Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The primary intention of introducing the state-sponsored pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs is to extend services to more 4-year-olds, fill service gaps, and cover unmet needs. However, pre-k has also led to unintended consequences for Head Start, the federal government’s preschool program for disadvantaged children, and brought about competition for 4-year-olds, teachers, and resources (Bassok, 2012; Zigler, Styfco, & Gilman, 1993).

While most existing studies focus on the unintended consequences of pre-k on HS, the knowledge base on the “unintended benefits” of pre-k implementation on HS is still thin. Some evidence suggests HS may have shifted to serving more 3-year-olds as pre-k differentially draws 4-year-olds away from HS (Aikens et al., 2013; Bassok, 2012). Moreover, because in most states HS programs can access pre-k funding and resources, the introduction of pre-k can create opportunities for HS to extend services, provide additional slots, and improve quality (Government Accountability Office, 2019). However, most current studies rely on anecdotal or descriptive evidence, and only provide a snapshot of the impact of pre-k on HS in a relatively short period of pre-k expansion during the 2000s. Understanding both the unintended consequences and benefits is important to gauge the impact of pre-k on HS and identify areas of collaboration to reduce program overlap and improve the two programs’ combined efficiency.

Our study will provide the first comprehensive, causal estimate of the impact of pre-k on HS services. Using a differences-in-differences (DID) design, we will exploit variation in the timing of states’ pre-k implementation. We will use longitudinal administrative data of all HS programs in the country, the Program Information Report, from 1988 to 2018, during which 26 states established their pre-k programs. We will test the possibility that HS has been actively responding to pre-k by repositioning itself to serving children and families whose needs may not be fully addressed in pre-k. Zigler, one of HS’s founders, and other scholars suggest that HS can work on “filling the gaps” of pre-k and focus on younger children, children with disabilities, comprehensive social services (Zigler, Gilliam, & Jones, 2006). Thus, we start with the primary research question:

RQ1: Does the introduction of pre-k affect HS enrollment of younger children, children with disabilities, and social services?

Because pre-k might have downstream effects on HS program inputs, we will test the mechanisms by which pre-k affects HS and how HS might have responded to the competition from pre-k. We will examine five key inputs identified in the literature as the “active ingredients” of successful ECE programs. Specifically, we ask:

RQ2: Does the introduction of pre-k affect HS teacher education, full-day service, class size, use of the High/Scope curriculum, and home visiting services?

Together, this study will provide a comprehensive review of the programmatic impacts of pre-k on HS. We will also shed light on the “give and takes” HS made in response to the pre-k expansion. Results will have implications for program coordination, collaboration, and resource allocation to facilitate the coexistence of the federal HS and state pre-k programs.