ILLINOIS PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AT RISK OF ACADEMIC FAILURE - FY 2003 EVALUATION REPORT - PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Oct 10, 2026

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Evaluation report covering the Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children At Risk of Academic Failure for FY 2003, detailing how state grants support preschool education for children ages three to five. It summarizes funding growth, project and district coverage, child enrollment and waiting lists, statewide participation rates by age, and average spending and staffing ratios. It reports teacher assessments of kindergarten readiness, family demographics, parent involvement, and follow-up outcomes using third- and eighth-grade measures plus ISAT results, comparing downstate and Chicago patterns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time2 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Program Highlights for FY 2003

Who Participates in the Prekindergarten Program in Illinois?

How Has Participation in the Prekindergarten Program Changed Since its Inception in 1986?

Has the Prekindergarten Program Increased Children’s Readiness for Kindergarten?

What Factors Contributed to Children’s Readiness for Kindergarten?

What Are the Program Characteristics?

How Did Students Who Had Participated in the Program Perform in Later Elementary Grades?

ILLINOIS PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AT RISK OF ACADEMIC FAILURE FY 2003 EVALUATION REPORT ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Data Analysis and Progress Reporting Division June 2004 Janet Steiner, Chair State Board of Education Robert E. Schiller State Superintendent of Education The interpretations and conclusions expressed in this report have been prepared by staff and do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Illinois State Board of Education. For further information concerning this report, please contact Kalpana Desai, Data Analysis and Progress Reporting Division, Illinois State Board of Education at 217/782-3950. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2003 The Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children At Risk of Academic Failure provides state grants to public school districts to conduct preschool education programs for children ages three to five who are at risk of academic failure. General findings from this report are as follows: * The Early Childhood Block Grant funding increased from $169.6 million in FY 2000 to $198.7 million in FY 2003. Under the Early Childhood Block Grant, the following programs can receive funding: the Prekindergarten At-Risk program, the Parental Training program, and the Prevention Initiative program. * Statewide, 420 projects (a 3% increase from FY 2000) received state funds to serve children in 642 districts (a 5% increase from FY 2000) . Forty-six of these projects served 202 districts under joint agreements with other districts. * A total of 55,984 children were served during FY 2003, a 5% increase from FY 2000. Of the total served, 15,883 children (28%) were in their second year of the prekindergarten program. Of the children eligible after screening in FY 2003, 66% were served and 10,912 children were on a waiting list at the end of the 2003 school year. * Statewide, 31% of three-year-old children were served in FY 2003, an increase from 24% in FY 2000. * The average amount spent per downstate child from the appropriation remains almost the same ($2,635) in FY 2003 from FY 2000 ($2,598) . The average cost per child for the state was $2,785 in FY 2003, a 4.5% increase from $2,664 in FY 2000. * The average teacher/child ratio was 1 to 19 (18 .6), and the average adult/child (teacher and teacher’s aide) ratio was 1 to 8.9. Some 1,637 full-time equivalent teachers were paid by the grant, about 287 parent coordinators were employed, and 1,723 teacher’s aides were employed in FY 2003. The teacher/child ratio has slowly increased. In FY 1997, it was 1 to 16; in FY 2000, it was 1 to 18. * Statewide, teachers ranked 27% of the children who participated in prekindergarten programs as “above average”and 51% as “average”in their kindergarten readiness skills. * About 28% of the children served were from single-parent homes and 2% were living with adults other than their parents. About 67% of the children were eligible for free or reducedprice lunch and 56% were minority children. * Almost 91% of the parents were reported to be involved in at least one parent involvement activity. Forty-three percent of the parents participated in four or more parent involvement activities. * Since the beginning of the program (FY 1987), ISBE has been collecting data in order to follow the academic progress of the children who participated in the program. Data for downstate students indicate that across three instructional areas (reading, mathematics, and language), 77% to 81% of students in the third grade and 74% to 78% of students in eighth grade were ranked as “above average” or “average” by their teachers. In Chicago, these percentages are 54% to 47% in third grade, and 62% to 70% in eighth grade reading and mathematics, and 53% in eighth grade language. * Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) results for previous downstate prekindergarten students in third grade reveal that 63% “meet” or “exceed” the standards in writing, 66% in reading and 82

FAQs

What is the Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children At Risk of Academic Failure?

It provides state grants to public school districts to run preschool education programs for children ages three to five who are at risk of academic failure.

How many children and projects were served statewide in FY 2003?

FY 2003 served 55,984 children across 420 projects in 642 districts. The report also notes 10,912 children on a waiting list at the end of the 2003 school year.

What outcomes did the program show for later elementary grades?

Downstate data indicate third-grade and eighth-grade students were commonly ranked “above average” or “average” by teachers in reading, mathematics, and language. ISAT results for prior prekindergarten participants show “meet” or “exceed” rates in writing, reading, and mathematics, with separate findings for social science and science.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by awa