The early childhood and elementary education continuum: Constructing an understanding of P--3 as state-level policy reform

State-level policy attention to young children's early learning opportunities burgeons; a sense of urgency exists to identify reform agendas that are both effective and sustainable. P-3 often is used as the term for the first level of a seamless P-20 system that stretches from early childhood through post-secondary education. While it is commonly agreed that P-3 spans the early childhood and early elementary education years, there is a lack of clarity about how to understand and implement P-3 at the state policy level. This research begins to build greater agreement and understanding of how to position and structure P-3 as a credible and meaningful state-level policy reform agenda.;Constructivist grounded theory framed the inquiry that relied on multiple data sources and mixed methods analysis. Central to the methodology, the Delphi Method was used to engage prominent state-level policy leaders in a dialectic process to identify the most compelling and important components of P-3 as a state-level policy agenda. Four primary dimensions of P-3 were addressed. First, it was determined that the ideal P-3 age range begins with attention to pre-natal development and extends through grade 3. Second, the most compelling rationale for state policymakers to pursue P-3 reform is the need to close early achievement gaps. Third, the most important principles to guide P-3 reform include addressing the whole child, emphasizing that school readiness has multiple dimensions, and ensuring continuity and coherence of children's experiences. Fourth, while there exists a range of policy types that might be included in a state-level P-3 reform agenda, the viability and feasibility of doing so varies across several dimensions related to technical feasibility, value acceptability, and anticipation of future constraints.;The study holds significance for future exploration and analysis in both research and state policy. Fundamentally, the study reveals that state policy leaders view P-3 as a credible and potentially meaningful reform agenda. The study also highlights the need to expand both conceptual and empirical understanding of how to reform pre-natal, early care and education (ECE), and K-3 systems to establish and strengthen coherence across the full pre-natal through third grade age continuum.