First Things First discusses the link between school readiness and early language levels. Last year, nearly 1 in 4 Arizona third graders did not pass the reading portion of the state standardized test. The number of words a child knows at age 3 strongly correlates with reading and comprehension levels at ages 9 and 10. The brief details how First Things First infuses literacy in to its funded programs and offers parents and caregivers tips on how they can support language and literacy development in their child.

Proposals for universal preschool and all-day kindergarten are an increasingly popular policy solution for everything from low academic achievement, to reducing crime, to lowering the dropout rate. In summer 2005, a national task force co-chaired by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano called for $8 billion annually in federal support for preschool. California and Arizona are leading the charge toward universal preschool and full-day kindergarten. California may become the national prototype for universal preschool.

To help determine the efficacy of early education programs, we examine the results of some of the programs considered to be early education models—including, Perry Preschool, Chicago Child Parent Studies, Abecedarian, and Head Start—and find the research to be flawed and therefore of questionable value. We also review information from the National Center for Education Statistics, which reports no lasting reading, math, or science achievement differences between children who attend half-day and full-day kindergarten. We also examine the results of the National Assessment of Education Progress in Georgia and Oklahoma, where universal preschool has been fully implemented without quantifiable benefit. We find the widespread adoption of preschool and full-day kindergarten is unlikely to improve student achievement.