Universal Preschool News
In this section, you'll find editorials, legislation, public policy and trends
on issues relating to preschool, pre-kindergarten, childcare and the push toward
universal preschool education. Particularly of note are articles concerning the
states claim of a compelling interest in compulsory preschool education. Visit
often for the latest preschool news.
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LETTER: Children better at home than in pre-school
I want to protest in the strongest possible terms two stories in the Oct 14 News by Tyler Olsen; they look very much like a one-two punch of propaganda from a malignant campaign to force so-called early childhood 'education' on British Columbia families.
The first story was headlined Number of 'vulnerable' children entering school on the rise, with the sub-head Increase related to lack of core 'emotional and social competencies'" The 'vulnerabilities' and 'emotional and social competencies' are vaguely explained as a lack of self-control; but there is no indication of any research that identifies the cause of that lack.
November 9, 2015
[More Results from abbynews.com]
Thousands of preschool kids face suspension
Even preschoolers are getting suspended from U.S. public schools - and they're disproportionately black, a trend that continues up through the later grades.
Advocates have long said that get-tough suspension and arrest policies in schools have contributed to a "school-to-prison" pipeline that snags minority students, but much of the emphasis has been on middle school and high school policies. This data shows the disparities starting in the youngest of children.
by Kimberly Hefling and Jesse J. Holland
March 21, 2014
[More Results from usnews.com]
Poll: 57 Percent of Public Opposes Government Preschool
Government preschool programs have expanded greatly in the past decade, but a new poll finds 57 percent of Americans believe parents, not the government, should pay for preschool.
Thirty-two percent said taxpayers should pay for preschool in the Reason-Rupe May 2013 poll. "President Obama has proposed expanding government preschool programs, however only 37 percent of Americans favor raising taxes to create a universal preschool system, while 61 percent oppose," the poll summary noted.
by Shelby Sims
May 20, 2013
[More Results from news.heartland.org]
HHS: Head Start Students Do Worse in Math Than Non-Head Start Students
Children who were in the federal Head Start program do worse in math and have more problems with social interaction by the third grade than children who were not in the program, according to a large-scale study by the U.S. Department of HHS.
The congressionally mandated study evaluated 4,667 elementary students. The main conclusion is that overall, the $8 billion Head Start program provides no measurable benefit for children by the time they reach the third grade compared to the sampling of children in similar economic circumstances who were not in the program, referred to as the "control group" in the study. "In summary, there were initial positive impacts from having access to Head Start, but by the end of 3rd grade there were very few impacts found for either cohort in any of the four domains of cognitive, social-emotional, health and parenting practices," the HHS study said. "The few impacts that were found did not show a clear pattern of favorable or unfavorable impact on children."
by Fred Lucas
February 27, 2013
[More Results from CNS News]
New Entitlement: Liberal Think Tank Linked to Obama Produces Preschool-for-All Plan
Days before President Barack Obama outlines his agenda for the coming year, a think tank with close ties to the White House is outlining a plan that would provide preschool for all children within five years.
The Center for American Progress proposal, released Thursday, provides a road map for how the Obama administration could move forward with pre-kindergarten programs for all 3- and 4-year-olds. For families with younger children, federal subsidies for child care would increase to an average $7,200 per child and the number of students in Early Head Start programs would double. "We're trying to ensure all children are ready to learn when they get to school," said Neera Tanden, the president and CEO of the think tank and a former top policy official in the Obama administration. "Investing in early learning and pre-K is the best investment that we can make. The return on investment is significant."
by Philip Elliott
February 6, 2013
[More Results from CNS News]
Head Start's sad and costly secret
Since its inception in1965, taxpayers have spent more than $180 billion on the program.
But HHS’ latest Head Start Impact Study found taxpayers aren’t getting a good return on this “investment.” According to the congressionally-mandated report, Head Start has little to no impact on cognitive, social-emotional, health, or parenting practices of its participants. In fact, on a few measures, access to the program actually produced negative effects.
by Lindsey M. Burke
January 14, 2013
[More Results from Fox News]
States That Spent Most Per-Pupil Get Labor Dept. Grants; States That Spent Least Get None
The U.S. Labor Department announced last week that it will distribute $75.7 million in taxpayer-funded YouthBuild grants to provide instruction and occupational training for high school dropouts, ages 16 to 24.
With some 5,000 individuals expected to benefit, the grants average $15,140 for each "out of school" individual. Meanwhile, the nation's elementary-secondary public school systems spent an average $10,615 per pupil in fiscal year 2010, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to a June 2012 Census Bureau's report, the District of Columbia spent the most on education in 2010 - $18,667 per student. The Labor Department just awarded a $1,099,932 YouthBuild grant to the city's Sasha Bruce Youthwork Inc., which helps young people "transform their lives."
by Penny Starr
September 3, 2012
[More Results from CNS News]
Arizona earns an "F" in child welfare
The report card is in and Arizona gets a failing grade when it comes to the well being of kids in our state.
Arizona slipped 9 places to finish 46th on the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Survey. Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Mississippi are also in the bottom 5. So why did Arizona rank so low? The annual Kids Count study says 68 percent of Arizona kids don't attend pre-school. It's why the state fell to 46th in well-being of children.
by Linda Williams
July 25, 2012
[More Results from myfoxphoenix.com]
Police handcuff Georgia kindergartner for tantrum
Police in Georgia handcuffed a kindergartner with her arms behind her back after the girl threw a tantrum and the police chief defended the action as a safety measure.
The girl's family demanded Tuesday that their central Georgia city change policy so that other children aren't treated the same way. They say the child was shaken up by the ordeal. While it's unusual to see a young child handcuffed in school, it's not unheard of. School officials around the nation have wrestled with the issue of when it's appropriate to call police on a student.
