Count Me In? Identifying Factors That Predict Centers’ Application to Boston’s Mixed-Delivery Universal Pre-K Program

March 2025

Universal prekindergarten (UPK) programs often expand through mixed-delivery systems by offering seats in public schools and community-based centers (CBOs). Although this approach aims to meet varied family needs, little is known about potential systematic differences between CBOs that apply to UPK programs and those that do not. We examined whether applier and nonapplier CBOs differ in capacity, structural quality, and demographic characteristics, using public and administrative data from 223 licensed centers during the first 2 years of Boston UPK expansion. We included a geospatial approach to identify quality variation across neighborhoods. Before accounting for community characteristics, UPK appliers had larger capacity than nonappliers (0.81 SD), were more likely to receive subsidies (35 pp), participate in accountability systems (36 pp), and have national accreditation (39 pp). However, after accounting for community characteristics, only accreditation status differentiated appliers from nonappliers. Consistently, we found distinct patterns of accountability participation, compliance with standards, and accreditation across neighborhoods. Findings illustrated an innovative method to inform the equitable scaling of UPK programs and suggest new directions on potential uses of licensing, monitoring, and accreditation systems.

Keywords

Universal PreKindergarten, Administrative Data, QRISs, Equitable Access to Early Education

Education level

Early childhood

Topics

Methods