Sociologist Casey Stockstill spent two years observing “all the richness happening” inside a Head Start preschool in Madison, Wisconsin. Then, she figured, she ought to look at one other early learning program, for good measure.
The Madison preschools shared much in common. Though one was funded by the federal Head Start program and the other was private, they both had five-star quality ratings from the state, hired experienced educators, used play-based curricula and followed similar routines. They even had many of the same toys.
