Posted on 05/16/2006 7:52:52 AM PDT by SmithL
Not quite 5 years old, Aniyah Slocum has plenty to report about her experience at the Richmond College Prep Preschool.
"I learned how to do the months of the year," she offers, clutching the turquoise marker she has been using to practice writing numerals. "I learned how to do puzzles, I learned my numbers and I learned my ABCs so my great-grandma can be proud of me."
At programs like this one, serving one of the city's most impoverished flatland neighborhoods, teachers don't have to be convinced of preschool's role as an academic equalizer.
From the slew of storybooks to the college banners that line the entryway, "the idea is to give the kids a lot of experiences that they don't have at home," says program director Peppina Liano Chang. "They're very, very poor and they come from very toxic environments, so we try to give them an oasis here."
Still, like many early childhood educators, Chang has mixed feelings about Proposition 82, the June ballot initiative that would bring universal preschool to California by raising more than $2 billion each year through a new tax on high earners.
"My big concern is, why do we help someone who doesn't need the help?" said Chang, who has not yet decided how she will vote. "Why would we give money to someone who lives in Kensington or Marin and here they don't have shoes?"
The Preschool for All initiative aims to create a voluntary, part-day program available free to all California 4-year-olds, regardless of family income.
For many voters, the measure will come down to their take on the appeal of preschool vs. the threat of a tax increase.
But for educators and child-care providers, the issues are much more complex, touching on everything from instructional philosophy and teacher-training standards to how to best assess the progress of 4-year-olds. Supporters and opponents worry about inappropriate standards being imposed on programs that are often as diverse as the young children they serve.
In a survey released today, community preschool directors were divided on the provisions of Prop. 82.
Conducted by Policy Analysis for California Education between November and May, the study polled 439 leaders of fee-based and nonprofit programs housed at churches, community agencies, schools and other centers.
It found:
• 52 percent of preschool directors did not agree that preschool learning goals should align with those of the state's K-12 system, as suggested by Prop. 82. Thirty-eight percent supported such a tie-in, while 10 percent were unsure.
• While 37 percent of respondents favored Prop. 82's provision that universal preschool teachers eventually earn a bachelor's degree, 43 percent preferred a lesser requirement of two years of community college.
• 51 percent of directors said they weren't concerned about competition if free preschool programs were based at nearby public schools, while 21 percent worried that this scenario could force their programs to close.
Paul Miller, co-founder of ECE4PSA, a political action committee of early childhood educators who support Prop. 82, said the measure's provisions have inspired passionate debates among people who care about child development.
"I think a lot of what people discuss are the unknowns," he said. "People are always worried about the unknown, and no initiative addresses every detail."
If Prop. 82 passes, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction will set instruction, quality and accountability standards for all preschools that ask to receive the state dollars.
That's why it's important for educators to get involved, to have a say in how the measure is implemented, Miller said.
"My bottom line is, is this good for children and families of California, and is this good for California as a state?" Miller said. "I think it certainly is."
Michael Leahy, past-president of the California Association of the Montessori Schools, remains firmly opposed to Prop. 82.
He argues that any new money would be best invested in an existing state program that grants vouchers to working families who earn too much for Head Start but too little to pay for private preschool.
"It's a good intention very badly implemented," he said of Prop. 82. "I'm all for preschool and especially for preschool for at-risk families. What this would do is subsidize parents who could easily afford preschool now."
Worse, Leahy said, Prop. 82 would require preschools to meet state education standards that clash with the specific, child-centered curriculum outlined by international Montessori certification.
"Our teacher training will not be recognized by Prop. 82," he said. "There are a lot of things that just rub against the grain."
Teachers also worry, Leahy said, about preschools being pressured to meet standards that the federal No Child Left Behind act already has imposed on K-12 classrooms.
"Kindergarten isn't what it used to be; it's really like first grade used to be," he said. "Preschool will probably be like kindergarten used to be."
As director of early childhood services for the Berkeley-Albany YMCA, Pamm Shaw can't speak for her agency. But her experiences with Head Start convinced her to sign on as a personal supporter of Prop. 82.
