scholarly journals Early Childhood Educational Settings and School Absenteeism for Children With Disabilities

AERA Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 233285841878557
Author(s):  
Arya Ansari ◽  
Michael A. Gottfried
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
First Grade ◽  
School Year ◽  
Academic Benefits ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
School Absences ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Kindergarten Class

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 were used to examine the implications of preschool and full-day kindergarten enrollment for the subsequent school absences of 2,056 children with disabilities. Results suggest that children with disabilities who went to preschool were absent less frequently in kindergarten, but these benefits did not persist through the end of first grade. Conversely, children with disabilities who attended full-day kindergarten programs were absent more frequently during the kindergarten year as compared with children in part-day programs, but these children experienced a sharper drop in absenteeism throughout the following school year resulting in no differences in school absences in first grade. No multiplicative benefits emerged for attending both preschool and full-day kindergarten. And even though these aforementioned benefits of preschool diminished rapidly, there were lingering academic benefits through the end of first grade because of improvements in earlier school attendance.

Exploring the Effects of Full-Day Kindergarten on School Absenteeism for Children With Disabilities: Evidence From State Policy Mandates in the United States1

2021 ◽  
pp. 001440292110625
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried ◽  
J. Jacob Kirksey
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Student Absenteeism ◽  
Full Day

Student absenteeism is a barrier to learning and an issue that requires policy intervention. Students with disabilities are of particular concern, as they miss school more often than students in any other demographic group. Affecting a key attribute of school structures, policies promoting full-day kindergarten began as an effort to improve opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but no studies have provided causal evidence as to whether full-day kindergarten enrollment relates to school attendance. No studies have examined whether effects exist for students with disabilities in the long term. Using a nationally representative sample of children with disabilities in the United States ( N = 2,120), we employed an instrumental-variable strategy that capitalized on state-level policy shifts of full-day kindergarten offerings as an exogenous source of variation. We found that full-day kindergarten structures related to a sharp increase in absenteeism for children with disabilities in kindergarten and first and second grades. We found no relationship to absenteeism for these children in later years of primary schooling. We discuss policy implications of these findings.

scholarly journals Early Childhood Transitions and Critical Praxis

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Tilleczek
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
The Social ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Full Day

This paper presents literature and findings on childhood transitions in public education. Set in the context of shifts in Canada to full day kindergarten, it makes visible the range of human relational and structural concerns that must be considered in the practice of researching and facilitating transitions for children. The paper draws upon a review of international literatures and a longitudinal, three-year qualitative study of 795 students, parents, and educators in 37 families of schools who conversed about the character and meaning of transitions. Such long-term enactments of transitions as they occur are scarce but important in making visible the complexity and nuance of childhood transitions. Findings include the importance of a critical praxis for transitions which gets at the roots of the social organization and inequality in research and educational practice. The paper addresses critical praxis as found in three early childhood education frameworks (Australia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada). Attention to being, becoming, and belonging for all children and the fit between human and structural concerns at the levels of society, community, school, and family form core elements of critical praxis. Transitions are best understood and facilitated as over time, complex social ensembles.

Are Today’s Students With Disabilities More Likely to Attend Full-Day Kindergarten or Part-Day Kindergarten? Analysis of Two Cohorts of Students and Their Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-45
Author(s):  
Michael Gottfried
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Policy Analysts ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Education Coursework ◽  
Full Day

Some education policy analysts have called for increased participation of young children in full-day kindergarten programs as opposed to part-day kindergarten. However, little is known about whether students with disabilities are increasingly attending these programs and what their teachers are like. This study addresses this gap by examining whether the full-day kindergarten-going patterns have changed within two nationally representative cohorts of kindergartners (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten classes of 1998 and 2010). The findings suggest that a greater percentage of students with disabilities are enrolled in full-day kindergarten programs in 2010 (approximately 80%) than in 1998 (approximately 55%). Comparing full-day kindergarten enrollees between the two cohorts, there were no differences in teachers’ years of experience or degrees, though full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 had teachers with less early education and special education coursework. However, full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 were more likely to be in classrooms with a special education teacher’s aide. Implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Are There Long-term Academic Benefits of Full-Day Kindergarten? A Population-Based Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marni Brownell ◽  
Nathan Nickel ◽  
Dan Chateau ◽  
Carole Taylor ◽  
Leah Crockett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Unmeasured Confounding ◽  
School Division ◽  
Academic Benefits ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
School Divisions ◽  
Full Day

