Among scientists and educators, there's widespread agreement that early-childhood development is essential for youngsters' long-term well-being. In the U.S., politicians have taken notice. More than half of the candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination are advocating universal, federally funded preschool for children under five.
Why 'Pre-K for all' is the wrong approach on early education
Candidates are looking for votes, but targeting poorest kids is the best bet.
By Editorial
The political appeal of "Pre-K for all" is obvious, but the benefits aren't. A rush to universal prekindergarten risks creating a vast new entitlement that mostly subsidizes upper-income families. The goal should instead be getting more poor kids into high-quality programs.
The U.S. lags far behind other rich countries in preschool enrollment. Only about 66% of 3- to 5-year-olds receive some form of early-childhood schooling, the sixth-lowest figure out of 37 countries surveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
But previous attempts in the U.S. to offer free universal pre-K have yielded uneven results. Most notably, the beneficiaries of such programs overwhelmingly tend to be poor and minority children; higher-income and white students derive little to no benefits from them.
Instead, a more targeted approach would help. Under the federal Head Start program, the government spends $10 billion each year to provide early-childhood education for poorer families. But that covers just one-third of eligible kids. Congress should work with states to make up the difference, so that free, full-day preschool is available to all children in poverty.
In pursuing this goal, policymakers should be as flexible as possible. Rather than cram 4-year-olds into existing K-12 public schools, for instance, they should allow low-income parents to use vouchers to enroll their kids in privately run day-care centers, as Minnesota's Early Learning Scholarship does, so long as those centers adhere to standards set by local school districts.
FROM AN EDITORIAL ON BLOOMBERG OPINION
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