Dr. Sabol and Dr. Diane Schanzenbach, are leading a mixed method study of the expansion of free full-day prekindergarten (pre-k) to all four-year-old children in the city of Chicago.
Our study examines the impact of the universal pre-k (UPK) expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore issues related to access, quality, and outcomes, including:
- Whether the program meets the ambitious goal of expanding access to high quality pre-k, especially for children from the most economically disadvantaged backgrounds;
- The effect of Chicago UPK on the broader child care market within Chicago;
- Whether UPK affects the quality of programs that children attend in preschool and kindergarten; and
- The effect of Chicago’s UPK on children’s academic and health outcomes from grades K-3, all with a lens toward reducing educational and health inequities in the city.
We also draw on the voices of educators, parents, early childhood education center directors, and Chicago Public School principals. We conducted more than 100 interviews to understand their perceptions of the challenges and opportunities of the UPK rollout.
We have published a number of rapid research reports with the Institute for Policy Research, including:
This project is funded by 5 local private foundations (Crown Family Philanthropies, Steans Family Foundation, CME Group Foundation, Peterson Foundation, and an anonymous foundation), 1 federal agency (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) and 2 city agencies (Chicago Public Schools and Department of Family Support Services).