Associations between children’s participation in subsidized childcare and kindergarten readiness

How did low-income students who received and did not receive a childcare subsidy the year prior to kindergarten fare on the WaKIDS assessment?
Published: 
November, 2020
Updated: 
November, 2020

This study examines kindergarten readiness for Washington State low-income students who received and did not receive a childcare subsidy the year prior to kindergarten. The descriptive analysis was conducted using linked subsidy and school readiness assessment data to estimate school readiness in six domains: social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and math. Findings suggest that kindergarteners who participated in Washington State childcare subsidy programs were more school-ready than low-income kindergarteners without subsidized childcare in four of six areas of development (physical, language, literacy, and math). Kindergarten readiness varies among students who are ELL participants and those who experience homelessness. The percentage of kindergarten readiness in each of the six domains also varies across races/ethnicities.