Universal Pre-K…Is this good or bad?

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

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Today, 20/20 aired a special report on Universal Pre-K in the United States.

What exactly is Universal Pre-K? From my understanding, this is a program that would give every 4 year old in America access to “quality” preschool regardless of socioeconomic status. It is state-funded, meaning that all children would be able to go to school for free.

During Obama’s campaign, he  made it clear  that restructuring the U.S. education system was one of his priorities, and Universal Pre-K was added to his agenda.  Apparently, the rest of America agrees with the President because according to the report 67% support this program. But then again, this still leaves 33% of Americans who still aren’t sold on the idea.

Opposers of Universal Pre-K say the following:

1. Most American’s already have their children enrolled in Pre-schools and use their own money to pay for it. And for the parents who can’t afford sending their child to preschool, there are subsidies out there to assist them. If there were Universal Pre-K, taxpayers would have to shed out the dough to pay for EVERY child-regardless if they can afford it or not.

2. The government can’t even get K-12 right, so what makes us believe they can handle Pre-school programs.

3. Universal Pre-K would cost  taxpayer billions of dollars which many claim we do not have, especially in this economy.

4. Private Preschools that are already established and fully functioning would have to adhere to Government standards. This would strip part of their identity away and lessen the need for competition.

5. The governments attempt at Early Childhood intervention through the Head Start Program didn’t produce the results as expected. Studies have shown that the benefits of preschool fade with time, and as children get older, it’s hard to tell which one’s went to Headstart, and which one’s didn’t.

6. Some studies have shown that students who attend too much preschool can be aggressive and disruptive.

7. Oklahoma and Georgia currently have state-funded Pre-schools and the results aren’t impressive.

I like the idea of Universal Pre-K, but under certain criteria.

First off, I think more money needs to go into the PREPARATION of the teacher. Writing papers, reading books, attending classes are just the tip of the iceberg. I think more hours need to be in the classroom observing children and understanding child development. Preschool isn’t about singing songs and playing duck duck goose. If people recognized the importance of Early Childhood education, maybe they’d begin to take it more seriously.

Second, states need to make it MANDATORY for Parents to be involved in their child’s education. Whether it be monthly Parent meetings, Phone conferences, Emails, House visits, or whatever….Parents need to be accountable for their child!

Third, schools need to have an adminstration that is made up of highly qualified professionals who have a strong foundation in Early Childhood Education.

I believe that Universal Pre-K will work, but it is going to require a TEAM effort between Teachers, Parents, and Schools.

It’s kind of ironic that now people are beginning to realize how important Early Childhood Education is. This is something that MONTESSORI had said over 100 years ago! If we invest in the education of our children, we are investing in our future. Let’s just hope the government will get it right this time around.

The first 5 minutes of the video talks about Universal Pre-K and it’s benefits. Check it out!



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Viewing 3 Comments

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    That's what happens. When the government pays for it, they take control over it. They would continue to allow private preschools, just like they continue to allow private upper-level schools, but those would be the ones parents would have to continute to pay for. So the ones who really need the help would be the ones who are going to the government-run low quality program. The ones attending your fancy montessori school would continue to be from better-off families.

    I'm afraid my opinions come from talking to actual parents. I am not talking about parents who have to both work to make ends meet. Almost all stay-at-home moms I know who send their children to preschool do so because they want a few hours a week to themselves. This is now considered a normal, expected and deserved part of our society.

    I do believe Head Start is a good thing, for those children who really need it. There are children who do and who benefit from it. Most don't, though.

    My opinons about government-run schooling come from talking to parents of those students and public educators as well. The more regulations the government tries to put on public schools, the worse the education becomes, as the teachers are forced to focus more on test taking and less on actual learning. I have yet to meet a public school teacher or parent who likes NCLB, and so far the additions Obama has suggested are more along the same line.
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    • v
    If parents were more involved in their children's education, they wouldn't need preschool. For most parents preschool=daycare.

    I'm also a little suprised to hear a montessorian who thinks it's a good idea to give the government more control over preschools. They've done such a poor job "fixing' public schools, why would you want them in charge of preschool too?
    • ^
    • v
    As I said before, I support Universal Pre-K under certain criteria. The government is under new direction, and perhaps I'm being an idealist when I say this, but I think the US would be in a much better position down the road if they were to invest in Early Childhood education.

    Not every parent is fortunate enough to stay at home with their child. I do agree that there are some parents who believe that preschool is daycare but on the other hand, there are a lot of parents who value Early Childhood education and would like to see their child attend a quality school. In a perfect world, one parent would work, while the other one would stay at home and watch the kids. But, unfortunately, that's not how it is in today. Some people can't dedicate as much time as they'd like towards their child's education because they are working 3 jobs and trying to survive. If we could provide access to quality education, we could fill up this gap.

    That's what Montessori did with her Casa dei Bambini! She gave children access to education, and look what happened? She made miracles.

    If Universal Pre-K means that the government will have COMPLETE control over Preschools (private and public), then I might have to think twice about my position. If the government were to pay for children to go to preschools (Montessori included) and still allow the schools to maintain their identity, then HELL YEAH I'm for Universal Pre-k.
 

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