REPORT SUMMARY

Cincinnati Preschool Promise (CPP) provides opportunities for children to benefit from local preschool programs through Tuition Assistance (TA) and Quality Improvement (QI) programs. CPP makes it possible for preschoolers to have equitable access to high-quality preschool by providing support, such as TA funding, to families. CPP also supports professional development for preschool teachers and Providers. This report examines the impact of CPP programs, including benefits for preschoolers and returns for Cincinnati, through quantitative and qualitative evaluations conducted by CPP’s external program evaluator, INNOVATIONS in Community Research and Program Evaluation of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

The quantitative evaluation was based on agency-level and participation data provided by CPP, and academic data provided by Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), designed to address the following key areas:

Child Outcomes

• Kindergarten Readiness of CPP Participants Compared to Non-CPP Participants

• Preschooler Development and Progress as Measured by Preschool Assessments

• Benefits of Extended Learning Session (ELS)

Reach And Access

• Enrollment of Preschoolers in CPP Programs

• Preschool-Aged Children Not Enrolled in CPP

• Providers Participating in CPP

• Providers Not Engaged with CPP

• Access to High-Quality Preschool Because of CPP Tuition Assistance Funding

• Utilization of TA Funding

• Availability and Utilization of High-Quality Preschools

• Cost and Affordability of Quality Rated Preschools

New Aspects Of The Year Six Evaluation

• Results of Peanut Butter and Jam (PB&J) Program Pilot

• Preschooler Experience Survey (Qualitative Report)

• Student-Teacher Perspectives on Future Employment in Early Childhood Education (Qualitative Report)

• Provider Marketing and Enrollment Support Needs (Qualitative Report)

• Aspects of Parental Trust in Preschool Providers (Qualitative Report)

The qualitative evaluation included focus groups and surveys with parents, teachers, and Providers participating in TA and QI programs and prospective parents and Providers who could join CPP in the future. Select findings from the qualitative evaluation are included in this report. The standalone qualitative evaluation report entitled Parent, Teacher, and Provider Insights on Early Learning and Cincinnati Preschool Promise 2022-23 addresses the following key areas:

• Awareness of CPP

• Understanding of CPP Benefits

• Barriers to Enrolling or Engaging with CPP

• Impact of Tuition Assistance on Families

• Parent Perspectives on Quality and Kindergarten Readiness

• Barriers to Accessing Preschool and CPP Funding

• Stakeholder Satisfaction with CPP Interactions and Supports

• Effectiveness of Providers Communicating to Families about CPP

• Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Pay

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE YEAR 6 EVALUATION:

Key findings are summarized below. Additional results, details, and definitions about CPP programming and the evaluation methodology are described within the report’s main sections. Note that Kindergarten Readiness and Preschooler Progress results represent TA preschoolers enrolled in CPP Community Providers and CPS Preschools. Preschool Enrollment, Provider, Community Stakeholder, and Financial-related results represent CPP Community participants.

Kindergarten Readiness

• CPP TA participants were more frequently (68.0%) Approaching or Demonstrating readiness on the overall Kindergarten Readiness Assessment-Revised (KRA-R) compared to Non-CPP kindergarteners (59.2%).

• Language and Literacy subtest results revealed that the percentage of CPP TA participants On Track for literacy by third grade was 44.5% compared to 37.5% of Non-CPP kindergarteners.

• CPP TA participation increased the odds of Demonstrating readiness by 41.5% and the odds of being On Track by 83.3% when statistically controlling for the other predictors.

Preschooler Progress

• Preschoolers assessed showed universal improvement across all domains of the Teaching Strategies GOLD® (TS Gold®) from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. In the Spring, preschoolers maintained or exceeded expectations at high frequency within the Social Emotional (88.8%), Physical (93.4%), Language (86.2%), Cognitive (87.5%), Literacy (86.9%), and Math (82.7%) domains of measurement.

Reach and Access

• Approximately 23,130 children under five years of age live in Cincinnati according to the American Community Survey (ACS) 2021 five-year estimates, with 50.6% of 3-4-year-olds enrolling in preschool. Nearly 38.0% of all children under five years of age reside in the West region of Cincinnati.

• As of June 2023, there were 204 Providers in the CPP Community Provider network representing 3,935 quality and high-quality seat capacity, which is an increase of 313 seats from the previous year.

