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Out-of-date legislatures overlook value of
preschool
USA Today, September 18, 2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
Adults often overlook the importance of high-quality preschool
education. Until recent times, preschools weren't common for
3- and 4-year-olds. And because early childhood education
wasn't part of their reality, many grownups still consider it
a luxury.
Their view is outdated. Studies show that early schooling has
enormous benefits, especially for children growing up in
poverty. When enrolled in a good preschool, those children are
less likely to need special-education services and more likely
to graduate. After leaving school, they are more likely to be
employed and less likely to be on welfare.
Yet just as some states are waking up to the constructive role
preschool education plays, legislators are moving to cut
funding for the programs, offered most often to low-income
families. Eight states this year reduced preschool budgets,
according to the Education Commission of the States.
This week, North Carolina's legislature decides how much to
decrease spending on its subsidized preschool programs. The
reductions, which could reach $20 million, come a year after
the legislature took $60 million from the state's $260 million
funding of early childhood programs.
Similar cutbacks are occurring in Massachusetts. In Ohio, the
state started using federal welfare money to support its
preschools, which would be at risk if the federal money were
cut.
As state revenues continue to fall, legislatures are required
to balance their budgets. But by treating the education of
young children as an extravagance, they are limiting what
researchers have identified as one of the most effective
options for closing learning gaps between the rich and poor.
The latest proof was released last week in a study that
evaluated Head Start, the federal preschool program for
low-income children. The study found that kids in Head Start
experience only a temporary bump in IQ scores but reap
permanent academic gains in later grades. A separate study of
the Early Head Start program for 3-year-olds showed gains in
intelligence and language skills and less aggressive behavior
in class.
The long-term benefits of preschool are just as compelling.
Researchers for the Chicago Child Parent Center Program,
operated by Chicago Public Schools, tracked nearly 1,000 poor
kids who attended preschool an average of 2.5 hours a day for
18 months. During 15 years, they were less likely to require
special education, less likely to be arrested and more likely
to graduate from high school than poor children who had no
preschool, according to the 2001 study.
Even in a tough budget climate, some areas find the research
compelling. This November, Florida voters will decide whether
to provide free preschool to all 4-year-olds. Last month, the
Los Angeles County commissioners set aside $100 million of
tobacco-tax revenues to expand preschooling.
Lawmakers seeking to increase preschool funding can argue that
it's worth the cost. Studies show that every $1 invested in
good preschools for poor children produces $7 in gains for
adults who are more likely to be employed, own homes and avoid
welfare.
Rather than a luxury, preschool is a sound educational
investment.
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