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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

‘A Confusing and Frustrating Maze’: Underlying Reasons for Underenrollment in Preschool


In 2007, a group of community organizers in Chicago surveyed several low-income neighborhoods and discovered some disturbing news: Between 40 and 64 percent of preschool-aged children in those areas were not enrolled in the state's preschool program or Head Start -- even though both are free to at-risk children.

"Why Isn't Johnny In Preschool?" is a new report that both reveals what has stymied pre-k attendance among children with the greatest need for it and offers a series of recommendations for how to increase enrollment. It was published this spring by the early learning committee of a group called POWER-PAC, a Chicago organization of low-income parents who advocate for new ways to help families. Recommendations derive from more than 5,000 interviews conducted from 2006 to 2008 in low-income neighborhoods with predominantly Latino or African American populations.

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