Posted on 05/29/2007 8:24:09 AM PDT by ReleaseTheHounds
The Senator who wrote It Takes a Village apparently believes it takes the federal government to decide how American families prepare their 4-year-olds for kindergarten.
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) recently unveiled a proposal for a new $10 billion federal program to offer government-subsidized preschool for all children across the country. Under her plan, states that offer such programs would be eligible to receive federal funding if they agree to follow federal guidelines on matters such as teacher training requirements and curriculum guidelines.
For years, advocacy groups have been working to expand early education programs and secure universal preschool across the country. So far, only Georgia and Oklahoma offer universal government-subsidized preschool, while 40 states and the District of Columbia offer preschool for targeted groups of students. Senator Clinton's plan is to use the lure of billions in federal tax dollars to expand the number of states offering universal preschool.
Parents and taxpayers should read the fine print before embracing the latest federal initiative geared to help children. The Clinton plan is based on two flawed assumptions—first, that preschool is an essential component of all children's early education; second, that it's the federal government's responsibility to promote and manage it.
On this first issue, parents and taxpayers should be skeptical of promises from politicians that universal preschool will solve the problems in American education. Supporters of universal preschool tout studies that show how at-risk students have benefited from early intervention programs and argue that all children would benefit from early education.
But a careful look at the available research evidence casts doubt on these claims. Evaluations of early education interventions have shown that while participating students may yield gains in the short-run, these benefits typically disappear over time. Other academic studies, such as a 2005 study published by Stanford and University of California researchers, have reported that students who attend preschool may be more likely to exhibit negative social behaviors.
Even if the research evidence supported the advocates' claims, it wouldn't justify a universal program that includes subsidies for children from middle- and upper-income families. Today, families provide for their children's needs in a number of ways, including private preschool and child care and in-home family care. In addition, forty states have state-funded preschool programs, the majority of which are targeted at children with financial need.
A universal government program would disrupt the existing preschool and child care market and place a high burden on taxpayers. All families would have to decide whether enrolling their children in private preschools justifies the cost of forgoing “free” child care. The likely result would be a massive exodus from private preschool, child care, and home care, with taxpayers picking up the tab.
Fortunately, it seems many voters are rejecting calls for universal preschool. California voters rejected one such ballot initiative in 2006. The state was already spending $3 billion annually to provide subsidized preschool for disadvantaged children. Proposition 82 would have extended those benefits to all middle- and upper-income families at an additional cost of $2 billion per year. More than 60 percent voted against the universal preschool initiative.
Sen. Clinton seems to think that she knows better than California voters and policymakers in other states. By offering between $5 billion and $10 billion in federal grants, Sen. Clinton's plan would force state lawmakers to choose whether to implement expansive government preschool programs (and receive federal funding) or reject the offer and watch their constituents' tax dollars flow to neighboring states. If history is any guide, it's likely that many states will take the bait.
Once they do, participating states would be forced to comply with burdensome federal rules governing preschool just as K-12 public schools must comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law. Congress—rather than Mom and Dad or the nearest state legislature—would make decisions about what type of training a preschool teacher must have and what type of curriculums should be used.
Campaign promises for new federal programs to help children probably sound appealing to some voters. But parents and taxpayers should question whether they really want Congress and the federal bureaucracy deciding how every 4-year-old in the country is preparing for school.
Dan Lips is Education Analystat the Heritage Foundation, www.Heritage.org.
When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Waiting for her to announce the “Baby Liberal” video series (ala Baby Einstein) so that she can start youth indoctrination immediately.
Without curriculum reform the extra year is wasted. I was amazed at how patient my daughter was with all the make work, time wasted that culminated in a Kindergarten program that emphasized learning her colors, something she had known since she was three.
It does make sense to have a year of education to ease children into the idea of going to class and not eating the paste. That used to be kindergarten.
Some states, like Virginia, the governor is proposing a test plan which would give vouchers that could be used for any preschool. But it also allows the public schools to compete and set up their own schools.
It’s a trojan horse, in a few years they will yank funding for private preschool just like they won’t allow vouchers now, the ACLU will sue to shut down the religious preschools, the public schools will argue THEY need all the money because they are open to “everybody”.
It’s just a way for the NEA to hire more union members and expand the school system.
BTW, some people like it for the same reason the like all-day kindergarten — it’s just free babysitting for the working mothers. Our schools run after-school care, so I’m afraid they are trying to take that over as well.
There is pandering and then there is ‘hyper-pandering’ for votes... all of course on YOUR nickel!
My kids did pre-school in our kitchen. Yep. Spent the year teaching them fractions and physics. Mostly, that mean we were making brownies and using measuring cups and playing on the swings and sliding board in the yard.
They seem to be just fine.
“first, that preschool is an essential component of all children’s early education; second, that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to promote and manage it. “’
There is absolutely nothing flawed about the first part - its the second part that is flawed.
A four years old’s job is to play. Let them be kids.
Social engineering does work to indoctrinate the minds that will run this country in years to come and brings in more money (taxes) to the federal behemoth..the only answer is to get government out of education, but will not be done because too many feel they must have a 2nd income and cannot home school or are not willing to pay for a private education that is not burdened by the government indoctrination system.
No child left behind means they all will grow up lazy and stupid.
If the government continues to control our schools, we all will lose.
Let’s not forget the initiator and signer of the No Child Left Behind Act - our “compassionate conservative” President Bush. So Evita Clinton wants to draft four-year-olds into the public education indoctrination program. Big whoop. The enabling evil was done the idiot who currently occupies the White House.
My point is the “enabling evil” has nothing to do with current politics (except the continuation of the evil) but has to do with society allowing the takeover of education from the parents. The socialization of American education was done years ago and now we are strongly reaping what was sown. Products of public education in the 50’s, 60’s and even the 70’s was okay because the teachers held on to their morals and taught them as well as school subjects. Today, teachers are not allowed to discipline or teach moral judgements; they are allowed only to promote political correctness and the propoganda of the state (the US corporate state). The US education system is that we learned of in our formative years that occurred in communist countries. Wonder what that will make us in a few years if we continue to allow the government to teach and train our children. Thnk about the fact that the kids spend 30-40+ hours a week learning what the gvt. wants them to learn. Since no-one pays attention to what little johnny is leaning anymore, the parents think it is the right thing to do..Woe unto all of us..liberal or conservative.
If she’s so interested in having everyone educated, why does she want to bring in all these uneducated illegals?
Don’t have to “educate” them—they know who to vote for; it is the “conservative’s” kids that must be “educated”
Then, I’ll take the hat concession.
I was a product on public education in the 1950's and 1960's (graduated college 1970). I think this is another example of my/our baby-boomer generation being the "worst generation". Many of the teachers who came of age when I was going to school and graduating in the mid-1960's jumped into education because it gave a draft deferment for graduate studies. I really believe this led to a huge cohort of anti-American, anti-Middle Class Values teachers who have become the bureaucracy that has turned public education into the farce it is today (apologies to all the truly good and inspired teachers out there but...). How they are retiring and being replaced by another generation that like the hours, like the summers off, like the pay for 180 days of actual work per year, and like the protection of the NEA or other unions. Meanwhile, America's children have been falling behind for about as long as I have been out of the public schools which is now over 40 years. Shameful.
Not true. The left expects that each of their social engineering programs will create new addicts to government handouts and that, over the years, they will become reliable voters for the left. By and large, their expection has been fulfilled.
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