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Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPC)

Health Factors: Education
Decision Makers: Community Organizations, Government - Local, Government - State, Schools
Evidence Rating: Scientifically Supported
Population Reach: 1-9% of WI's population
Impact on Disparities: Likely to decrease disparities

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Description

Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPS-CPC) provide preschool education and comprehensive family support to children from low income families. Classes are small, allowing teachers use a child-centered, individualized approach to promote social and cognitive development. Children are also served free breakfast and lunch, and screened for vision and hearing issues upon enrollment. Parents are required to participate at least half a day per week. Staff conduct home visits and refer families to social service agencies. CPCs use Title I funds and operate through the Chicago Public Schools system. These centers originally served students through the third grade, but now serve only preschool students (PPN).

Expected Beneficial Outcomes

Reduced grade retention
Reduced special education usage
Increased earnings
Higher health insurance coverage
Decreased crime
Increased high school graduation
Improved cognitive readiness in Kindergarten

Evidence of Effectiveness

There is strong evidence that CPC improves low income children's outcomes. CPC improves children's academic achievement, high school graduation rates, and eventual earnings while reducing participants' arrest and incarceration rates (Reynolds 2011, PPN).

The preschool component of CPC yields the strongest effects. CPC preschool improves cognitive skills, kindergarten readiness, and reading and math skills while reducing grade retention and special education usage among participants. CPC preschoolers are more likely to graduate high school, obtain health insurance, and avoid depression, arrest, and incarceration in their adult years than non-participants (PPN). By age 28, participants earn moderately more than their non-CPC counterparts (Reynolds 2011).

CPC helps boys and high risk children the most (Temple 2010, Ou 2010, Reynolds 2011), though girls may be more likely to graduate when they participate in the school age intervention (Reynolds 2011a). CPC can also decrease child maltreatment and neglect (Mersky 2011).

CPC costs about $5600 per child per year for the preschool component, and $2000 per year for the supplementary school age component. According to a cost-benefit analysis, CPC's preschool component yields $10.83 in societal benefits per dollar spent, primarily through reduced crime and increased earnings and tax revenues. The school age component yields $3.97 per dollar invested (Reynolds 2011a).

Implementation Examples

United States

Child-Parent Centers offer preschool to three to five year olds at 10 sites in low income areas of Chicago (CPS-CPC, CEHD 2011). The project won a federal grant in 2011 that will fund 23 new sites in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota (CEHD 2011, Harris 2012). 

Wisconsin

Using the 2011 federal grant, six Child-Parent Centers will open in Milwaukee (HCRC).

Implementation Resources

CPS-CPC - Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Child parent center (CPC). Accessed on January 16, 2013
Webpage: http://www.cps.edu/Schools/EarlyChildhood/Pages/Childparentcenter.aspx
UW CPC - UW Madison Waisman Center. Chicago Longitudinal Study: Child Parent Center (CPC). Accessed on June 23, 2012
Webpage: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/

Citations - Description

CPS-CPC - Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Child parent center (CPC). Accessed on January 16, 2013
Webpage: http://www.cps.edu/Schools/EarlyChildhood/Pages/Childparentcenter.aspx
PPN - Promising Practices Network (PPN). On children, families and communities. Accessed on May 7, 2012
Webpage: http://www.promisingpractices.org/programs_evidence.asp

Citations - Evidence

Mersky 2011* - Mersky JP, Topitzes JD, Reynolds AJ. Maltreatment prevention through early childhood intervention: A confirmatory evaluation of the Chicago Child-Parent Center preschool program. Children and Youth Services Review. 2011;33(8):1454-63. Accessed on June 23, 2012
Webpage: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740911001447
Ou 2010* - Ou SR, Reynolds AJ. Mechanisms of effects of an early intervention program on educational attainment: A gender subgroup analysis. Children and Youth Services Review. 2010;32(8):1064-76. Accessed on June 23, 2012
Webpage: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740909003053
PPN - Promising Practices Network (PPN). On children, families and communities. Accessed on May 7, 2012
Webpage: http://www.promisingpractices.org/programs_evidence.asp
Reynolds 2011* - Reynolds AJ, Temple JA, Ou SR, Arteaga IA, White BAB. School-based early childhood education and age-28 well-being: Effects by timing, dosage, and subgroups. Science. 2011;333(6040):360-4. Accessed on April 27, 2012
Webpage: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6040/360
Reynolds 2011a - Reynolds AJ, Temple JA, White BAB, Ou SR, Robertson DL. Age 26 cost-benefit analysis of the child-parent center early education program. Child Development. 2011;82(1):379-404. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01563.x/pdf
Temple 2010 - Temple JA, Reynolds AJ, Arteaga I. Low birth weight, preschool education, and school remediation. Education and Urban Society. 2010;42(6):705-29. Accessed on June 18, 2012
Webpage: http://eus.sagepub.com/content/42/6/705.full.pdf+html

Citations - Implementation Examples

CEHD 2011 - University of Minnesota College Education+Human Development (CEHD). Federal $15M grant supports one of the most comprehensive childhood education programs in the nation. Accessed on June 15, 2012
Webpage: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cehd/news/2011/12/federal-15m-grant-supports-one-of-the-most-comprehensive-childhood-education-programs-in-the-nation.html
CPS-CPC - Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Child parent center (CPC). Accessed on January 16, 2013
Webpage: http://www.cps.edu/Schools/EarlyChildhood/Pages/Childparentcenter.aspx
Harris 2012 - Harris R. Child-parent centers to expand. Catalyst Chicago. 2012. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/2012/02/28/19886/child-parent-centers-expand
HCRC - Human Capital Research Collaborative (HCRC). Midwest expansion of the child-parent education program, preschool to third grade. Accessed on June 19, 2012
Webpage: http://humancapitalrc.org/news/cpc_summary_hcrc.pdf

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Evidence Rating

Level of effectiveness based on a scan of academic literature and key recommendations of leading organizations.

  • Scientifically Supported Numerous studies or systematic review(s) with positive results
  • Some Evidence Research suggests positive impacts; further study may be warranted
  • Expert Opinion Recommended by credible groups*; research evidence limited
  • Insufficient Evidence Evidence limited or unavailable; further study warranted
  • Mixed Evidence Evidence mixed; further study warranted
  • Evidence of Ineffectiveness Research consistently shows program is detrimental or has no effect

Although many policies and programs are recommended by credible groups, we apply the rating ‘expert opinion’ only when policies are recommended but limited scientific evidence of effectiveness is available.

* The American Heritage Dictionary defines credible as 'capable of being believed; plausible.' and 'worthy of confidence; reliable.' To be considered an 'expert recommendation,' policies and programs must be recommended by one or more organizations that are recognized for their impartial expertise in the area of interest and have limited evidence available.

Potential Population Reach

Portion of Wisconsin's population likely to be reached by a policy or program if implemented statewide, based on its characteristics (e.g., target population(s), geographic limitations, and potential implementers).

<1%   20-49%
1-9%   50-99%
10-19%   100%

Potential Population Reach

Portion of Wisconsin's population likely to be reached by a policy or program if implemented statewide, based on its characteristics (e.g., target population(s), geographic limitations, and potential implementers).

<1%   20-49%
1-9%   50-99%
10-19%   100%

Potential Impact on Health Disparities

Likely impact of a given policy or program on racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic or other disparities in Wisconsin based on its characteristics (e.g., target audience, mode of delivery, etc.) and best available evidence related to disparities.

  • Likely to decrease disparities
  • No impact on disparities likely
  • Likely to increase disparities