Employed

Per Capita Income

Above Poverty

Economic

Preschool Enrollment

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Education

Voting

Census Response

Social

Automobile Access

Active Commuting

Transportation

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Retail Density

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Housing Habitability

Uncrowded Housing

Homeownership

Housing

Ozone

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Diesel Particulate Matter

Safe Drinking Water

Clean Environment

Extreme Heat

Impervious Surfaces

Outdoor Workers

Public Transit Access

Sea Level Rise

Two Parent Households

Alcohol Availability

Supermarket Access

Decision Support

Every child should have the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. Early childhood is a crucial period for brain development, shaping nearly every aspect of one’s future health and wellbeing.

 Quality preschool is important for healthy development, and has been associated with lifelong educational, economic and health benefits.

 Quality preschool is associated with a 40% higher rate of graduating high school, higher college attendance and grade retention, and lower placement in special education programs.

 Yet preschool is not universally required in California. Therefore, many children arrive to elementary school behind in school-readiness—increasing the likelihood that they will remain behind throughout their education. Education is linked to increased life expectancy and reduced chronic disease rates, infant mortality and other negative health outcomes. Education contributes to health in many ways: high school graduates are more likely to find quality jobs with living wages and decent working conditions; school-based learning contributes to the knowledge and cognitive skills necessary to make healthy choices; and students learn social and physiological benefiting skills including problem solving, teamwork, self-control, social support, and life skills. Preschool enrollment in California reflects persistent racial and ethnic inequities, with Asian American (64%) and White (67%) children enrolled at higher numbers than Black (60%) and Latino (55%) children.

This indicator measures the percentage 3 and 4-year olds in school.

Schweinhart, “The High/Scope Perrry Preschool Study Through Age 40: Summary, Conclusions, and Frequently Asked Questions.”

Harvard University Center on the Developing Child, “The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built In Early Childhood” (Harvard University Center on the Developing Child, 2010), http://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Foundations-of-Lifelong-Health.pdf.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Early Childhood Education.”

Kidsdata, “Children Ages 3-5 Not Enrolled in Preschool or Kindergarten, by Race/Ethnicity (California & U.S. Only),” 2015, http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/769/no-preschool-race/table#fmt=1174&loc=1,2&tf=79&ch=7,11,726,10,72,9,73.

California Child Care Programs Local Assistance—All Funds. California Department of Finance, 2014–2015 Budget Act.

American Institutes for Research, “Early Learning Needs Assessment Tool,” 2010.

Deborah Phillips, “10 Years Post- Neurons to Neighborhoods: What’s At Stake and What Matters in Child Care?,” October 19, 2010.

United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wages,” 2009.

Learning Policy Institute, “Understanding California’s Early Care and Education System” (Palo Alto, CA, 2017), https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Understanding_CA_Early_Care_Education_System_REPORT.pdf.

First Five Association of California, “A Health Beginning for Young California Kids: Universal Developmental and Behavioral Screening,” n.d., https://www.childrennow.org/files/9314/2912/4344/dev-screening-infographic.pdf.

American Academy of Pediatrics, “Poverty and Child Health in the United States: Policy Statement,” Pediatrics 137, no. 4 (2016).

Right Start Commission, “Rebuilding the California Dream,” April 2016, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/kids_action/csm_rightstartcommission_final_single-pages_o.pdf.

Jelleyman, T. and N. Spencer. (2008). Residential Mobility in Childhood and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

Gilman, S. E., Kawachi, I., Fitzmaurice, G. M., & Buka S.L. (2003). Socio-economic Status, Family Disruption and Residential Stability in Childhood: Relation to Onset, Recurrence and Remission of Major Depression. Psychological Medicine, 33 (8), 1341-1355.

Cohen, R., & Wardrip, K. (2009). Should I Stay or Should I go? Exploring the Effects of Housing Instability and Mobility on Children. Center for Housing Policy. Retrieved from http://www.nhc.org/media/files/HsgInstablityandMobility.pdf

Improving preschool enrollment requires a range of policies designed to improve access to early childhood education and wellness, and to ensure that community conditions support healthy development.

The preschool and childcare system in California is fractured, expensive and difficult to access for many families, particularly low- and moderate-income households. To address these conditions jurisdictions should 

 by supporting affordable and universal opportunities for preschool and early childhood education. Infancy and early childhood are crucial periods for brain development, and children need parental care and additional support for healthy development.

 with programs targeting the needs of young children and caregivers.

Even the best childcare and education programs cannot be successful without attention to the broader community conditions that shape child development and health. Jurisdictions should 

Foster Community and Parent Participation

 to ensure that education and childcare systems are responsive, relevant, powerful, and integrated with broader community transformation initiatives. They should also seek broader 

 to address the root causes of poor health such as economic opportunity, safety and stable housing.

Data can be collected, shared, analyzed and used to identify community needs and prioritize strategies to advance equity.

Healthy Neighborhoods

Climate

Health

Equity

Strong Evidence

Collect, Analyze, and Use Disaggregated Data

Best Practice

Track Impact Data

Support affordable and universal opportunities for preschool and early childhood education.

Universal Low or No-Cost Preschool and Childcare

Sufficient Evidence

Transitional Kindergarten

Promising

Outreach Campaigns

Workforce Development and Retention

Impact/Linkage Fees 

Transform the community conditions that shape child development.

Equitable Economic Development

Increased Funding for Public Health Infrastructure

Promote Maternal Health and Reduce Infant Mortality

Physical Activity

Violence Prevention and Safety

Developing Community-Based Approaches to Public Safety

Safe, Stable, and Affordable Housing 

Support healthy development with programs targeting young children and caregivers.

Home Visiting Programs

Free Development Screening

Caregiver Protections

Engaged communities and families ensure that education and childcare systems are responsive, relevant, powerful, and integrated with broader community transformation initiatives.

Policy Guide

Preschool Enrollment

References