ABSTRACT ObjectiveDespite the implementation of full-day kindergarten (FDK) in several Canadian provinces, there is little evidence on the long-term outcomes associated with this program. Our objective was to use population-level linked data sources from Manitoba, Canada, to determine whether FDK results in better long-term academic outcomes and reduced inequities in outcomes. ApproachUsing data held in the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy Data Repository we examined provincial reading and numeracy assessments in grades 3, 7, and 8 and a performance index in grade 9 for students in two Manitoba school divisions between 1999-2012. In School Division A (SDA), FDK is targeted in the lowest SES schools; in School Division B (SDB) FDK was gradually introduced universally. SDA FDK students were matched using propensity scores to students in an adjacent school division with similar socioeconomic status (SES) but no FDK; in SDB a stepped-wedge design was used. Logistic regressions accounted for confounders including classroom effects and sex. Gamma sensitivity analyses were used to assess sensitivity of results to unmeasured confounding. The Kakwani Progressivity Index (KPI) determined how FDK affected equity. ResultsThere were 224-544 children in FDK and 869-1923 non-FDK matches in SDA, depending on the outcome examined; numbers in SDB ranged from 335-707 (FDK) and 222-475 (non-FDK). Including interactions, 35 comparisons were examined in SDA and 24 in SDB. None of the outcomes examined in SDB showed statistically significant effects of FDK that were robust to unmeasured confounding. In SDA there were only 3 statistically significant and robust findings of benefits of FDK, all related to math. Comparisons of KPIs for FDK and non-FDK children in both school divisions demonstrated inequities in outcomes associated with SES, however there were no significant differences in equity between the FDK and non-FDK children for any of the outcomes. ConclusionsOur findings indicate no apparent benefits of universal FDK, and limited benefits from targeted FDK, specifically long-term improvements in numeracy for low-income girls. No reductions in inequity were found. Decisions regarding FDK implementation should weigh the costs of this program against the limited long-term academic benefits.

scholarly journals Early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in Ontario’s full day kindergarten program

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabeya Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Educators ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Professional Recognition ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
Teaching Team ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Full Day

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities based on their lived experiences in Ontario’s full day kindergarten (FDK) program. The theoretical framework that underpinned my study is post-colonial theory and Foucault’s post-structural concept of “power/knowledge” which offered different perspectives to understand how ECEs’ shaped their perceptions. Key messages from the findings suggest despite challenges within the FDK program, ECEs recognized and acknowledged their complementary roles within the teaching team, and identified the need for professional recognition of their work. The key messages further suggested that principals as the leaders of the school need to have a greater understanding about ECEs’ roles, and the relationship between the educators. The recognition of the role and knowledge that ECEs contribute to FDK programs is crucial in order to facilitate collaboration between the educators within the teaching team.

scholarly journals Early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in Ontario’s full day kindergarten program

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabeya Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Educators ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Professional Recognition ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
Teaching Team ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Full Day

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities based on their lived experiences in Ontario’s full day kindergarten (FDK) program. The theoretical framework that underpinned my study is post-colonial theory and Foucault’s post-structural concept of “power/knowledge” which offered different perspectives to understand how ECEs’ shaped their perceptions. Key messages from the findings suggest despite challenges within the FDK program, ECEs recognized and acknowledged their complementary roles within the teaching team, and identified the need for professional recognition of their work. The key messages further suggested that principals as the leaders of the school need to have a greater understanding about ECEs’ roles, and the relationship between the educators. The recognition of the role and knowledge that ECEs contribute to FDK programs is crucial in order to facilitate collaboration between the educators within the teaching team.

scholarly journals The Perceived Effectiveness of Full-Day Kindergarten for Children with ADHD

2021 ◽  
pp. 082957352110314
Author(s):  
Erica P. Miklas ◽  
Lindsey S. Jaber ◽  
Elizabeth Starr
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Full Day

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, and the numbers only continue to rise. Ontario has implemented play-based FDK in the last decade, thus it is imperative that the perceived effectiveness of the program for children with ADHD is studied. In conducting this study, the researchers present and interprets educators’ perceptions of the FDK program and the perceived effectiveness of FDK for children with ADHD. Using an Ecological Systems Theory lens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators from multiple cities throughout Southwestern Ontario to obtain their perceptions of Play-Based FDK and ADHD. The data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis (TA) and three themes emerged: (1) Knowledge and Understanding, (2) Benefits and Challenges of Play-Based FDK for Children with ADHD, and (3) Strategies Used to Promote Success. These themes encompassed the general lived experiences and knowledge that educators have on the effectiveness of the FDK program for children with ADHD. Limitations of the study and future areas of research are discussed.

scholarly journals Well-being in the Kindergarten Eating Environment and the Role of Early Childhood Educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-52
Author(s):  
Japji Anna Bas
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Phase Study ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Full Day

In Ontario, kindergarten children haverecently begun to eat lunch at school with theimplementation of the full-day kindergartenprogram. To date, there are no regulations toaddress the particular needs of young childrenin the school eating environment. Drawing ona year-long three-phase study that followed acohort of 21 children as they transitioned fromfull-day childcare to full-day kindergarten,this study explores the impact of staff trainingand staff relationships on the well-being ofkindergarten students. Findings suggest that thepresence of an early childhood educator (ECE),a minimum staffing of two adults per room, anda collaborative approach between teacher andECE have a positive impact on child well-being.

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