Cover: Cost Study of the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program
Read Online

Cost Study of the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program

by Heather L. Schwartz, Lynn A. Karoly

Download eBook for Free

Full Document

FormatFile SizeNotes
PDF file 1.2 MB

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

Summary Only

FormatFile SizeNotes
PDF file 0.1 MB

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

In 2008, the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation created the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program, a pilot program to provide families with scholarships to cover the cost of high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs. Although there is a large body of research about the benefits of preschool specifically and early learning programs more generally, there is little research that clearly identifies the cost components of ECE programs. This report provides detailed cost data for a sample of 12 ECE programs participating in the scholarship program. It also provides data on the extent of services, program features, and characteristics of children served at the different types of ECE programs participating in the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program and the sources and amounts of funds used to pay for children attending the programs. On a per-hour per-child basis, the 12 sampled ECE programs' costs ranged from $3.47 to $19.06.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter One

    Introduction

  • Chapter Two

    Approach

  • Chapter Three

    Program Costs of Sampled ECE Programs

  • Chapter Four

    Conclusions

  • Appendix

    Data Collection Instrument

This research was sponsored by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation through a subcontract with SRI International, and was undertaken within RAND Labor and Population.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation Technical report series. RAND technical reports may include research findings on a specific topic that is limited in scope or intended for a narrow audience; present discussions of the methodology employed in research; provide literature reviews, survey instruments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; or deliver preliminary findings. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.