The authors investigated the effects of participation in the Chicago Child-Parent Center and Expansion Program from ages 3 to 9 on school dropout by age 18 for 1,159 youths. This Title I program provides child education and family support services from preschool through second or third grade in 20 sites in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. After comparing children in 20 program sites with children who attended schools in similarly poor neighborhoods without the intervention, we found that preschool participation was associated with a 24% reduction in the rate of school dropout and that participation for 5 or 6 years was associated with a 27% reduction in the rate of early school dropout relative to less extensive participation.
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