April 17, 2012
[More Results from CNS News]
Growth In Prekindergarten Slowed In Recession
The expansion in public prekindergarten programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. As a result, many 3- and 4-year-olds aren't going to preschool.
In Arizona, a block grant that funded prekindergarten for a small percentage of kids was cut altogether, although a separate public fund still supports some programs. In Georgia, a drop in state lottery dollars meant shaving 20 days off the prekindergarten school year. Proposed cuts in such programs have led to litigation in North Carolina and legislative battles in places like Iowa.
January 17, 2012
[More Results from Fox News]
Safety violations found at Head Start centers
It's the kind of stuff that gives moms nightmares: a machete near a play area, household chemicals accessible to preschoolers, and instructors teaching without a criminal background check.
These violations and others were found at Head Start centers across the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department. Head Start, the federal program with roots in President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, provides early education services to nearly 1 million low-income kids nationwide. The federal government gives grant dollars to public, nonprofit and for-profit programs to provide the services.
by Kimberly Hefling
December 13, 2011
[More Results from CNS News]
Obamacare Showers Millions of Dollars on School Health Clinics
Under Obamacare, more than $14 million in taxpayer money is going to health clinics at 45 schools, many of them in poor parts of the country.
"Today's infusion of new money will enable them to expand their capacity and modernize their facilities," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Thursday. The clinics -- in 29 states -- are now providing health care to 112,000 children, and Sebelius expects the number of children served to increase by an estimated 53,000 as the school clinics are expanded and upgraded.
by Susan Jones
December 8, 2011
[More Results from CNS News]
Police: Janitor left gun in preschool classroom
Police say a school janitor in Connecticut has been arrested after leaving his loaded handgun in a preschool classroom.
Police say 25-year-old Cody Willette of Woodbury was charged with reckless endangerment and failing to properly store a firearm after the incident Monday at Bucks Hill Elementary School.
December 7, 2011
[More Results from CNS News]
Judge: Facebook post should cost job of NJ teacher
A New Jersey administrative law judge has ruled that a first-grade teacher who wrote that she was a "warden for future criminals" on Facebook earlier this year should lose her tenured job.
The state education commissioner now has 45 days to accept, reject or modify the decision regarding Jennifer O'Brien. The Paterson teacher posted her remark to 333 friends on March 28. But it was forwarded and several parents saw it.
November 8, 2011
[More Results from CNS News]
Arizona Professor Banned from McDonald's, Found Disease-Causing Bacteria [VIDEO]
A university professor in Arizona has been banned from eight McDonald's restaurants in her area, after she found dangerous bacteria in the children's play area.
Erin Carr Jordan received a hand-delivered letter from an attorney stating that she was no longer allowed to set foot in the specified McDonald's restaurants near Phoenix. The letter also threatened her with criminal trespassing charges if she did. Carr Jordan believes she received this notice because of an incident at a McDonald's in Gilbert, AZ in which she pointed out to the manager that she found an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, called MRSA, in its PlayPlace and then warned parents at the restaurant to clean and sanitize their children's hands.
by Kathy Landin
October 31, 2011
[More Results from newsradio1310.com]
Nation's top rated pre-k program comes to Alabama
Governor Bob Riley announced Tuesday that 27 classrooms have been selected to become First Class Pre-K sites. The total number of children being served by the pre-kindergarten program increases to 3,808.
Fifteen of the 27 classrooms are receiving Pre-K Excellence Grants in the amount of $45,000 each. These grants enable classrooms to meet Alabama's high quality pre-K standards, which are rated the best by the National Institute for Early Education Research. The remaining 12 classrooms are receiving Pre-K State Supported Slots of at least $45,000, with additional funding based on the number of low-income and middle-income children served.
by Mark Wilder
July 8, 2009
[More Results from WSFA 12 News]
Slate of four challengers battle four incumbents over preschool plan
School board races are not often one-issue fights. Typically, candidates tend to quarrel over a combination of issues, including educational ideologies, funding priorities and labor relations.
But the battle for four of five seats on the Soquel Union Elementary School District board -- one that could completely reshape the panel -- will turn, for the most part, on a single, long-smoldering controversy: Whether to build a preschool at Jade Street Park.
by J.M. Brown
October 9, 2008
[More Results from San Jose Mercury News]
Yuma Pre-School Closes Amid Controversy
The closure of Whiz Kidz Pre-School on 24th Street happened both suddenly and swiftly yesterday as it faced mounting pressure from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Investigators issued three citations to the school due to lack of proper oversight. According to the ADHS website, the facility failed to address overcrowding issues inside classrooms, did not give children access to water and the teachers were not professionally dressed.
September 18, 2008
[More Results from KYMA Channel 11 News]
Lawmakers quietly considering universal preschool
After California's voters last June defeated a $2.3 billion universal preschool initiative, Proposition 82, the issue of early education seemed dead. But reports of its demise have proved premature.
The debate over how much to spend on pre-K and for which kids is now in the hands of the state politicians, and the issue will resurface this week when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger releases his revised 2008 budget.
by David L. Kirp
May 7, 2007
[More Results from San Jose Mercury News (CA)]
Stressing Over Raising Superkids
Today's parents are stressed out about their children's academic success and believe starting early is the key to achievement, according to a new poll.
In fact, 54 percent of parents of children aged 2 to 5 said they had anxiety about their child's academic performance and 38 percent felt that their child was in competition with other kids. The new findings come from a telephone poll of about 1,000 parents of children aged 2 to 11 conducted in July 2006 by the National Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) in New York and the Public Broadcast Service (PBS) Parents.
by Denise Mann
August 12, 2006
[More Results from CBS News]
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