THERE IS a big move on to put millions of additional American children into preschool — and tens of thousands more in Massachusetts.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed “working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America.”
Comments
A "variety of systems" that are "properly monitored" does not make for a very coherent proposal.
The need for universal pre school is driven by the dearth of good parenting. Kids who never go to pre school, but are raised in a home with a stay at home mom, who reads to them and keeps them connected to other people and kids are far more prepared than kids who bounce from day care to pre school. Government is just becoming an enabler, by taking the burden off parents to properly raise their children.
Of course, there are good parents who must use day care. But the overiding point is that more government programs is not the answer. We, as a culture, would be far better served by informing parents how to do a better job. And, most importantly, we need to bring back the taboo of having children outside of marriage. These steps would be far better than providing free preschool across the universe.
I could really agree with you except for one thing. As the current economic system is currently constructed most families have to have two working parents to survive. Now unless you can figure out a way that "most" pepole can support their family on one income we need govt. to step up and help out.
Yet another free schooling option for the Boston parents to fight over...how ignorant...a preschool lottery. I think it is bad enough that some of these moms that are staying home collecting send their 3 year old off to Headstart for 8+ hours a day for free...that is a long day when you hav other options. My first daughter had to go to daycare so I could work, but my second goes to preschool 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours through the school that I pay for. The high school budget has to cut foreign language and PE now, imagine if they had to pay for free preschool. Nothing is free! No matter what lies Obama and Patrick tell you, other children will suffer so 3 year olds can go to FREEpreschool. There is no money tree.
So that means through the lottery system, a parent in Brookline could have their child be assigned to a preschool in Dorchester? Yeah, I see that going over really well...
So back to the birth lottery and vouchers for paupers to shop in the charter school market. Once we had a Department of Health, Education and Welfare and a war on poverty; but now we have is a war on drugs, a war on public school districts and Head Start/Early Head Start programs and health insurance reform instead of health care for all. Doesn't the John F Kennedy School at Harvard have a vision of a Commonwealth where government can play a robust role in eradicating poverty and structural inequalities?
sorry, I'm tired of paying for other people's kids, My kids struggles to pay for their own kids to go to preschool, enough is enough already for the tax payer, we have 16.5 trillion dollar deficit, helloooooooooooooooooo
Glasser and his followers re tools.