Free preschools: Free PreSchools, Free Preschool Programs and Information

Опубликовано: August 23, 2022 в 11:12 am

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Категории: Miscellaneous

President Biden’s plan for free universal preschool – 5 questions answered

From New York City to Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma to Colorado, a handful of U.S. cities and states have opted to fund universal preschool for their youngest residents. That benefit may soon be available to every 3-year-old and 4-year-old across the country.

Dr. Christina Weiland, associate professor at the University of Michigan, studies how early childhood programs and public policies impact children’s development. Here, she answers five questions parents and caregivers may have about the Biden administration’s plan for universal preschool.

1. What exactly is Biden proposing?

The proposal would mean that every kid in America could, if their family wants them to, attend a publicly supported preschool program starting at age 3. Currently, children of wealthy families overwhelmingly go to preschool, and families with middle and low incomes often really struggle to find slots and to access the same quality of programs.

The proposal also includes funding for what the Biden administration is calling “high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum” as well as on-the-job coaching for teachers.

And finally, the teachers in these new universal preschool programs would be paid in line with K-12 teachers, if they have comparable qualifications, and a minimum of US$15 per hour otherwise.

In some places there’s a really large gap in terms of funding for teacher pay. For example, in Michigan, where I live, even though we require the same education background, we pay public preschool teachers a significant amount less than their K-12 counterparts. That fuels turnover issues, which also means some of the investments to improve preschool end up being wasted.

2. Where will the preschool programs be located?

Although the details haven’t been specified yet, it’s a safe bet they will be located in public schools, community-based preschools and perhaps some home-based child care programs, just as almost all state-funded public schools programs are.

3. What does a ‘high-quality’ curriculum mean?

There’s often a false dichotomy that a preschool is either “academic” or “play-based.” But high-quality preschools are both play-based and academic – because that’s how young children learn, through play. A really good curriculum involves kids having fun, using different materials and using their bodies. The key is that a good preschool curriculum is also intentional. That means that new concepts and skills are presented in an order that matches how young children learn and develop. They also are designed so that teachers can meet individual children where they are, at their developmental level.

The most effective preschool curricula are developed by experts in a particular area – such as literacy – and are designed with a set of fun, play-based activities that match the science of how kids learn early skills. A current problem is that most public preschool and Head Start programs in the U.S. use more general curricula that are fun but not aligned with this science. Their activities don’t necessarily follow the predictable order in which young children learn new concepts and skills.

It’s common for preschool teachers to be paid significantly less than kindergarten teachers.
Joan Slatkin/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

4. Can you explain the ‘targeted’ versus ‘universal’ arguments around funding for preschool?

Those who advocate for a targeted approach argue that if people can afford to pay for private preschool for their children, those public dollars are better spent on a different need. They point to evidence that children from less advantaged backgrounds benefit from attending preschool more than their wealthier peers, so they argue that targeted programs offer more bang for the buck.

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On the universal side, there is evidence that all children benefit from high-quality public preschool and that children from families with low incomes learn less in targeted programs. There are also folks who argue that just sorting out who’s eligible and who’s not comes with bureaucratic costs. And whenever there are bureaucratic hurdles for any program, some families – particularly those with children who might benefit most – will be left out.

5. Is universal preschool a partisan issue?

It may become a partisan issue getting the Biden administration’s plan through Congress, but at the state and local levels, universal preschool is not a red or blue issue. For example, Oklahoma and West Virginia have long offered a preschool seat to all their 4-year-olds, and they are deeply red states.

Colorado voters in 2020 approved a cigarette and vape tax to fund universal free preschool for 4-year-olds statewide starting in 2023. And voters in cities like Dayton, Ohio, Cincinnati, Seattle and Portland, Oregon have approved ballot initiatives to tax themselves to offer free preschool.

There’s a lot of will and bipartisan support across the country for these kinds of programs. People recognize the benefits of attending preschool, the high costs that put preschool out of reach for many working families, and working parents’ needs and preferences for a stimulating, safe environment for their young children.

Polis signs Colorado universal preschool bill into law

Children play at Clayton Early Learning in Denver as Gov. Jared Polis signs into a law a new free universal preschool program.

Erica Meltzer / Chalkbeat

Inside Colorado’s free preschool initiative

Starting next year, every Colorado 4-year-old will have a chance to attend preschool at no cost to their parents, under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Jared Polis.

