Linking child care and support services with the school: Pilot evaluation of the school of the 21st century

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an evaluation of two pilot Schools of the 21st Century (21C), a school-based services model which provides a comprehensive program of child care and family support to children from birth to 12 years old. Two elementary schools in Independence, Missouri, serving predominately middle-class white suburban communities, were tracked during their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of implementation of 21C. The study sample consisted of 185 children in the intervention schools and 83 children in two comparison schools. Data was collected from parent, teacher, childcare staff, and principal surveys and school records. Parents who used 21C child care, compared to parents who did not, spent less money on child care, missed significantly less work because of failure of child care arrangements, and showed a significant decrease in parent stress as measured by the Parent Stress Index. The preschool child care program was credited with enabling early identification of special needs children and increasing children's readiness for Kindergarten, and the school-aged child care program was noted for providing mixed-age group activities and role models for younger children. Challenges and lessons learned from implementation are discussed.