Dive Summary:
- President Obama indicated in his State of the Union address Tuesday that the federal government would supplement state's preschool efforts in order to provide high-quality preschool to every child in America, and details of that proposal are expected to be unveiled as the president visits a Head Start program in Decatur, Ga., Thursday.
- Critics argue that universal preschool could waste federal money on ineffective programs, but advocates say such a program would create an even playing field for children who don't get things like daily bedtime stories, music lessons and counting games at home.
- National Institute for Early Education Research data indicates that only 28% of all 4-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in state-financed preschool programs during the 2010-2011 school years, and only five states have made a goal of offering preschool to all 4-year-olds.
From the article:
President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America” rallied advocates across the country who have long argued that inequity in education begins at a very young age. ...
