Blueprints
Promising Programs
Program
Overview:
The Perry Preschool Project provides
high-quality early childhood education to disadvantaged
children in order to improve their later school
and life performances. The intervention combats
the relationship between childhood poverty and school
failure by promoting young children’s intellectual,
social and physical development. By increasing academic
success, the Perry Preschool Project is also able
to improve employment opportunities and wages, as
well as decrease crime, teenage pregnancy, and welfare
use.
Program Targets:
The Project is aimed at low socioeconomic families
who have children, ages 3 and 4.
Program Content:
The Perry Preschool Project is a two-year intervention
that operates 2.5 hours per day, 5 days per week,
for seven months per year, and includes weekly
home visitations by teachers. Its success is largely
due to the following components:
- A developmentally appropriate curriculum that
views children as active, self-initiated learners.
- Small classrooms of no more than 20 children and at least
2 staff that allows a more supervised and supportive
learning environment.
- Staff who are trained in early childhood development
and education, who receive supervision and on-going
instruction, and who meet frequently with parents and other caregivers.
- Sensitivity to the noneducational needs of disadvantaged
children and their families, which includes providing
meals and recommending other social service agencies
.
- Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of both teachers’
activities and children’s behaviors and development.
Program Outcomes:
Evaluations have demonstrated a wide range of successful
outcomes for Perry Preschool children, compared to
those who did not receive intervention, including:
- Less delinquency, including less contact with
juvenile justice officials, fewer arrests at age
19, and less involvement in serious fights, gang
fights, causing injuries, and police contact.
- Less antisocial behavior and misconduct during
elementary school and at age 15.
- Fewer lifetime arrests through age 40 (36% vs. 55% with 5 or more arrests); fewer arrests for violent crimes (32% vs. 48%), property crimes (36% vs. 58%), and drug crimes (14% vs. 34%).
- Higher academic achievement, including higher
scores on standardized tests of intellectual ability
and higher high school grades.
- Fewer school dropouts at age 19 (33% vs. 51%),
and higher rates of high school graduation.
- Greater commitment to school and more favorable
attitudes about high school.
- More employed at age 27 (69% vs. 56%) and age 40 (76% vs. 62%); higher median annual earnings at 27 ($12,000 vs. $10,000) and 40 ($20,800 vs. $15,300).
- Greater economic independence and less reliance
on public assistance, including welfare usage.
- Fewer pregnancies and births for women at age
19.
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