Study: Central Texas pre-K programs improve chances of kindergarten readiness

E3 has examined data on 2,820 kindergarten students representing 11 Central Texas school districts and 41 schools, Wiseman said. In that group, 60 percent were Hispanic, 25 percent were white, 12 percent were African-American and 2 percent were Asian-American.

Ensuring that all children enter kindergarten prepared is an important part of the path to college and career, Koenig said. Based on the data, 53 percent of students in Central Texas were considered ready for kindergarten, she said.

Other statistics included:

• 60 percent of girls were kindergarten-ready
• 43 percent of boys were kindergarten-ready
• 68 percent of Asian-American students were kindergarten-ready
• 64 percent of white students were kindergarten-ready
• 44 percent of Hispanic students were kindergarten-ready
• 40 percent of African-American students were kindergarten-ready

"Even with a pre-K experience, for our low-income children we are less than 50 percent ready for school," Koenig added.

Students who are either economically disadvantaged, English language learners or both are considered eligible for ISD pre-K paid for by tuition programs, Koenig said.

The state pays for half-day pre-K for eligible children, she said. Only two ISDs in the study—Austin ISD and Lake Travis ISD—offer full-day pre-K programs, she said, adding Georgetown used to offer it but discontinued the program this year and now offers half-day pre-K.

Of the eligible children included in the survey, 83 percent of Hispanic students are enrolled in ISD pre-K, 75 percent of African-American students are enrolled in ISD pre-K, and 63 percent of white students were enrolled in ISD pre-K.

While the proportion of enrolled eligible white students is lowest, she explained that Hispanic children accounted for 63 percent of children not attending any pre-K programs in Central Texas from 2010 to 2011, so that demographic should be an area of focus.

Koenig estimated that if eligible children not attending pre-K were enrolled in a high quality pre-K program, the Central Texas community's return on investment would be $30 million. To achieve that goal, introducing children to some form of pre-K education as early as possible is crucial, she said.

Other findings from the study are available at www.e3alliance.org.