Tuition Assistance and Enrollment

• In 2022-23, 927 preschoolers received tuition assistance from CPP and were enrolled in high-quality preschools, an increase of 2.2% from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

• As of June 2023, there were 137 TA Provider sites. The TA Providers represent a total capacity of 2,845 high-quality seats for preschoolers.

Quality Improvement

• In 2022-23, 12 CPP QI Providers reached high-quality and converted to TA preschools.

• As of June 2023, there were 75 QI Provider sites, 12 of which are in quality gap neighborhoods.

Extended Learning Session

• A total of 498 children enrolled in the ELS program which operated from June 2022 through August 2022. On average, ELS students attended 83.5% of their scheduled school days, with 51.6% having an attendance of 90% or higher.

Teacher and Provider Supports

• To date, CPP has supported 258 lead preschool teachers at 105 Providers with the Teacher Promise Grant. Lead preschool teachers can receive up to $4,000 per year.

• To date, CPP has supported 95 teachers at 57 QI preschools (unduplicated) with a Staff Support Fund of up to $3,000 per Lead Teacher, not to exceed $18,000 per site

CPP Plus

• Preschoolers attending Peanut Butter and Jam (PB&J) music sessions showed improvement in observed behavior across ten domains of measurement according to 87.3% of surveyed teachers and Providers.

• PB&J participants made improvements from Fall to Spring in all six development and learning domains measured by the TS GOLD® preschool assessment.

Community Stakeholder Experiences

• Parents, teachers, and Providers from more than 70 unique preschool locations participated in focus groups or surveys.

• Among parents receiving TA, 89.7% reported they would have been able to afford “none of the cost” or “some of the cost” of preschool had they not received CPP TA.

CPP Community Advisory Panel

• The diverse panel met monthly and represented both TA and QI stakeholders. The panel included two (2) Providers, two (2) preschool teachers, two (2) parents, two (2) community consultants, and CPP’s Data and Evaluation Manager.

• Panel members shared feedback on the 2023 evaluation plan, preschooler survey items, preschool attendance, participant outreach strategies, parent engagement in learning, non-traditional hours care, and other related topics.

Recommendations And Next Steps

To ensure Cincinnati’s young children, families, teachers, and Providers continue to have equitable access to quality preschool education and resources that help meet their needs, INNOVATIONS suggests that CPP consider the following recommendations and opportunities. Some of these suggestions can be accomplished with existing resources, while others may necessitate long-term preparation, financing, and collaborations Additional investments and transformations to the early childhood education system may also be needed to fully address these recommendations.

• Continue to Offer Resources and Coaching that Support Quality Preschool: It is essential to continue offering resources and coaching that support quality preschool and encourage participation in SUTQ. Although some programs are no longer required to participate in SUTQ to offer publicly funded child care (PFCC), it is still important to highlight the benefits of SUTQ involvement and quality preschool for Providers and the children and families they serve. SUTQ and preschool quality serve a crucial function in building parental trust, maintaining the CPP Community Provider Network, and preparing young children for kindergarten. The standards of SUTQ are grounded in research that has demonstrated improved outcomes for children.

• Engage Providers and Families to Evaluate their Connection to and Success with Receiving Special Needs Services: Additional evaluation is needed to better understand if special needs referrals result in evaluation and connection to needed services. Assessment of service provider data is important for evaluating appropriate assistance, support, and resources to enhance these services.

• Encourage Regular Preschool Attendance and Track Absenteeism: CPP can continue positive messaging that promotes regular preschool attendance and its impact on academic and social-emotional outcomes for children. Consistent tracking of attendance and absenteeism is also important to understand opportunities to support children and families. Consistent tracking will ensure data accuracy and sensitivity when evaluating attendance, absenteeism, and for strategic planning

• Connect Preschool Parents, Teachers, and Providers to Resources that Support a Successful Preschool Experience and Kindergarten Readiness: Provide preschool parents, teachers, and Providers with tools, resources, and opportunities to support children meeting developmental milestones and gaining social-emotional skills that are essential to success in kindergarten.

• Continue to Advocate for and Champion the Value of the CPP Community Provider Network: It would benefit CPP to inform all stakeholders, especially those who are not closely connected to CPP or early education efforts, of the quality education that Community Providers provide, the SUTQ standards in which program aligns, and their integral role in making access to high-quality preschool possible for all preschoolers in Cincinnati.

See the 2023 Qualitative Evaluation Report for additional findings and recommendations.