Universal Preschool - Support of Universal Preschool

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.