PHILADELPHIA -- New research shows that children attending Head Start programs and other center-based child care are better prepared for kindergarten and maintain higher skills throughout the year. They achieve higher levels of early literacy and math skills and display work habits and motor skills that are more advanced than their peers.

These same children had higher attendance levels than those who had no formal preschool experiences.

The report, "Early Childhood Experiences and Kindergarten Success: A City-Wide Study," was released by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and based on interviews with 7,000 incoming kindergarten students in Philadelphia.

"Never before has such a comprehensive set of early childhood data been available," said John Fantuzzo, Penn GSE professor and lead researcher. "This report is evidence of the Head Start's local and national commitment to quality information that promotes readiness for children in the most challenging urban environments."

In Philadelphia, 81 percent of the children served by Head Start live in the most challenging areas of the city. Of those, 74 percent are African-American, 14 percent are Hispanic, 7 percent are non-Hispanic white and 2 percent are Asian.

Currently 65 percent of Philadelphia's kindergartner's have center- or school-based child-care experiences before they enroll in kindergarten.

Copies of the findings are available.