What's Wrong With Universal Preschool?

by Susan Ryan

Politics and Job Creation, that's what is wrong with UP. It is most definitely NOT about the kids. 

As evidenced by Mr. Ruskin's post, we really don't need any more of that under the ages of the minimum compulsory attendance age of 7, do we?  I know some wonderful teachers. But it just takes one bad apple and one bad year in a precious child's life.

Editorial: Rescue kids stuck in K-12 from Examiner.com:

Touted as a solution to poor school performance, the push for universal preschool nationwide is based on the questionable assumption that children will do better academically by spending even more time in an institutionalized school setting.

The solution:

Instead of creating yet another education bureaucracy of dubious value, the District should spend the money rescuing children already stuck in its K-12 disaster instead.

There's a good read here by folks who do research for the good of kids and family.  Please take a look for any who've swallowed the Preschool for All pill:

Taking Charge - Larry and Susan Kaseman
Why Professionals and Politicians Are Wrong About Preschool

Suppose you discovered that federal and state governments were increasingly using public money to take young children away from their homes and parents and putting them in programs supposedly designed to increase their academic performance? Suppose research showed few long-lasting academic benefits from such programs and the likelihood for serious harm to children? But suppose those supporting the programs were misusing this research and claiming it supported preschool? Suppose parents, worn down by politicians', professional associations', and the media's constantly proclaiming that children need to attend these programs, were sending their children in increasing numbers, disrupting the children's learning and social development and weakening families? If all that were happening, wouldn't you want to do something? Well, it's time to act. [continued at site]

Comments

[Bruno]

Universal Preschool is a train that won't stop coming until you kill the engine pulling it.

You have to engage in the battle to make "government schools" unpopular with the majority of voters.

It is hard, grueling work, but if it isn't done, they will eventually win all the battles.

If we don't have the guts to tell our friends and neighbors how corrupt and wasteful the "Education Industry" is, we can't win this battle.

[Susan Ryan]

As I understand it, Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate (Republican or Democrat) who opposes Universal Preschool.

Many Republican politicians talk the talk (sometimes), but too often don't walk the walk.

[Christine]

Two things make me mad about universal preschool. First, there are plenty of opportunies to send kids to preschool now and it doesn't cost that much. There is also headstart and other programs for kids that are needy.

Second, I sent my kids to a church-based preschool. In part because I knew financial realities would force me to send them to public school and I wanted them to start their school experience in a loving Christian environment.

If public preschool became the norm, how many of these wonderful religious preschools would survive? And with fewer pupils their tuition would go up making them unaffordable.

[jorod]

Tinley Park has a pre-school called "Tot Time". It works very well. My kids used it. But the best thing about it is that those who use it pay for it.
Public pre-school is just about more union jobs and patronage jobs for the politically connected. They will be paying pre-school teachers $100,000 a year to baby-sit kids. They will require certified teachers to feed the education school rackets. How stupid do they think the taxpayers are? This smells like something Gov. Blago and Senate President Jones cooked up.

[jorod]

Also, it will put the more efficient private pre-schools out of business.

[Susan Ryan]

The phrase "high quality early education" in the Preschool for All program is used as the term and requirement for having certified teachers, which many private pre-school teachers aren't.

My kids who went to pre-school didn't have certified teachers, but they had very good teachers. Those schools aren't around anymore.

[jorod]

Bobbie Noonan has a good pre-school. You don't need PhDs doing pre-school. Pre-school is about socialization, not education.

Here's a link to a great commentary on who REALLY benefits from universal preschool programs:

http://www.limitedgovernment.org/publications/pubs/briefs/pdfs/brf14-31.pdf