Two new studies on the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Pre-K Program find that it has meaningful impact on children who participate. More importantly, ABC has helped to shrink the education gap between economically-disadvantaged students and other children.

The first study, conducted by the National Institute for Early Education (NIEER) has followed the same group of Arkansas students since the 2005-2006 school year and found that children who attend ABC show positive outcomes, including improved scores in vocabulary and math through the second grade and in literacy through the third grade. Children who attended ABC programs fared better in the study than children who did not.

The second study was performed by the Arkansas Research Council. It shows that pre-K is helping to close the education gap between low-income students and their more affluent counterparts. It also showed that children who attended ABC were more prepared for kindergarten than children who did not attend.

The studies are encouraging. This and other research consistently shows that pre-K makes a huge impact on a child’s education and future opportunities. The ABC program has been a success here in Arkansas. However, funding for the program has been stagnant since 2008. That’s troubling to child advocates who think the state is missing out on a smart investment. Funding for other public education programs has grown over the same time period. The state’s Public School Fund has increased by 7.3 percent since 2008. Adequacy funding for public schools has increased by 8.6. While it’s important to adequately fund all public education programs, pre-k shouldn’t be left behind.

“There is absolutely no doubt that investing in pre-K programs will give us huge returns,” says Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. “Since 2008, the level of state funding for pre-K has been flat. We would encourage our leaders to think more seriously about investing in early education, especially in light of the findings presented in these two studies.”

Huddleston says that investing more funds in the ABC program would pay off down the road.

“Kids who attend pre-K do better throughout their educational careers,” he says. “They have a better shot at graduating, which means they have more opportunities for higher education, which means they have a better chance at a good job. Those things are all great for the state. Companies will come and invest in Arkansas because we have a smart, well-educated workforce. Investing in pre-K will help the state economically.”

For some background information on how Arkansas is doing when it comes to access to pre-K programs, please read the 2012 AACF report “Pre-K: Access to Success in Arkansas.”