By Lieny Jeon, Margaret R. Burchinal, and Sooyeon Byun

This study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly examines to what extent children’s enrollment in Head Start and public Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) is associated with their absenteeism from kindergarten to fifth grade.  Head Start and Pre-K enrollment and school attendance records for a cohort of kindergarteners (5-years-old) in the Baltimore City Public Schools District were analyzed. 

Results indicated that children who were enrolled in Head Start or Pre-K had lower absence rates during the kindergarten year compared to those who were not enrolled in these ECE settings; the effect size was small to medium after controlling for child demographic factors and neighborhood characteristics.

In addition, the gap in school attendance between the Head Start/Pre-K participants and non-Head Start/Pre-K participants persisted over time up to fifth grade without fading out. The findings suggest that it is critical to provide extended opportunities for children with socioeconomic challenges to access ECE programs prior to their schooling.