Preliminary evidence for the impact of mixed-income preschools on low-income children's language growth

Previous studies have identified the features of preschool programs that correlate with positive outcomes for low-income children, but the impact of economic integration has not been studied. This study compares the receptive language growth of two groups of children from low-income families. One group of children (N = 35) attended economically integrated preschools and the other (N = 50) attended preschools for low-income families. Language scores of the two groups were not significantly different when they entered the programs in the fall, but the children in integrated programs scored significantly higher than the other group in the spring. This effect was not significant for children who spoke a language other than English at home. The impact of program type was most evident for children from low-income families who spoke only English at home. When these children were integrated into economically mixed programs their spring scores (adjusted for fall scores) were not significantly different from those of English-speaking peers from more affluent families in the same programs. It is suggested that the language skills of these more advantaged peers may have had a positive impact on the language learning environment in the economically integrated preschools. Implications for school readiness initiatives and further study are discussed.