Comprehensive early childhood programs like the Early Head Start and Head Start programs and state pre-kindergarten programs with high quality standards lead to better cognitive growth, improved behavior, better health and greater school success.
In 2011, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), 39 states had state-funded pre-school initiatives (not including Head Start, the federal programme for poor children).
Stone and Kenner originally wanted Legacy to hold full-day pre-K classes, a curriculum that can be funded in Illinois by one federal (Head Start) and two state government programs.