A new study shows Tempe’s city-funded preschool program is having a positive impact on children and their families. The evaluation was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. It found that “Tempe PRE” increased kindergarten readiness and expanded opportunities for parents to enhance their own education and employment.
Tim Burch heads the Community Health and Human Services department at the City of Tempe. He said the study looked at the program’s progress from its start in 2017 to now.
“We saw that our children coming through Tempe PRE have better education indicators when they’re in kindergarten in regards to their academics, but also their social emotional learning," Burch said. "We know that was a big concern for young children coming out of the pandemic."
Tempe PRE served about 200 children last school year and more than 1,800 since it began. It started as a free-full day program. The city has since introduced a sliding-scale tuition plan, and the program is accepting DES child care assistance.
“We see and have gotten data and reports back from parents that they themselves have been able to maintain employment and even improve their earning capacity because they knew their children were well taken care of during the day," Burch said.