“With this bill, families in Colorado with 4-year-olds will have access to free preschool in the fall of 2023, saving them money and preparing kids for success,” said Polis, noting the benefits his own children experienced from preschool. 

The program promises 4-year-olds 10 hours a week of tuition-free preschool in public school classrooms or private settings, such as child care centers, churches, or homes licensed to provide preschool. Funding will come from the state’s existing preschool program, which serves children with certain risk factors, and from proceeds of a nicotine tax Colorado voters approved in 2020.

The goal is for parents to be able to access the program through a single application that also determines whether they are eligible for other early childhood services. Polis said this aspect isn’t just about convenience.

“We all get to go through the same front door,” he said. “I think that makes a powerful statement about equity.”

The bill represents a major expansion of early childhood education in a state that four years ago didn’t provide free full-day kindergarten, issues that Polis pledged to address as a candidate in 2018. Up for re-election this year, the governor has now delivered on both full-day kindergarten and universal preschool, but many details remain to be worked out with the preschool plan.

Polis arrived at the bill signing accompanied by Denver’s South High Ravens drumline and a pint-size parade of students from Clayton Early Learning Center. The children and their teachers waved tiny Colorado flags while dozens of state officials and early childhood advocates held signs that read, “Free Universal Preschool, Saving Families Money,” with Polis’ name on the bottom.

“Today’s signing is historic, but we’ll truly get to see the incredible impact of this policy for many years to come, even generations to come,” said Senate President Stephen Fenberg, who co-sponsored the bill. 

Co-sponsor state Sen. Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat, recalled how she started her career as a speech and language therapist in 1975 at what was then the Hope Center on the Clayton Campus. She screened children there for language delays and quickly came to understand that children with access to early education had a major advantage.

More than anyone else, Buckner said she wanted to thank longtime early childhood leader Anna Jo Haynes, who mentored her and advocated for preschool for more than 40 years. 

Clayton Early Learning students Iris Azul Perez-Gutierrez, in yellow, and Kimiko Smith cheer the launch of universal preschool while longtime early childhood advocate Anna Jo Haynes, seated in pink, listens to Gov. Jared Polis speak.

Erica Meltzer / Chalkbeat

“We knew that this was doable, but there was such a large amount of stakeholding, so many parents, providers, people who are on the front lines, to make sure that kids have access and now families can go to one place, fill out one application, and not leave anything on the table when it comes to services for their children,” she said. “So I couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Haynes called the bill signing “the biggest thing in my life” after having her own children. She recalled serving on the board of an organization that served older youth, a predecessor of Clayton. The experience led her to push for early intervention.

“They were working with teenage kids who had problems, and I said, let’s start with the little kids so they don’t have problems,” she said. 

She also recalled taking babies to the Capitol to lobby lawmakers for a pay raise for preschool teachers from $4 a day to $6 a day. Low pay continues to be a major challenge in attracting and keeping qualified teachers. 

Colorado is not the first state to launch universal preschool and has work to do to achieve supporters’ goal of being a national model. The state’s current preschool program meets only four of 10 quality benchmarks established by Rutgers University’s National Institute for Early Education Research. 

Colorado’s planned 10-hour-a-week schedule could also pose problems for working families who need longer child care. State officials say they’ll offer additional hours of free preschool to students with the greatest needs, but it’s not clear yet how many children will qualify. 

The funding measure that supports the preschool expansion passed overwhelmingly in a tax-averse state, and local officials from across the state advocated for the bill. The main provisions of the bill, which includes details about how the state’s new early childhood agency will run, were developed by working groups and previewed in town hall meetings around the state.  

But many Republicans legislators voted against the bill. They raised concerns about the creation of a new entitlement program and the authority of the Department of Early Childhood director.

Among the many unresolved issues are how the state will ensure high-quality preschool throughout the state, how the program will find enough providers and teachers, and what role school districts will play, including whether they’ll end up enrolling a disproportionate share of young students with disabilities. 

Senior Reporter Ann Schimke contributed.

Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado’s education coverage. Contact Erica at [email protected].

The signing of the universal preschool bill represents a historic moment for Colorado and the start of an even larger task ahead.

Erica Meltzer / Chalkbeat

Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) – ESD 112

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Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP)Laura Martin2022-09-02T08:50:10-07:00

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