Preschool attendance and student achievement

Preschool is a term used to describe early childhood education programs that serve children in their early ages (3-6 years), before they are of legal age to join primary school. Research evidence indicate that children gain a lot from preschool by gaining basic foundation skills required for learning, especially at the lower primary school level (see for example La Paro & Pianta, 2000; Sylva et al., 2004). The objective of this policy brief is to examine the effects of preschool attendance on learning achievement of students attending primary schools in two rural districts of Iganga and Mayuge in Uganda.