Preschool Tool Totes
Closing the School
Readiness Gap
©TLC
SM
Our History
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The Legacy Center for Student Success was founded in 2004 as a “think and do”
tank
Emphasis on outside-the-classroom barriers to learning from birth through age 18
– Research
– Program design/development
– Program implementation
•
Boundary Conditions
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−
•
Collaboration: with partner organization(s)
Measurement: to objectively evaluate outcomes
July 1, 2011: TLC and the Literacy Council of Midland County Merged
– Client base expanded to include adults
– Name changed to The Legacy Center for Community Success
•
August 1, 2012: TLC and Midland Area Partnership for Drug Free Youth (MAP)
Merged
– Complements existing emphasis on youth
– Developmental Assets underpin youth substance abuse prevention efforts.
•
Today, our staff consists of 9 full- and part-time employees, and 8 contract
employees
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Operating Units
Literacy Services
Youth Development
Early Childhood
Healthy Families
MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION
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Neurological Research
• Neurological research indicates that early
childhood is the most critical time for learning
– About 85-90% of a person’s cognitive ability is formed
by ~ age 5
– Success in school is strongly correlated to school
preparedness
– Studies* show that $1 invested in early childhood
development returns ~$17
• ~$12 social cost avoidance savings (societal gain)
• ~$5 direct contributions (individual benefit)
*James J. Heckman et al., “The Rate of Return to the High Scope Perry
Preschool Program,” Journal of Public Economics 94, nos. 1-2 (2010): 114128
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Human Brain
at Birth
6 Years Old
“Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return”,
Rob Grunewald and Art Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (January 2009)
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The Readiness Gap
• Many children, especially those from
economically disadvantaged situations…
– Do not enjoy opportunities to learn school
readiness skills
– Exhibit the largest school readiness gap
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Abilities of Entering
Kindergarteners by Family Income
W. Steven Barnett, Kristy Brown, and Rima Shore, “Preschool Policy Matters 6, National
Institute For Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University, Brunswick, NJ (2004)
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Preschool Tool Totes
• Preschool Tool Totes are a series of
four bags, each containing ageappropriate standard preschool
supplies such as coloring books,
crayons, reading books, scissors,
construction paper, pencils, glue,
etc.
• Preschool Tool Totes typically are
distributed at six month intervals to
preschoolers at age 3 through 4-1/2
• Parents receive an easy-to-use
teaching guide to assist in using the
materials with their children
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Tool Tote Contents
Bag #1 (Age 3)
Bag #2 (Age 3-1/2)
Bag #3 (Age 4)
Bag #4 (Age 4-1/2)
Contents depicted are typical and not necessarily actual materials
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The Process
• Children are assessed for growth in their
cognitive skills at each 6-month interval
• Additional age-appropriate PTT supplies are
provided at each 6-month interval
• Process continues until the child ages out of
the program on her/his 5th birthday
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PTT Pre-/Post Assessment
Preschool Tool Tote Project Assessment
Child’s Name____________________ Evaluator’s Name_________________
Evaluation Date__________________
Cognitive Elements

CAN IDENTIFY BY SIGHT THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET IN RANDOM ORDER: (Circle the missed
letters)
M Q W E R T Y U I O P A S D F G H J K L Z X C V B N

CAN IDENTIFY BY SIGHT THE NUMBERS FROM “1” TO “10” IN RANDOM ORDER: (Circle the missed
numbers)
1
6
4
9
2
8
10
3
5
7

