The value of early childhood intervention programs has been underscored in a statewide study in which CHEP's Center for Disabilities Studies researchers followed the progress of 717 young Delaware schoolchildren for four years.

Results of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, released by state officials in April, showed that children with disabilities and those living in poverty were significantly more likely to score well on state academic tests if they had participated in intervention programs as preschoolers.

Delaware Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff says the study "shows that the resources we are using for early childhood intervention programs are providing children in poverty or with disabilities a clear road for academic success."

The Center for Disabilities Studies developed the research project in 1997. Of the children studied, one-third had diagnosed disabilities, one-third were from low-income families and the rest were from the general population. Beginning in kindergarten, the children's academic and discipline records were tracked to determine their overall success in their first four years of school.

The study was conducted by staff and graduate student researchers.