Studies have shown that high-quality pre-k increases a child’s chances of success in school and in life. Children who attend high-quality pre-k programs are less likely to be held back a grade or to need special education, and they are more likely to graduate from high school. They also have higher earnings as adults and are less likely to become dependent on welfare or involved in crime.

In many states, curricula that were once reserved for first graders are being introduced in kindergarten classrooms. These children are learning more “academics” than kindergarteners of the past, and they need to learn the pre-academic foundations for formal reading earlier. Through high-quality pre-k, children become familiar with books, new words and ways to use language, numbers, and problem-solving strategies. They also learn the social skills they need to get the most out of school: how to pay attention in class and interact with peers.

A thorough but flexible curriculum helps teachers organize daily learning activities. While no one curriculum has been identified as best, high-quality pre-k programs are consistently built around curricula with specific goals that integrate learning across all aspects of a child's development: cognitive, physical, social, and emotional. Superior curricula provide a variety of daily opportunities for language and reasoning, science, math, block play, dramatic play, art, and music. Each day, children have occasion to participate in whole class activities, small groups, and individual interactions with the teacher. In this way, a strong curriculum provides opportunities for each child to reinforce individual strengths and cultivate new skills and enables teachers to meet the realities of diverse languages and cultural groups.

Children who enter school behind their peers typically remain behind. For example, children who do not recognize the letters of the alphabet when they enter kindergarten demonstrate significantly lower reading skills at the end of first grade, and statistically, by then, the damage is done. Eighty-eight percent of children who are poor readers in first grade will still be poor readers in fourth grade. Seventy-four percent of children who are poor readers in third grade will still be poor readers when they start high school. High-quality pre-k programs teach familiarity and command of the alphabet, giving children the tools they need to keep pace in school and become able readers.

Nearly 50 percent of all kindergarten teachers report that at least half of their students come to school with problems that hinder their success. These problems include difficulty following directions, struggles with academic skills, and an inability to work independently. Children like these, who arrive unprepared for kindergarten, tax the resources of the entire system. One in every six kindergartners needs specialized one-on-one tutoring or special instruction in a small group. Each year, more than 200,000 children repeat kindergarten. North Carolina spent over $170 million on children retained in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades during the 2001-2002 school year.

Classrooms where all children are prepared have higher learning productivity and classroom efficiency. More adept, proficient children perform more capably in the classroom and enhance the learning of their peers. Teachers spend more time working directly with children and less time on classroom management. Pre-k provides the preparation children need to improve the classroom experience for everyone.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires schools to ensure that all children perform at high levels. States must demonstrate yearly progress so that, by 2014, all children are achieving at a “proficient” level. States are required to close the gap between low-income and minority students and their wealthier, non-minority counterparts, raise overall student achievement, and improve high school graduation rates. Pre-k can help schools meet these requirements.

Many middle-income children are starting school without the social and academic skills they need for success. The readiness gap between middle- and upper-income children is greater than the gap between middle-income and lower-income children. Forty-nine percent of the children who don’t recognize the letters of the alphabet when they enter kindergarten are middle income or higher. Twelve percent of middle-income children repeat a grade and 11 percent drop out of high school. Pre-k offers an opportunity for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, to start school armed with the skills necessary for future success.

Targeted programs sometimes fail to reach all the children they seek to serve and often have low quality. Additionally, programs designated for poor families often carry a stigma, which discourages parents from enrolling their children. Targeting pre-k programs toward at-risk children creates separate and potentially unequal programs for lower-, middle-, and upper-income children.

Today’s early childhood system is fragmented and haphazard, with some children qualifying for more than one program and other families unable to find high-quality services even if they can afford them. By funding pre-k for all children, states can increase standards, require research-based practices, offer parents more choices, and improve accountability.