEducation. Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative; Universityof Illinois. Archive of ERIC/EECE Digest. Retrieved from the Archiveof ERIC/EECE Digest website:http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1999/katz99b.pdf;Goffin, S.G. & Wilson, C. (2001). Curriculum Models and EarlyChildhood Education: Appraising the Relationship (2nd ed.). UpperSaddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. 18 Some examples of a strong parent-involvement component includethe home visits in the High/Scope Perry Preschool and SyracuseUniversity Family Development programs, the intensive parent coach-ing in Chicago Child-Parent Centers, and the parent volunteers inHead Start. For Perry Preschool, see Schweinhart, L.J., Barnes, H.V.,& Weikart, D.P. (1993). Significant Benefits: The High/Scope PerryPreschool Study Through Age 27. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.See also D.R. Powell (Ed.). (1988). Parent Education as EarlyChildhood Intervention: Emerging Directions in Theory, Research,and Practice (pp. 79-104). Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing. 19 National Association for the Education of Young Children.(1998). “Accreditation Criteria and Procedures of the NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children.” Washington, DC:NAEYC. Cited in Barnett, W.S., Robin, K.B., Hustedt, J.T. &Schulman, K.L. (2004). The State of Preschool: 2004 StatePreschool Yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for EarlyEducation Research.20 Id.21 Dunkle, M. & Vismara, L. (2004). Developmental Checkups:They’re good, they’re cheap and they’re almost never done. What’swrong with this picture? Retrieved from the Education Week website:http://www.edweek.org. 22 See Adams, G., Snyder, K. & Tout, K. (2003). Essential butOften Ignored: Child Care Providers in the Subsidy System. UrbanInstitute. Retrieved from: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310613. 23 Schweinhart, L.J., Montie, J. & Xiang, Z. (2004). LifetimeEffects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40.High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. UnpublishedManuscript.24 Id.25 Reynolds, A.J., Temple, J.A., Robertson, D.L. & Mann, E.A.(2001). “Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on edu-cational achievement and juvenile arrest.” Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, 285(12), pp. 2339-2380.26 Karoly, L. & Bigelow, J. (2005). The Economics of Investing inUniversal Preschool Education in California. The RAND Corporation.Retrieved from: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG349/.27 Id.28 Gormley, W.T., Gayer, T., Phillips, D. & Dawson, B. (2005).“The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development.”Developmental Psychology, Vol. 41, No. 6.29 Karoly, L. (2005). County-Level Estimates of the Effects of aUniversal Preschool Program in California. The RAND Corporation.

P. 15. Retrieved from:http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR340/. RAND pro-jected that, of children who would not otherwise attend preschoolwithout universal preschool being available, the lowest-income chil-dren, from families earning below $23,000, as of 2000, wouldreceive 100 percent of the potential benefits; children from familiesearning between $23,000 and $39,000 would receive 50 percentof the potential benefits; and children from families earning over$39,000 would receive 25 percent of the benefits. RAND also pro-jected that children from the bottom two income levels who are cur-rently enrolled in public preschool programs would obtain partialbenefits from an upgrade in program quality associated with a uni-versal system.


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