4-Year-Old Kindergarden Community Approach (4KCA)
Benefits for Children
A 4K Community Approach (4KCA) is a partnership between a school district and a community provider (child care, Head Start, private school) to offer 4K within the community setting. 4KCA allows families options in providing quality care and education, regardless of ability or family income. Quality early education opportunities have profound lifelong benefits for children. Communities throughout Wisconsin have adopted a 4KCA approach to ensure that all four-year-olds have equitable access to quality learning opportunities.
Below are five highlights, pulled from Wisconsin Stories Highlighting the Unique Benefits of the 4K Community Approach or 54 Reasons to Implement the 4K Community Approach, related to the benefits of 4KCA programs for children. These were complied in 2013 through a series of interviews and surveys with 4K CA providers across Wisconsin.
- Reduced transitions during the day.
- Increased the continuity of care.
- Increased the ability to provide inclusive settings for four-year-old children with special needs.
- Eased transitions for three-year-olds entering 4K.
- Increased communication and information shared between the 4K teachers, the early childhood staff, and the public schools.