CAN IDENTIFY BY SIGHT THE SHAPES IN RANDOM ORDER: (Circle the missed shape)
SQUARE
RECTANGLE
CIRCLE
OVAL
TRIANGLE
 CAN IDENTIFY BY SIGHT THE COLORS IN RANDOM ORDER: (Circle the missed color)
RED
BLUE
YELLOW
ORANGE
PURPLE
GREEN
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Results = Significant Growth
• TLC has evaluated whether and to what extent
the PTT program improves the cognitive and
behavioral skills of the participating children
• Results
– Pre- and Post-assessment results indicate significant
growth in cognitive skills
• Cognitive levels of 4-year-old participants generally equal or
exceed those of 5-year-old non-participating economically
disadvantaged kindergarten peers
• Cognitive levels of 4-1/2 year olds generally equal or exceed
those of 5-year old general (i.e., “advantaged”) population
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Midland, Michigan
PTT Assessment
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Number of Cognitived Elements Recognized
Age 3.0 Preschool Tool Totes
18
17.3
Age 3.5 Preschool Tool Totes
17.2
Age 4.0 Preschool Tool Totes
15.7
16
Age 4.5 Preschool Tool Totes
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Free/Reduced Lunch-Eligible 5 Year-Olds Entering Kindergarten
13.2
General Population 5 Year-Olds Entering Kindergarten
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10.1
10
8.2
8
7
5.9
6
4
8
3.9
5.9 5.9
4
3.7
4.5
4.4
3.2
3.4
5.6
5.9
4.9
3.9
2.4
2
2
0
Letters
Numbers
Shapes
Cognitive Elements
Colors
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Boyne City
Preschool Tool Totes Assessments
Number of Randomly Recognized
Cognitive Elements
20
18
17.2
Age 3 Preschool Tool Totes
16
Age 3½ Preschool Tool Totes
14.7
14
Age 4 Preschool Tool Totes
13.2
Age 5 Free/Reduced Lunch--No PTT
12
Age 5 Non- F/R Lunch--No PTT
9.7
10
8
8
7
4
5.9
5.5 5.6
5.7
6
3.8
3.5
3.8
3.4
3.9
4.7
2.2
1.7
2
3.2
4.2
0
Letters
Numbers
Shapes
Cognitive Elements
Colors
Beaufort, South Carolina
PTT Assessment
20
18
Number of Cognitive Elements Recognized
Age 3
17.2
16.9
Age 3.5
16
Age 4
14
13.2
Age 4.5
11.9
12
Age 5 Free/Reduced Lunch PTT Non-Participants
10
Age 5 General Population
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7.7
8
7
6.9
5.6
6
5.4
4.4
4
3.8
3.8
3.4
2
3.1
4.3
3.9
3.4
5.8 5.6 5.9
3.1
1.9
1.5
0
Letters
Numbers
Cognitive Elements
Shapes
Colors
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Midland, Michigan
Great Start Readiness Program Preschool Tool Totes Outcomes
Below Expectations
90
82
78
80
73
Meets Expectations
77
73
Exceeds Expectations
70
67
61
Percent
60
51
47
50
40
37
31
30
27
20
15
17
9
10
5
2
0
0
Fall 2011
Spring
2012
Math
14
13
12
Fall 2011
Spring
2012
2
Fall 2011
5
Spring
2012
Spatial
Literacy
Relationships
Cognitive Elements
2
Fall 2011
Spring
2012
Classification
Skills
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PTT Features/Benefits
Features
Benefits
Provides learning resources to
economically at-risk children
Equips family with resources, information
and knowledge to facilitate development
of their children
Supplies are taken home by the child
Complements and reinforces centerbased quality preschool programs
Includes easy to use teaching guide
Promotes family engagement in children’s
learning at home
Children evaluated at 6-month intervals
Encourages accountability for learning
progress
Supplies “refreshed” every 6 months
Provides incentive and motivation to
continue
Low cost to provide (~$35 +S/H per PTT)
Offers sensible, proven, cost-effective
intervention for disadvantaged
preschoolers
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Conclusions
• PTT concept is demonstrably effective in
accelerating the development of cognitive skills in
economically disadvantaged children
• Opportunity for investment in economically
disadvantaged preschoolers promises to promote
their well-being and to reduce the schoolreadiness gap
• Targeted investment in vulnerable children has
been demonstrated to reduce public expenses
and to generate long-term returns
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