Denver Preschool Program

Our Results

Our Results

How do we know our work makes a difference?

To prove that high quality preschool programs pay off, we look at how well children are prepared for kindergarten, as well as how they perform in third grade.

Our evaluation team includes:

  • Butler Institute for Families – University of Denver
  • National Opinion Research Center (NORC) – University of Chicago
  • Clayton Early Learning Institute
  • Denver Public Schools

Kindergarten Readiness Report

Are children who attend preschool better prepared for kindergarten?

Using a combination of standardized tests and classroom observations, the Denver Preschool Program works with Clayton Early Learning to evaluate how children progress in in vocabulary, literacy, math, social-emotional development and executive function during their preschool year.

Our results show that more DPP children than expected scored “ready for school” compared to their national peers in the spring before their kindergarten year regardless of their native language, or economic background.

Third Grade Longitudinal Analysis

How long do the benefits of  preschool last?

According to numerous studies and research on the benefits of preschool, children who have mastered basic skills in reading, writing and math by the end of the third grade are more likely succeed in school and beyond. As a result, DPP invests an annual long-term analysis conducted by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates that compares how former DPP students performed on Colorado’s third grade standardized achievement tests to those who did not have DPP experience.

Always Improving

The Denver Preschool Program proactively seeks feedback from participating preschools and parents to help enhance internal operations and how we serve the public. The following links provide a more in-depth view of our findings: 

More Resources

DPP strives to keep the community informed of their progress. For more information about the Denver Preschool Program, please explore our additional reports.