A Wall Street Journal article echos the independent evaluation results of the Denver Preschool Program. The research indicates preschooler's enter kindergarten "ready to thrive with all the social, emotional and cognitive skills" needed to succeed in school. According to Dr. Celia Ayala - chief executive officer at Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP), a nonprofit similar to the Denver Preschool Program - children who attend high quality preschool have better success on a number of measures later in life. From The Wall Street Journal:
“When they enter kindergarten ready to thrive with all the social, emotional and cognitive skills, they perform at grade level or above,” she said. “When they don’t, that’s where that achievement gap starts.”
Dr. Ayala and other early-eduaction advocates participated in a panel on preschool in Washington. The panel argued that preschool could hold the keys to job success. The article goes on to say, "Policymakers in the U.S. are most concerned about eliminating the gap between kids who do well in school, going on to college and successful careers, and those who fall behind. Preschool, say policymakers, offers educators the best shot for getting children of varying backgrounds on equal footing."
The Denver Preschool Program's evaluation results, indicate students in the Denver Preschool Program make significant progress during their preschool year - above and beyond what would be expected based on normal development - and that the vast majority of children leave the Denver Preschool Program ready for kindergarten. Click here for further information on our evaluation.