Pre-K Data in Practice: Improving Learning Experiences for Children of Color

All children deserve to be in high-quality pre-K programs that affirm who they are and nurture their ability to learn and grow. The current mixed-delivery system of pre-K rightfully affords families choice in their child’s learning setting, meaning families can select a program that best meets their needs, such as linguistic or cultural continuity, alignment with work hours, or proximity to their home.

Data is necessary to understand which children are participating in which programs and how well these programs are serving children and families. But, these data are often inaccessible to pre-K leaders or inconsistent across the various pre-K settings, including state-funded, locally funded, Head Start, and Tribal pre-K programs.

Studies of public pre-K programs show great benefits for childrens’ short and long-term outcomes. Despite increased investment in pre-K, there remain inequities in families’ access to and experience of pre-K. Latinx families are more likely to live in child care deserts with limited access to pre-K programs. Even when the pre-K program is universal to all children of a certain age, Black and Latinx children tend to live further away from and are less likely to access programs that are high-quality.

Furthermore, after families gain access to a high-quality pre-K program, the quality of their learning experiences may vary. The program may not reflect the values of or acknowledge the wisdom that Black and Latinx families bring to the classroom. Disproportionately high rates of suspensions and expulsions of Black boys and a general fear of discrimination may push families to enroll their child in community-based settings with more similar cultural values or identities.

More could be done to standardize data across all public pre-K settings and make the data accessible to more than just researchers. A comprehensive picture of pre-K programming can provide insight into where inequities lie, so pre-K leaders can address them to ensure equitable treatment of all populations, including Black and Latinx children and families. To develop an understanding of how current policies and practices might result in differentiated access and experiences at both an individual child level and a broader systems level, there needs to be a baseline set of information collected across all public pre-K settings that can be disaggregated across demographic dimensions of race and ethnicity, income, zip code, and so on.

At the same time, there needs to be intentionality with how this information is used. Shawneece Stevenson of The Primary School, a comprehensive school model in East Palo Alto, California that integrates health, education, and family supports, describes how data has been used to underscore a negative narrative about communities of color, meaning that negative data was not balanced with positive data about the experiences of children, families, or communities. “Data was used as a way to say that we were less than, to tell us how bad we were, and everything we didn’t have, and how needy we were….We should use data in a way that’s helpful, that’s supportive, and uplifts positive narratives that contribute to the success and growth of communities of color,” says Stevenson.

As Dale Richards from the Early Childhood Data Collaborative at Child Trends notes, it’s important to acknowledge how data can help identify where disparities exist, what’s working well, and what changes are needed, but we also need to be aware of what data cannot tell us—what the root causes are and how to address the disparities.

This is why it’s important to bring in community members whose identities reflect the focal populations into the process of identifying what data should be gathered and how to collect, store, analyze, and reflect on it. Data is necessary to be intentional, but at the end of the day, says Stevenson, what’s important is working together to understand, and not judge, the data shared. This means ensuring data provides a holistic picture of people’s experiences and creating space to celebrate families while exploring factors contributing to the outcome.

For example, at the school where Stevenson works, families understand how their information is used for programming decisions, advocacy, or compliance. In addition, there are built-in opportunities to reflect on data and offer feedback.

Moreover, as Richards says, based on reflection of what is driving disparities and for whom these disparities exist, it is important for individuals from different communities to drive the process of identifying solutions. This can help determine whether we need different solutions for different groups based on how they experience and are impacted by existing policies.

Collecting data in a consistent way, guided by frameworks like the one that Richards is developing, across many different pre-K settings can invite pre-K leaders, including researchers, and the broader early childhood system to move from talking about these communities to talking with them, to create a system in which a child’s identity, race, or ethnicity doesn’t predict their access to or experience of pre-K.

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