Posted on 04/20/2005 2:57:30 PM PDT by John Jorsett
LOS ANGELES - Filmmaker Rob Reiner and a coalition of business, labor and education leaders Tuesday touted plans for a June 2006 ballot initiative to help offer preschool for all 4-year-olds statewide.
"Providing access to preschool for every California child is the key to creating a level playing field in California; it is a critical step toward reforming our education system," Reiner said.
"We need to pass this initiative now so that no more California children fall behind as they languish on preschool waiting lists," Reiner said at a news conference at Para Los Ninos, a preschool near downtown Los Angeles, where 106 children are on the waiting list.
The actor, director, producer and writer is chairman of First 5 California, which was established following passage of a 1998 initiative to use tobacco tax dollars to fund programs that promote early childhood development for expectant parents and children through age 5.
The Preschool for All initiative, which Reiner unveiled yesterday in Sacramento, would affect the wealthiest 1 percent of Californians. It would increase the tax rate by 1.7 percent on annual income over $800,000 for married couples or $400,000 for individuals.
The announcement follows the launch of a universal preschool program in Los Angeles County that aims to eventually offer quality preschool to all of the county's 153,000 4-year-olds.
Less than half of the county's 4-year-olds are now enrolled in some form of preschool, according to First 5 LA.
According to a recent survey by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, three out of four subsidized programs have waiting lists.
Working families whose children do not qualify for subsidies often cannot afford the cost of private preschool, which can be more expensive than tuition to state universities, proponents of the ballot initiative say.
"Preschool is an idea whose time has come," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. "Solid research tells us that investing in preschool is not only the right thing to do for our children, it is an investment that will pay tremendous economic and social dividends in the long run."
According to a RAND Corp. study, the state would get $2.62 back for every dollar put into quality preschool for all 4-year-olds.
Children who have been to preschool are more likely to be productive workers, avoid trouble with the law and contribute to the economy as adults, according to the study.
"We know good preschool programs put kids on the right road, through school and in life," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. "We can build these positive programs for children now, or build jail cells for many of them later. I know what I would rather do."
Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, introduced legislation which, coordinated with the initiative, would lay the foundation for a statewide quality preschool system.
I wish MeatHead would take all the 4-yr old illegal aliens to his house to learn english!
Fascinating, so why do they need to raise taxes then?
This is a pet peeve of mine. Our school district in California (San Jose Unified) is trying to start preschool for all of our kids.
Of course, the district just had to close my kids' National Blue Ribbon, high acheiving elementary school because
"they don't have the money".
There some other funding (some different source) available for preschool. However, I know once they start this they are going to be asking for more and more money.
I also think it is totally unnecessary.
The districts are having trouble enough with k-12. They need to concentrate on that.
I'm all that and so much more! And somehow I managed it all without spending one day in pre-school. Could it be /gasp/ due to the way my parents raised me?
They should just drop the excuses and take the kids away from the mother a minute after birth and institutionalize them.
at Para Los Ninos, a preschool near downtown Los Angeles, where 106 children are on the waiting list.
Day care for the children of illegal immigrants.
Children who have been to preschool are more likely to be productive workers, avoid trouble with the law and contribute to the economy as adults, according to the study.
Absolute & total HORSESHIT. Single Cause --->- effect, No Way. Try a 2 parent HH as being more effective
"Hey, Rob...why don't you just sit down, shut the 'f' up, and keep away from our children."
I think a better case could be made to reduce society violence ban movie watching in public places. The dangers of second-hand movie making mirth and debauchery are by now well known yet Big Hollywood continues to ignore the dangers of those billowing toxic story ideas. Better yet Meathead could advocate for higher taxes for movie watching in public and form a committee of his closest fRIends to spend the "skim" --- it's for the children....
BOXER/Hilary in '08! (THE TWO SMARTEST WOMEN IN POLITICS)
Property owners in California are already dinged for a program called the First Five. Basically government babysitters for the poor. It's already law you MEATHEAD!
Is that the most Orwellian language you've ever read?
Yeah, let us make your kids good little worker bees for the glory of the state. We need more preschool if we're going to achieve future Five Year Plans!
C'mon Rob....make TV fantasy into reality; head down for a Fatburger right about now for an early dinner. C'mon. Do it.
btw--after six weeks with us he knew his alphabet, could count to ten, could identify eight shapes, twelve colors... and at the end of one year, he was reading at the second-grade level and had no speech delays... didn't need preschool for that... didn't even need the suggested speech therapy...
Then Mr. Reiner should pay for it out of his own pocket...
And we weren't flat broke either....!
Gee, thanks alot.
On a summer day in the month of May a burly bum came hiking
Down a shady lane through the sugar cane, he was looking for his liking.
As he roamed along he sang a song of the land of milk and honey
Where a bum can stay for many a day, and he won't need any money
Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a lake of gin we can both jump in, and the handouts grow on bushes
In the new-mown hay we can sleep all day, and the bars all have free lunches
Where the mail train stops and there ain't no cops, and the folks are tender-hearted
Where you never change your socks and you never throw rocks, And your hair is never parted
Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the Big Rock Candy Mountains
Oh, a farmer and his son, they were on the run, to the hay field they were bounding
Said the bum to the son, "Why don't you come to the big rock candy mountains?"
So the very next day they hiked away, the mileposts they were counting
But they never arrived at the lemonade tide, on the Big Rock Candy Mountains
Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the Big Rock Candy Mountains
One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking, and he said "Boys, I'm not turning."
"I'm heading for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains;"
"So come with me, we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains."
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains, there's a land that's fair and bright,
The handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars all are empty and the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees and the cigarete trees,
The lemonade springs where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains, all the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall, the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains, you never change your socks
And little streams of alcohol come a-trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too
And you can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains the jails are made of tin,
And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in
There ain't no short-handled shovels, no axes, saws or picks,
I'm a-goin' to stay where you sleep all day
Where they hung the jerk that invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
I'll see you all this comin' fall in the Big Rock Candy Mountains!
I'll have you know that wild boars run the hills around Bullhead City. At least we know how they think now.
Hey!!!! I'll be there in about two months. I'm hearing alot of horror stories :) I figure I can deal with it for a couple of years, I'll just spend most of my time in the casinos!!!!
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