Conference call with

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The Release of Bachelors Degrees are the
Best Higher Qualifications for Pre-Kindergarten
Teachers Lead to Better Learning Environments
for Children A review of the research by Marcy
Whitebook, Ph.D. Director, Center for the Study
of Child Care Employment University of California
at Berkeley
Conference call with The Trust for Early
Education and Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D. discussing
the importance of bachelors degrees for
pre-kindergarten teachers
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Although about 80 percent of children spend a
substantial part of their week in center- or
home-based early education and care, the majority
of them are not in high quality arrangements.
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The Majority of Early Education Experiences are
Lacking in Quality
Results from major studies of early education and
care quality reveal that quality is poor to
mediocre. This is true for children from all
income levels low income, middle income and high
income, alike.
excellent
Good
mediocre
harmful
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School Readiness is a National Problem
Each year, about 4 million 4- and 5-year-olds
enter kindergarten. Unfortunately, many children
enter kindergarten without the preparation they
need to succeed.

• 34 percent of children entering kindergarten
  cannot recognize the letters of the alphabet.
  More than 50 percent of low-income and minority
  children cannot recognize the letters of the
  alphabet as they begin kindergarten.
• 18 percent of children entering kindergarten are
  completely unfamiliar with the conventions of
  print (e.g., words read left to right, top to
  bottom). That figure climbs to 32 percent of
  low-income children and about 24 to 29 percent of
  minority children.
• 42 percent do not understand basic, important
  early mathematical concepts such as
  longer/shorter.
• Data published in 2002 by the Economic Policy
  Institute indicates that middle- class children
  enter kindergarten with reading and math skill
  levels closer to those of the poorest children
  than to those of the most affluent children.
• Teachers estimate that about 25 percent of
  beginning kindergartners do not seem eager to
  learn and do not know how to persist at tasks
  and, that 34 percent do not pay attention very
  well.

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These Skills Matter

• Children who begin kindergarten already knowing
  their letters are more likely to do better in
  school. These children are significantly more
  likely to be reading by the end of kindergarten.
• Children who begin kindergarten familiar with
  basic numbers and shapes are significantly more
  likely to begin to understand basic addition and
  subtraction by the end of that year.
• Children who begin kindergarten with positive
  approaches to learning (knowing how to pay
  attention and persist at tasks) are more likely
  to do better in reading and mathematics.
• Children who dont have these skills are more
  likely to struggle and even fall behind their
  peers who enter kindergarten with these skills.

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Children in High Quality Settings are More Likely
to Be Prepared for School
A very recent evaluation of Georgias
pre-kindergarten program by Georgia State
University tells us that no matter the setting
(public, private, Head Start), quality relates to
childrens outcomeschildren who attended higher
quality pre-K programs are significantly more
likely to be prepared for school. The same
study demonstrated that the more education a
teacher has, the higher the quality of the
classroom.
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Teachers with Bachelors Degrees are Key to High
Quality Early Education Programs
One strong step to ensuring a high quality early
education is requiring that all pre-kindergarten
teachers have at least a bachelors degree with
specialized training in early childhood
development.
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Adults without Bachelors Degrees Have
Significantly Lower Literacy Skills
Adults with A.A.s are twice as likely to have
less than competent literacy skills than adults
with bachelors degrees
Percentage of adults who are less than competent
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Bachelors Degrees are the Best Teachers with
Bachelors Degrees Provide Higher Quality
Learning Environments
The Trust for Early Education commissioned an
academic review of the research on center-based
education and care that confirms the relationship
of teacher education and training to the quality
of the classrooms and childrens development.
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What the research tells us
This review of the research confirms the key role
of teachers with bachelors degrees in providing
high quality early education and care for all
children.
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The Research Studies included in the Review The
report considered all studies on early education
and care, but reviewed the research that ?

• analyzed Bachelors degrees as a distinct level
  of teacher education (instead of just more
  education or less education),
• focused on center-based arrangements, and were
• published in peer reviewed journals or were peer
  reviewed reports.

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The Research Studies included in the Review
The Bermuda College Training Program Studybased
on a relatively small (50 teachers) but diverse
sample of teachers in Bermuda. The National
Childcare Staffing Study (NCCSS)examined the
quality of education and care in 227 center-based
arrangements selected from 5 diverse metropolitan
areas. The Cost and Quality and Child Outcomes
(CQCO)examined the quality of care in 400
center-based arrangements, across multiple
states. The Florida Quality Improvement
Studyinvolved 150 centers across the state of
Florida.
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The Research Studies included in the Review
The Three State Studyinvestigated the quality of
early education and care in Massachusetts,
Georgia and Virginia (in 40 centers). The Head
Start FACES (Families and Child Experiences
Survey)investigation of Head Start program
quality and Head Start childrens development (40
programs). The New Jersey Studiesassessed the
quality of early education and care in New Jersey
(120 programs). The Then and Now Changes in
Child Care Staffing, 1994-2000examined the
quality of early education and care in 92
center-based arrangements in California.
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What the research tells us

• Teachers with four-year early childhood education
  degrees were rated higher in positive interaction
  and lower on punitiveness and detachment than
  teachers with only some or no college background
  (the Bermuda College Training Program).

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What the research tells us

• Teachers with a B.A. were significantly more
  sensitive, less harsh and less detached than
  teachers without a B.A.
• Children in programs with more sensitive teachers
  and more responsive caregiving received higher
  language scores, spent less time aimlessly
  wandering, and exhibited a higher level of peer
  play (the National Child Care Staffing Study).

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What the research tells us

• In pre-kindergarten classrooms, higher quality
  learning environments were associated with the
  lead teacher having a B.A. (the Cost, Quality and
  Child Outcomes Study).

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What the research tells us

• Teachers with the most advanced education were
  the most effective (sensitive, responsive,
  constructive) overall (the Florida Quality
  Improvement Study).

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What the research tells us

• Higher levels of teacher education, which in this
  case were four-year degrees or higher, appeared
  to influence teacher attitudes and knowledge,
  translating into higher levels of classroom
  quality (the Head Start FACES Study).

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Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Education Requirements
in the States

• States that require bachelors degrees (21
  states)
• Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia,
  Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
  Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma,
  Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
  Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia,
  Wisconsin
• States that do not require bachelors degrees (22
  states)
• Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
  Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
  Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan,
  Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
  North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia,
  Washington

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What the research tells us
Teacher behaviors in center-based settings, and
the skill and knowledge upon which it rests, are
best achieved through a four-year college degree,
which includes, specialized content in early
childhood education or child development.
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Implications for Pre-kindergarten Programs and
Head Start
The Head Start debate is focusing national
attention on the importance of requiring
low-income children to be taught by teachers with
at least a bachelors degree with specialized
training in early childhood development. This
review confirms that all pre-kindergarten
children, regardless of income or risk, should
have access to pre-kindergarten teachers with a
bachelors degree with specialized training in
early childhood development.