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Citation:

Reynolds, A. J. (2000). Success in early intervention: The Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Annotation:
This follow-up study explores the relationship between participation an early intervention program for low-income, inner-city children (the Chicago Child-Parent Centers) and those childrenÕs later school achievement and success. The Chicago Child-Parent Center program (CPC) provides educational and family support services to children ages 3 to 9 and their families. The program includes half-day preschool starting at age 3 or 4, half- or full-day kindergarten, and school-age services in linked elementary schools for children ages 6 to 9 years. Programs for parents include parent resource rooms and a parent resource teacher who oversees parent activities at the center and within the community. The overall study design was quasi-experimental, with a matched comparison group. Findings from the initial study were positive in terms of childrenÕs achievement test scores, lower rates of grade retention, and lower rates of special education placement. This study looked at associations between program participation and student outcomes at age 15. The author had previously found that, at the end of third grade, CPC graduates surpassed their comparison group counterparts by 4 to 6 points in reading and math achievement. He found that these significant differences remained stable up to age 15, though the magnitude of effects declined somewhat over time. Although modest, the effects Òare notable given the relative lack of evidence of the very long-term effects of large-scale early childhood programs on school achievementÓ (p. 94). Reynolds also used structural equation modeling to explore pathways of program effectiveness. Analysis indicated that the Òcognitive advantageÓ hypothesis provided the best single explanation for the significant relation between preschool participation and adolescent school achievement. The author noted that Òpreschool participants started kindergarten more cognitively ready to learn than non-preschool participantsÉ, and this advantage directly carried over to later school achievement, above and beyond the effects of other intervening variablesÓ (pp. 147-148). Analysis also showed parent participation in school to be a pathway through which the preschool program affected school achievement.