What Are Leading Indicators and Why Do They Matter?
Lagging indicators - like graduation rates - reflect past performance. Leading indicators - such as daily attendance rates - predict future performance. They offer early insights and support proactive decision-making. Analyzing leading indicators enables educators to target interventions for underperforming students, ensuring equitable support based on demographic and socioeconomic factors to mitigate academic risks and improve outcomes.
While entry to kindergarten marks the beginning of thirteen years of formal schooling through 12th grade, kindergarten readiness is the measurable outcome of the impact of early childhood experiences in the first five years of a child’s life, from pre-natal and birth to preschool age, and leading up to kindergarten entry.
Kindergarten Readiness: What is it and why does it matter?
How do Kentucky communities know when every family is able to access affordable, high-quality early care and education to ensure a strong start for their youngest learners to be ready for kindergarten, to thrive in school and to pursue a path to a larger life? What data will tell a community that it is making progress towards this goal? The following indicators and their metrics matter in turning the curve towards increased kindergarten readiness:
- Access to and participation in high quality early care, education and intervention programs;
- Quality of early care and education services and supports for children and families; and
- Availability of high-quality early care and education workforce.
Where to Find the Data
Access and Participation in High Quality Early Care and Education: What is it and why does it matter?
Participating in early care and education (ECE) helps children to develop skills that will benefit them in school and in lifei. Specifically, research from the United States shows that ECE can help children learn the foundational skills for reading, math, self-control, and positive relationships.ii In Kentucky in 2023, children who were enrolled in state-funded preschool programs and Head Start were more likely to be ready for kindergarten based on the state kindergarten readiness screener than children who were not in a formal early care and education setting.iii The following indicators measure the degree of participation of eligible children in state and federally funded early care and education programs:
- The number and percentage of children participating (enrolled) in state-funded preschool programs compared to eligible children (state and local)
- The number and percentage of children participating (enrolled) in Head Start programs compared to eligible children (state and local)
- The number and percentage of children participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) compared to eligible children (state and local)
- The average per child cost of quality early care and education at 160% of the federal poverty level
Figure 1
KY Kindergarten Readiness by Prior Enrollment
Where to Find the Data
Quality of Early Care and Education Services: What is it and why does it matter?
There is scientific consensus that early care and education (ECE) experiences are linked with positive child outcomes primarily when the ECE is high-quality.iv When ECE is high-quality—meaning that it provides enrichment beyond minimal health and safety requirements—it is much more likely to benefit children’s cognitive and social-emotional skills than lower-quality care.v vi Quality has various facets, including the quality of educator-child relationshipsvii, instruction and curriculaviii, and educator preparation and professional supportix x. Standards and regulations that align with high-quality practices or a quality rating from a state or local quality rating and improvement system examining these features of quality ECE are also deemed important. In Kentucky in 2023, slightly less than half of early care and education providers were deemed high quality, defined as rating 3 stars or higher on KY ALL STARS, the state’s 5-point Quality Improvement Rating System, as reported in The Kentucky Early Childhood Profiles. The state’s average KY ALL STARS rating was 2.7 stars out of 5.
Figure 2
Percent of High Quality/Not High Quality Rated Providers
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The KY ALL STARS Standards of Qualityxi for all licensed and regulated early care and education settings encompass the following areas:
- Classroom and instructional quality: including, at a minimum, developmental screening training, environmental self-assessment and observation; additionally, to attain higher quality ratings, developmental screenings, alignment of curriculum and instruction with Kentucky Early Childhood standards, curriculum-based assessment used to drive instruction and shared with families, and national accreditation;
- Staff qualifications and professional development: including, at a minimum, leadership and teaching staff have early childhood credentials/degree or professional learning; additionally, to attain higher quality ratings, professional learning in curriculum-based assessment, equivalent leadership credentials and/or experience, participation in the Kentucky Career Lattice, and individual PD plan aligned with state core competencies;
- Family and community engagement: to increase quality ratings, professional learning on strengthening family engagement, two-way communication with and support for transitions for families, partnerships with community agencies, and sharing community resources with families; and
- Administrative and leadership practices: to increase quality ratings, membership in an early childhood professional organization, implementation of a continuous quality improvement system with input from families and staff, system of monitoring and feedback to evaluate staff performance, weekly lesson planning time, paid time off, health insurance and retirement benefits.
The following indicators measure the proportion of early care and education programs that meet or exceed Kentucky’s definition of high-quality early care and education:
- The number and percentage of 3-Star or higher providers (state and community-specific) on the ALL-STARS quality improvement rating system
- The number and percentage of communities with an average ALL STARS rating of 3 or better
- The number and percentage of state and community-specific early childhood slots in high-quality early care and education settings
- The average staff to child ratio in licensed and regulated early care settings
- The number of health and wellness referrals for children in licensed and regulated early care settings
Where to Find the Data
High-Quality Early Care and Education Workforce: What is it and why does it matter?
A high-quality early care and education (ECE) workforce is essential for providing young children with the nurturing, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate experiences they need to thrive. Here are some key components of a high-quality ECE workforce: education and ongoing training of early care and education professionals, including credentialing and career pathways; deep knowledge of child-development theory and best practices; cultural competence; relationship-building; socio-emotional competence; and health and safety, and advocacy and leadership. Investing in a high-quality early care and education workforce is critical for providing young children with the solid foundation they need for future success in school and life. By supporting educators' professional development, compensation, and working conditions, communities can attract and retain talented individuals who are committed to promoting the well-being and development of young children. The following indicators measure the degree to which early care and education professionals are recruited, supported and retained:
- The number of ECE-specific credentials obtained by candidates (associate degree, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, apprenticeships)
- The number of ECE scholarships obtained (educator, director)
- The number of ECE teacher leads and teaching assistants
- The number of ECE teachers/assistants leaving the profession
- The number and percentage of early educators trained in early literacy
Where to Find the Data
We believe, at a minimum, that
IF more children are enrolled in high quality early care and education programs,
AND IF more early care and education programs meet standards of high quality,
AND IF more professionals are recruited, retained and supported in a high-quality early care and education workforce,
THEN young learners in Kentucky communities will be more likely to be proficient and confident by 3rd grade because they will enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
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