Amy Kershaw and Amy Checkoway on putting quality preK first

In 2005, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to create one agency to oversee early education and care and after-school services for families, the Department for Early Education and Care (EEC). Although the push for universal preK was a driving force behind the creation of the agency, the mission is intentionally much broader: to develop an integrated, coordinated, thriving system of early education and care serving children birth through school-age and their families.

With the strong support of the governor and the state legislature, Massachusetts is now in its third year of implementing a statewide universal preK (UPK) pilot initiative. The goal for Massachusetts UPK is to ensure that all children have access to a high-quality early learning experience that prepares them for school success. ("When Worlds Collide: Universal PreK brings new challenges for public elementary schools," HEL, November/December 2008.)

Massachusetts UPK is designed around several key principles: 1) build a UPK system not a program; 2) focus on quality first—for programs at all levels—then move towards expanding access for additional families; and 3) implement UPK through the existing mixed public and private early education system in order to maximize resources and parent choice.

Approximately 255,000 preschool children live in Massachusetts. On any given day, an estimated 70-80 percent of these children participate in an early education program. A much more limited number of these children, however, have access to high quality programming. To begin to address this quality challenge, the current phase of the UPK targets Quality grants to preschool programs to help them maintain and increase the quality of their programs. To participate in UPK, programs must be nationally accredited, have skilled teachers, follow state curriculum guidelines, and use one of four state-approved, age-appropriate child assessment systems to inform daily practice. UPK programs are using their grants to increase teacher compensation, provide new staff professional development opportunities, implement enriched curricula, and offer new comprehensive services. The pilot also includes planning grants to support emerging programs to improve quality and move toward UPK participation.

Many families across the state also struggle to afford the high cost of a quality early education programs. As the number of UPK programs increase, Massachusetts is also well-positioned to help more families to pay to enroll in these high quality programs through EEC’s existing financial assistance system – which already reaches nearly 70,000 families across the state. Current plans envision starting with the lowest-income and most educationally at-risk families and over time, reaching families at higher income levels.

Massachusetts UPK is being delivered through the existing mixed system of early education providers. Families make different choices about where to send their young children based on a variety of factors. Massachusetts UPK incorporates all of the settings where preschool children are already enrolled. Current UPK programs, serving more than 4,800 children, include 67 center-based programs, 56 Head Start programs, 15 public and private school programs, and 72 family child care providers. This strategy also allows EEC, as well as individual programs and schools, to blend federal, state, local and private funding to maximize assistance to families.

A recently released evaluation of the UPK Pilot found that we are headed in the right direction. UPK funds are going to the areas most likely to lead to meaningful differences for children and program staff are seeing significant changes in quality because of these new resources (Abt Associates Inc., 2008). Massachusetts is well-positioned to build upon the successes of the UPK pilot as well as its rich existing infrastructure to ensure that our youngest children have the highest quality early experiences and are well-prepared for success in school and life.

Amy Kershaw is the acting commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. Amy Checkoway is the EEC’s UPK Program Manager.