"I don't think it's perfect, it's actually far from perfect," the Walnut Creek resident said of the initiative. "But I don't see anything out there that offers this breadth and width of services and opportunities for children.
"... Ultimately, it's the best last chance for early childhood education, because I don't see the federal government moving to increase funding for either child care or Head Start."
The money raised by the measure -- up to $2.4 billion each year -- will help fund needs ranging from teacher training to playground upgrades and salary enhancements, Shaw said, money that's almost impossible to find in the current patchwork of state and federal funding sources.
Perhaps equally important, she said, is the chance universal preschool provides to integrate children from struggling families with their more fortunate peers.
"When you see families that are well-educated with high earning potential together in the same classes with those who are not, they benefit from each other."
Sara Steffens covers poverty and social services. Reach her at 925-943-8048 or ssteffens@cctimes.com.
• WHAT: Proposition 82, the Preschool for All initiative, would amend the state constitution to create a voluntary, part-day preschool program available free to all California 4-year-olds.
The $2.4 billion program would be funded by an extra 1.7 percent tax on individual income above $400,000 annually, or couples earning more than $800,000.
Families could choose to enroll children in new programs run by school districts or existing private programs that meet state certification criteria. Faith-based preschools would be eligible if they abstain from teaching religion during the state-funded hours.
WHO: The initiative was created by Rob Reiner, who in 1998 led the successful campaign to fund "First Five" early childhood programs with increased cigarette taxes.
WHEN: If voters approve the measure, 4-year-olds would be guaranteed a preschool slot beginning in 2010. In the meantime, tax revenues would go to train teachers, build facilities and found new programs, beginning in the school districts where students score lowest on state tests.
SUPPORTERS: AFL-CIO, California Teachers Association, California Democratic Party, American Academy of Pediatrics California, NAACP California, National Association of Social Workers, National Council of La Raza, California Police Chiefs Association, California Association for the Education of Young Children
OPPONENTS: California Chamber of Commerce, California Church Impact, California Family Council, California Taxpayers' Association, California Montessori Council, California Retailers Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Association of Christian Schools International
ONLINE: The Yes campaign can be found at www.yeson82.com. The No campaign is at www.stopreiner.org.
However, at almost 70, I still have a few brain synapses firing, and darn it, I didn't get to start school until first grade, when I was just a few months shy of my 7th birthday.
This kind of "early childhood" crappe is nothing more than tax payer subsidized baby sitting, IMHO.
I'm sorry, but this seems like more tax-payer funded day care to me. California is messed up. We were stationed there for years. The schools were very bad. When we moved to NC, I had to play catch-up with the boys after school because they were so far behind in writing, and my oldest was in the advanced program. And this was just in elementary school since we homeschool after fifth grade.
The very idea of "college prep preschool" is such a hoot that I couldn't read any further.
When I was a child in California (up to 3rd grade), we didn't accomplish a great deal of English or math, but we could all speak Spanish and Tagalog.
The key question is whether the Prop 82 mandated pre-schools will be featuring classes on "great moments in gay history". If not, there's no use even pursuing it.
I live in the "flats" of Oakland. English is maybe the No. 2 language, but it's probably spoken in only 15% of the homes on my street. My wife, a LEGAL immigrant, now a citizen, studied child development at the community college [before having our first kid, now she's REALLY studying it] and worked in a preschool. She got the job by walking in off the street. Later she worked for a friend she went to school with, who runs a day-care center.
When our kid came along last August, we got a box of VHS tapes on child care from the County. Imagine my shock when I put in the first one, and was greeted by THE MEATHEAD.
This bill is obviously bad for any minority small-business woman trying to empower herself by running a day care center, who will now be put out of business. It is also bad for pre-school or day care employees, who are now going to have to have college degrees. It is also going to lead to a huge increase in the government school establishment, and push "politically correct" education into the toddler years.
I am afraid it's going to pass, unfortunately. After all, it promises free stuff, paid for by rich people nobody knows.
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