Educators and researchers are increasingly interested in evaluating and promoting socio-emotional learning (SEL) beginning in early childhood (Newman & Dusunbury in 2015; Zigler & Trickett in American Psychologist 33(9):789-798 https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.33.9.789, 1978). Decades of research have linked participation in high-quality…

Using data collected up to age 26 in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, this cost-benefit analysis of the Child-Parent Centers (CPC) is the first for a sustained publicly funded early intervention. The program provides services for low-income families beginning at age 3 in 20 school sites. Kindergarten and school-age services are provided up to age 9…

Investigated the effects of participation in the Title I Child-Parent Centers on substantiated reports of child maltreatment for 1,408 children. Found that 913 preschool participants had significantly lower rates of court petitions of maltreatment by age 17 than 495 children who participated in alternative kindergarten interventions. Four- to…

Investigated the effects of early participation in the Chicago Child-Parent Center and Expansion Program on school dropout. Comparison of low-income children from program sites and comparison sites indicates that preschool participation relates to reduction in dropout rate. Participation for 5 or 6 years relates to reduction in early school…

Researchers conducted the first cost-benefit analysis of a federally-financed, comprehensive early childhood program involving the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers, which are located in public schools and provide educational and family support services to low-income children ages 3-9 years. Data came from a cohort of children born in 1980 who…

The effects of participation in the Chicago (Illinois) Child-Parent Center and Expansion Program from ages 3 to 9 on early school dropout at age 17 were studied. The Child-Parent Centers offer a government-funded educational intervention program in preschool through second or third grade in 20 locations in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. Using…

Analyzed Chicago Longitudinal Study data to determine correlates of preschool participation. Found that participation was associated with significantly higher levels of school readiness, achievement, and educational attainment, and with lower rates of child maltreatment, juvenile delinquency, special education placement, and grade retention.…

The current study explored the association between a large-scale federally funded preschool intervention and the social and emotional development of participants. Data were drawn from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS) and included 1,378 primarily African American youth who participated in the CLS and had scores for two or more identifiable…

Although early intervention programs have enjoyed popular and legislative support, little hard data exist on the long-term consequences of these efforts. This study examined the long-term effects of the Child-Parent Center (CPC) program in Chicago. Begun in 1967, the program operates out of 24 centers, located in proximity to the elementary…

As part of the Longitudinal Study of Children at Risk, this study evaluated the Child Parent Center (CPC) Program, a preschool to third grade intervention program funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Chapter I. Subjects were 915 low-income black children from 20 inner-city schools who were differentially exposed to…