Support of Universal Preschool
- Research based studies (e.g., the Perry Preschool Project) that show significant positive outcomes for children who attend preschool, especially children who are "at risk."
- Public School reformers who feel that many children start out behind in school for a variety of reasons, including lack of social skills, not knowing English or lack of experience in a group educational setting.
- Advocates who see society as having a responsibility to all children
- The rate of return for preschool in later years for children who have access to preschool.
- The Information below was provided by: DLC | Model Initiatives | July 20, 2006
- Studies of high-quality preschool programs in North Carolina and Michigan have found that public investments in such programs could, in fact, deliver a 7-to-1 return in the long run, in the form of increased productivity and decreased social spending.
- A University of Georgia study found that the pre-K students improved their school readiness scores relative to national norms. It also found that the pre-K system eliminated the skills gap between universal pre-K students and the more affluent students whose parents sent them to private programs.
- Oklahoma's system has gotten impressive results. A Georgetown University study found gains in the children's cognitive and language assessment scores—particularly among African-American and Hispanic children, whose scores improved by an average of 17 percent and 54 percent, respectively. As of 2006, 98 percent of Oklahoma school districts offer pre-k programs, up 30 percent since 1998.
- This allows the children of the community to get preschool from a school district that is free to all children.
- This allows children to have a school setting and get to know the school and the children that they will be attending school with.
- The free programs help those in need of preschool by assessing them and making sure that the child is developing at the right pace for preschool.
Read more about this topic: Universal Preschool
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