Universal preschool

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Main article: Preschool

Universal Preschool is the notion that access to preschool should be available to families similar to Kindergarten. Child advocates have different definitions of the definition of who is included and how it is to be funded. There has been a move to change the name to Preschool for All. Like Kindergarten, the concept is to have a voluntary program, unlike education, that is mandated by law in the United States with exceptions to allow for homeschooling and alternative education. Advocates have argued over:

the age of children eligible for the service of preschool with some taking the more traditional view that priority should be provided to children four years of age and others believing that brain development dictates that learning begins at birth and declines significantly by age eight.
Other child advocates believe that children except for those in institutions are in a family, whether it be a two parent family, single parent family, foster care, guardianship, kinship care that often requires a full day rather than a part day preschool.
Child advocates point to the head start model as ideal with parent involvement and education, social services and a family focus as critical to a quality preschool.
A last issue for child advocates is whether the preschool should be provided by government, usually through public school systems or whether the existing diverse delivery system. Currently most preschool used by families consists of public, nonprofit, church related, private for profit and in home settings (family day care).

1 Support of universal preschool
2 Opposition to universal preschool
3 Movement
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Support of universal preschool

Research based studies that show significant positive outcomes for children who attend preschool, especially children who are "at risk."
Public School reformers who feel that many children start out behind in school for a variety of reasons including lack of social skills, not knowing English or lack of experience in a group educational setting.
Advocates who see society as having a responsibility to all children
The rate of return for preschool in later years for children who have access to preschool.
The Information below was provided by: DLC | Model Initiatives | July 20, 2006
Studies of high-quality preschool programs in North Carolina and Michigan have found that public investments in such programs could, in fact, deliver a 7-to-1 return in the long run, in the form of increased productivity and decreased social spending.
A University of Georgia study found that the pre-K students improved their school readiness scores relative to national norms. It also found that the pre-K system eliminated the skills gap between universal pre-K students and the more affluent students whose parents sent them to private programs.
Oklahoma's system has gotten impressive results. A Georgetown University study found gains in the children's cognitive and language assessment scores -- particularly among African-American and Hispanic children, whose scores improved by an average of 17 percent and 54 percent, respectively. As of 2006, 98 percent of Oklahoma school districts offer pre-k programs, up 30 percent since 1998.

[edit] Opposition to universal preschool

Studies failed to demonstrate significant improvement in outcomes after Oklahoma and Georgia implemented universal preschool programs. Last year, the gains in reading scores of fourth graders in both states ranked among the bottom 10 on the National Assessment of Education Progress tests--the premier benchmark for comparing student performance across states. None of the 10 best performing states had universal preschool programs.
Critics have charged that the costs of universal preschool are often underestimated. One example cited is from an assessment of a universal day care program in Quebec which found the final price tag for Quebec's day care program to be 33 times what was originally projected. It had grown from a projected $230 million over five years, to annual costs of $1.7 billion. Much of this increase was attributed to higher operating costs, including large wage increases for day care workers (40 percent increase over four years).
Critics charge that long waiting lists result in disadvantaged children competing with higher income children for preschool access. In Quebec low-income households lost their child care tax deductions as they were discontinued in order to finance the universal preschool program. Yet with access to the universal preschools limited, the children of low-income households were underrepresented in the Quebec program, with half its day care spaces taken by families in the top 30 percent income bracket.
Some home schooling advocates have argued that children should be educated by their families and not by the government
Some political activists have argued that government should not provide such services, or that those services should remain privatised. Others opposed complain of the taxes imposed to fund such programs, or argue that tax revenues should be redirected to other programs
Some independent preschool providers have argued universal preschool programs pose an economic threat to private providers

[edit] Movement

The Universal Preschool movement started in France with Ecoles Maternelles in 1834.

Various other European Countries adopted some form of Universal Preschool including Sweden.

The movement gained ground in the United States as public opinion changed from viewing young children as the responsibility of only families to viewing it as a shared responsibility between families and society. To date, various states have begun implementation of a Universal Preschool system including Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Oklahoma and others. Many programs have been started by the Legislature and Governor. New Jersey's program came out of a court decision based on the poor quality of education in large parts of the state (Abbott versus Burke^[1]). Florida's Universal Preschool was established by initiative approved by the voters that left much of the program to be implemented by the Governor and Legislature. Georgia dedicated their lottery profits for preschool.

On June 6th, 2006, California voters soundly defeated an initiative that would have established part day preschool for all four year olds as a constitutional right. The initiative included an unusual provision that imposed a dedicated tax on those in very wealthy income brackets. Those taxes were to be placed in a separate fund, and remain independent to the state budget. Text of the initiative can be found at Preschool for All Act^[2]. The initiative was sponsored by film director and actor, Rob Reiner

Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) is an independent public benefit corporation created in 2004 and funded by First 5 LA – the commission established by Proposition 10. LAUP’s goal is to make voluntary, high-quality preschool available to every 4-year-old child in Los Angeles County, regardless of their family’s income, by 2014. LAUP is guided by a 10-year Master Plan developed by hundreds of educators, parents, government officials, and business and community leaders. Building on this plan, LAUP is bringing resources together from across the county in support of early childhood education. When LAUP has reached full scale, funded classrooms will serve more than 100,000 4-year-olds.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children participated in a Governor's Forum on Quality Preschool held in December of 2003. This organization stands on the principal that building on exiting preschool providers and programs, including child care, Head Start and schools it will ensure a standard for high quality preschools.

Illinois is the first state to offer voluntary preschool to all three- and four-year-olds whose parents want them to participate. Preschool for All was signed into law in July 2006, after a bill passed in the general assembly. When fully impemented Preschool for All will ensure that 190,000 children in Illinois have access to high quality preschool. The legislature also approved $45 million in additional funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant to expand and enhance already established programs , and an 11% allotment of funds for birth- three children.

Directors of church-based preschools and child care centers are worried that preschool for all will close down their programs. While other not-for-profit centers and for-profit centers can apply for the Early Childhood Block Grant, churches may not qualify because they include Bible stories, prayer and worship songs in their curriculum. This issue must be addressed since the largest majority of preschools and child care centers are run by churches.