FSW Announces Release of Early Childhood Education Study
Jun 6, 2017
What does it cost to ensure that Florida’s three- and four-year-olds are prepared for kindergarten? Why is that important? These questions and more were studied in detail and the final report is now available at https://www.fsw.edu/assets/pdf/soe/dean/FloridaECECostingOutStudyReport.pdf
Dr. Larry Miller, Dean, School of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College, led the efforts in the study, “Cost of Kindergarten Readiness in SW Florida.” The education consulting firm of Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA) conducted the study.
“We know from research that kindergarten-readiness is a key factor in predicting third grade Florida reading scores,” said Dr. Miller.
According to a report from the Florida House of Representatives, more than 38,000 of Florida’s children weren’t kindergarten ready in 2012-2013, the most recent year that data is available. The National Institute for Early Education Research in 2015 ranked Florida as 40th in the country in per student spending on early childhood education for four-year-olds.
“This study was conducted so we could determine the costs to prepare children for kindergarten in our five-county region. By engaging our region’s education leaders from pre-schools and the school districts, we can more fully grasp a complete picture of this issue,” said Dr. Miller.
Last Updated: June 6, 2017
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