Preschool Initiative Divides Educators

By Shirin Parsavand, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.

May 14–A ballot measure to make free preschool available for all 4-year-olds in California is dividing early childhood educators and experts, some of whom question whether it will give poor children a better shot at success in school.

Even supporters of Prop. 82, the preschool initiative promoted by director Rob Reiner, acknowledge it would require expansion of public and private preschool programs.

Some Inland private preschools said if the initiative passes, they don’t plan to participate because of concerns over state control of curriculum and unfunded costs.

The Preschool for All initiative would increase taxes on high earners to provide voluntary, half-day preschool for all 4-year-olds.

Supporters say the initiative would help close the school achievement gap between disadvantaged children and better-off ones. Making preschool available to all children would ensure children aren’t cut off because their parents make too much money, yet not enough to afford preschool tuition of $4,000 or more a year.

A report from the state’s legislative analyst’s office projected 70 percent of the state’s 4-year-olds would participate, up from roughly two-thirds now attending preschool or center-based day care.

Studies show poor children gain most from preschool, but others can benefit as well, said Nathan James, a spokesman for the Yes on 82 campaign.

“It’s not just low-income kids who have trouble in school down the line and can benefit from preschool. A great number of kids who are either held back in school or drop out of high school come from middle-class backgrounds,” James said.

Some opponents say the proposal would disproportionately help parents who can, and are, paying, however. Those who advocate universal preschool should look to Georgia, which focused first on expanding preschool in poor communities before making it available to all, said Bruce Fuller, a professor at UC Berkeley and co-director of the research group Policy Analysis for California Education.

“If the goal is truly to close early learning gaps, then let’s start at the low end and move up,” Fuller said.

Public support for the initiative was strong last winter, but appears to be wavering. A Field Poll taken in April showed 52 percent of likely voters said they planned to vote yes, while 39 percent said they were leaning toward voting no.

Parents are supposed to have a range of free private and public preschool choices if voters approve the measure, but no one knows yet just how many preschools would participate.

Some are concerned about the cost of paying teachers under the measure, which would require teachers to have bachelor’s degrees by 2014 and earn salaries similar to those in public schools.

Some Christian schools and many Montessori schools also don’t want to abide by state curriculum guidelines, which they argue would compromise their missions.

Montessori schools have mixed-age classes with older children teaching younger ones, and class sizes often exceed the initiative’s cap of 20.

“We’ll have to think twice about participating if this goes through,” said Chris Wickremesinghe, owner of Montessori schools in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Ontario and Westminster.

Christian schools could not include religion during the three hours of state-funded preschool, but could have religious sessions before or afterward.

“In a religious or faith-based program, we talk about Jesus all day long, so it would be hard to curtail it,” said Debi Goree, director of Riverside Christian Preschool.

Goree is the area chairwoman for the Association of Christian Schools International, which argues the initiative would put too many restrictions on faith-based programs.

Some of the private preschools’ concerns about the initiative are overblown, said Eve-Marie Arce, president of the California Association for the Education of Young Children. The organization, which has endorsed Prop. 82, represents more than 10,000 early childhood educators and providers.

“People are fearful it could become a government-controlled curriculum. The reality is it doesn’t say that,” she said.

Even some public programs have questions about the initiative. Many Inland school districts are struggling to keep up with enrollment growth, and space could be at a premium even though the initiative includes money for new facilities.

“It will be a real crunch trying to find out where to locate them,” said Jeanne Bargman, who oversees the state-funded preschool program in the Menifee Union School District. The program for low-income families has 96 children, and another 90 on a waiting list.

San Bernardino County’s Office of Education is holding talks with preschools and child-care centers to see which would be willing to participate. Public and private programs would need to add new classes if the initiative passes, county Superintendent Herb Fischer said.

PROP. 82:

–Would amend the state constitution to provide free, voluntary preschool for all 4-year-olds in California beginning in 2010.

–Offers the program for at least three hours a day for 180 days a year.

–Sets standards for curriculum, teacher qualifications and salaries.

–Funded by 1.7 percent tax surcharge on individual incomes of more than $400,000, couples’ incomes of more than $800,000.

–Would raise about $2.4 billion annually.

–Includes $500 million for colleges to develop early learning credential and degree programs and $200 million for grants and financial aid to train teachers and aides.

Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office

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