Michael Gottfried, Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz School, has recently published the article, “Can center-based childcare reduce the odds of early chronic absenteeism?” in Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Gottfried’s research is the first large-scale study to show that children who attend prekindergarten have lower chances of being chronically absent in kindergarten. (Access the article on-line.)
Gottfried’s research, based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, an extensive dataset of a national sample of young children, is relevant in today’s schools: there has been an increase in families using prekindergarten care prior to starting kindergarten and absenteeism in the early years of schooling has become a pressing educational and policy issue. Gottfried’s study was the first to link both together.
In detail, past research regarding prekindergarten care has centered on how it affects developmental outcomes and achievement scores for young children. However, there has been no large-scale study into how prekindergarten can affect chronic absenteeism—missing two or more weeks of school in a year for any reason. This is a critical lapse in research: Gottfried emphasizes that past research has thoroughly examined that early chronic absenteeism has negative consequences, from lower achievement and increase behavioral issues to higher dropout rates and increased drug and alcohol used in young adults. Therefore, determining what reduces chronic absenteeism has potential long-term implications.
Gottfried raised four potential reasons that prekindergarten could be linked to lower chronic absenteeism, including child transition, family logistics, health, and timing. For example, establishing a family routine of positive school-going behaviors during prekindergarten can follow through into the early schooling years to reduce absences. Additionally, Gottfried found that only prekindergarten reduced absenteeism, as opposed to other types of care in other years of schooling.
Gottfried’s research on prekindergarten care and chronic absenteeism has filled an important gap in the intersection of research on these two topics. As the use of prekindergarten care increases, his work will help inform future research on the effects of preK on absenteeism in the K-12 years, not just early schooling.