STARS Preschool Evaluation Report 2018

STARS PRESCHOOL EVALUATION REPORT 2018

2017-2018 Year One

Prepared by the Human and Community Services Division Early Childhood Services Bureau

STARS Preschool Evaluation Report

Acknowledgements

There are many individuals to recognize in the development of the STARS Preschool Pilot as well as the completion of this report. With gratitude, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) recognizes the following individuals:

Steve Bullock, Governor 2017 Montana State Legislature Kathy Kelker, Legislator Llew Jones, Legislator Sheila Hogan, Director, Department of Public Health and Human Services Marco Ferro, Public Policy Director, Montana Federation of Public Employees Caitlin Jensen, Director, Montana State University, Early Childhood Project Jamie Palagi, Administrator, DPHHS, Human and Community Services Division Siri Smillie, Education Policy Advisor, Governor Bullock's office Patty Butler, Early Childhood Services Bureau Chief, DPHHS, Human and Community Services Division Sally Tilleman, Early Education Manager, DPHHS, Early Childhood Services Bureau Laura Brown, Systems & Research Manager, DPHHS, Human and Community Services Division Jill Christensen, STARS Preschool Specialist, DPHHS, Early Childhood Services Bureau Jason Harlow, Budget Analyst, DPHHS Early Childhood Services Bureau Sarah Adams, Best Beginnings Program Specialist, DPHHS, Early Childhood Services Bureau Ruby Benasky, Executive Assistant, DPHHS, Human and Community Services Division Human and Community Services Division Early Childhood Services Bureau, DPHHS Human and Community Services Division Fiscal Bureau, DPHHS Montana Preschool Development Grant team, Office of Public Instruction Chris Dewald, Educational Consultant

In addition to the individuals identified above, there are countless others who supported the STARS Pilot programs and classrooms including early childhood coaches, STARS consultants, child care licensing staff, and Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.

Finally, the Department would like to recognize the STARS Preschool Programs who worked to improve access to high quality preschool to over 300 children in Montana.

ABC Academy Alberton Public Schools Beartooth Childrens Center Cherry Valley STARS Preschool Discovery Place Child Care Flathead Valley Community College East Helena School District, Eastgate Explorer's Academy, Billings Head Start Helena Public Schools, Hawthorne Lockwood Public Schools

Lolo School District Kountry Kare Marion School District Ronan School District Small Wonder Child Care Stepping Stones Preschool Troy School District

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STARS Preschool Evaluation Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS STARS PRESCHOOL EVALUATION REPORT 2018 ................................................................ I

Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................... i Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. iv

Findings.................................................................................................................................................... v Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. v Section 1: Background and Overview..................................................................................................1 Early Childhood Education Landscape in Montana ........................................................................1 National Overview................................................................................................................................2 Montana's 2017 Legislature approves one time only funding in House Bill 639 .....................3 STARS Preschool Pilot Defined............................................................................................................4 Section 2: Evaluation................................................................................................................................9 House Bill 639 Report Criteria............................................................................................................9 Evaluation Design ..................................................................................................................................9 Section 3: Demographic Data............................................................................................................. 16 Classroom/Program Demographics................................................................................................ 16 Program Demand ............................................................................................................................... 31 Student Demographics....................................................................................................................... 32 Section 4: Findings................................................................................................................................. 33 Classroom Environments..................................................................................................................... 33 School Readiness ................................................................................................................................ 36 Section 5: Summary of Findings.......................................................................................................... 43 Section 6: Opportunities for Continued Focus .................................................................................. 44 Section 7: Recommendations and Considerations for future......................................................... 48 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 53

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STARS Preschool Evaluation Report

Executive Summary

Decades of research demonstrate the academic, health, and economic benefits of investing in early care and education. In recent years, states and the federal government have made significant investments to increase the quality of early care and education, as well as to increase access to highquality learning opportunities. Under the leadership of Governor Steve Bullock, the state of Montana has made early childhood education a priority, working to ensure that all Montana children have the opportunity to be school ready upon entry into kindergarten.

In 2017, Governor Bullock worked with the Montana Legislature to secure $6 million to expand highquality early childhood educational services for Montana's four and five-year old children. This onetime-only funding was provided for in House Bill (HB) 639 for the 2018-2019 Biennium.1 In HB 639, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) was directed to:

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Create and support pilot programs to test multiple delivery models (including public,

private, and mixed delivery preschool programs).

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Support preschool programs including start up and training costs.

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Ensure that the pilot programs are included in both rural and urban areas.

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File a report with the 2019 Legislature and present the report to the Education and

Local Government Committee, the Legislative Finance Committee, and the Children,

Families, Health and Human Services Committee.

To comply with HB 639, DPHHS created the STARS Preschool Pilot, solicited applicants and defined program criteria including length of day, staff qualifications, family engagement, and health and safety indicators. DPHHS received 47 complete applications representing public school, private preschool, Head Start, child care centers and child care family homes. Of the 47 applicants, a selection committee chose 17 grantees with 20 classrooms to participate in the first year of the Pilot.

DPHHS is pleased to present this report to the Montana Legislature summarizing the implementation and findings of the STARS Preschool Pilot after the first year. For this evaluation, the STARS Preschool Pilot relied on information from a variety of sources. These include: survey data from programs and parents, observation notes from onsite visits, quarterly fiscal and program reports, developmental and environmental assessments.

While there are limitations to an evaluation that only tracks results for one year, particularly in early childhood when many of the benefits are long-term, overall the findings indicate that the STARS Preschool Pilot and individual participating programs were successful in every sense.

1 HB 639, 2017 Reg. Sess. (MT 2017).

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