There are parents out there who don't read themselves, and they don't read to their children. They might plop the children in front of the TV, and if the children are lucky, it will be tuned to something somewhat educational, but maybe not.
I've actually met parents who said they didn't try to teach their children colors, shapes, letters or numbers before kindergarten, because they thought the teachers would rather teach the children those things.
Those are the types of children who benefit from pre-K....and as you say, special needs children may need extra help even before beginning school.
However, most children who have "normal" parents who play with them, talk to them, and read to them will not need a pre-K program to achieve normally in school.
Are we on the same wavelength now?
Yep! About the only thing that I didn't really teach my daughters before school taught them was telling time.
My non-digital clock broke, and I was too lazy to get another one until a few months ago. Now, we're really working on telling time. One kid has it down, and the other one still needs some work.
Our school district wants to offer preschool to all preschool age children. I do not support this. I do not want my tax dollars going to this. I don't think "normal" children need preschool.