A recent study conducted by University of California Irvine School of Education associate professor Jade Jenkins, along with other researchers, showed marked positive outcomes for Black and Hispanic disadvantaged children in the fifth grade who had attended pre-K programs. “Most surprisingly, we found that funding for pre-K had larger effects for children who later experienced more adverse environments, like going to elementary schools with lower average achievement, or with many inexperienced teachers; this suggests to us that pre-K may help protect children against future adverse experiences,” Jenkins said.