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New study: All-day preschool proves more beneficial to children than half-day programs

By on January 4, 2024

A study by the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development recently published in JAMA Network found that the length of preschool program that a child attends has a significant impact in his/her future academic success.

Professor Arthur J. Reynolds, PhD and the study author said in an interview with Parents, “In a previous study, we found that full-day pre-k was associated with increased school readiness skills and better attendance at the end of the year.”

“In this study, we wanted to know if the effects on school performance and achievement were sustained through third grade.”

The study involved almost 1,000 children (preschool through third grade) from low-income families. The research team found that children who attended full-day preschool programs had higher math and reading skills by grade three than those who went to half-day preschool programs. They also presented with better emotional development.

Prof. Reynolds attributes the better learning outcomes not just to the longer preschool hours but also to the strength of the program, the curriculum used, and the integration between preschool and elementary school.

“What mattered most was the degree of leadership support at the school,” Dr. Reynolds emphasized in the interview.

“Stronger leadership and school supports led to even stronger impacts of full day pre-k on third-grade reading achievement.”

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