In 2019, Chicago began transitioning from a targeted pre-K program to free, full-day universal pre-K (UPK). By design, the transition intended to expand capacity over a few years, prioritizing access in more disadvantaged areas before moving on to more advantaged areas. We analyzed the transition path, showing capacity and enrollment over time across neighborhoods categorized by poverty rates, racial and ethnic composition, and economic resources. We also used a difference-in-differences approach to examine the causal impact of the expansion on access and explore implications for equity. We found that Chicago's UPK increased 4-year-old enrollment in free, full-day pre-K programs in Chicago Public Schools, largely through replacing half-day seats with full-day seats, with no negative effect on 3-year-old enrollment. We also found that capacity and enrollment generally were expanded earlier in neighborhoods with higher levels of disadvantage. Importantly, all communities across the city experienced increases in capacity and enrollment through the UPK expansion, suggesting it is possible to expand access across sociodemographic groups without compromising access for children living in historically underinvested neighborhoods. As local efforts across the nation expand to increase access to publicly funded programs, the Chicago UPK expansion can serve as a model.

中文翻译：

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芝加哥普及学前班扩展的影响：对学前班容量和入学率的影响以及对公平的影响


2019 年，芝加哥开始从有针对性的学前班计划过渡到免费、全日制通用学前班 (UPK)。按照设计，这一过渡旨在在几年内扩大容量，优先考虑较弱势地区的接入，然后再转向较优势地区。我们分析了转型路径，显示了按贫困率、种族和民族构成以及经济资源分类的社区随时间变化的容量和入学率。我们还使用双重差分法来检验扩张对准入的因果影响，并探讨对公平的影响。我们发现，芝加哥 UPK 增加了芝加哥公立学校免费全日制学前班课程的 4 岁儿童入学人数，主要是通过将半日制座位替换为全日制座位，对 3 岁儿童没有负面影响注册。我们还发现，在弱势程度较高的社区，容量和入学人数通常会较早扩大。重要的是，通过 UPK 的扩张，全市所有社区的容量和入学人数都得到了增加，这表明可以在不影响生活在历史上投资不足的社区的儿童的情况下扩大跨社会人口群体的入学机会。随着全国各地努力扩大获得公共资助项目的机会，芝加哥 UPK 的扩张可以作为一个典范。