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Universal Preschool News

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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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Preschool study: Do books cause good behavior? Preschoolers who like books are better behaved, says a researcher at Purdue University. I'm not sure that they found out anything new. Have coffee with a couple of preschool teachers and they'd probably tell you the same thing. Kids 3-5 years old who show less interest in "literacy activities" apparently are more likely to be chucking Play-Doh at classmates, stuffing Lego pieces in their nose or otherwise getting into mischief. The findings of this study, which focused on 61 predominantly low-income preschoolers ages 3-5, are published in the April edition of Early Child Development and Care. by Jane Henderson June 11, 2011 [More Results from stltoday.com]
Preschool or Not? (Conscious Friday) Preschool is socially unnatural. By taking young children away from their source of power - mother - and putting them together in a group of similar ages (unable to help each other), we render them helpless. In this impossible and unnatural setting, they fail to socialize on their own and depend on adult control to be able to function and stay safe. Such experience teaches the child to see herself as socially failing and dependent on authority. August 21, 2009 [More Results from Sunny Day Today Mama]
Clinton Wants Universal Preschool Program MIAMI BEACH -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing a $10 billion federal program aimed at providing voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-old children in America. She said quality pre-kindergarten programs will more than pay for themselves because children will be less likely to enter special education programs, drop out of school or enter the welfare system. May 21, 2007 [More Results from KOCO Oklahoma City (FL)]
Preschool Pros and Cons Melanie Bailey of Bossier City, La., has a background in preschool & kindergarten education, so sending her daughters to preschool was not an automatic decision for her. She already knew they would be academically ready, so it was just the social aspect she had to consider. "Up until just recently, I was a stay-at-home mom so my kids never experienced the social factors of a daycare setting," says Bailey. "Academically I wasn't worried about them, [but] I can imagine that kindergarten would be overwhelming for a child that has never attended a preschool program. by Kelly Burgess August 29, 2006 [More Results from Preschoolers Today]
Pre-K program lacks students Only 56 4-year-olds are in the Brooksville summerprogram to get ready for kindergarten. Only 56 students have enrolled so far in the program at Brooksville, Pine Grove and Westside elementary schools, said elementary curriculum specialist Elaine Wooten. While nearly 1,000 other Hernando students took advantage of a similar school-year program offered by private child care providers, she said, the summer turnout has been a disappointment. by Tom Marshall June 28, 2006 [More Results from St. Petersburg Times (FL)]
Pre-K enrollment lower than expected ORLANDO - Enrollment in Florida's new $387 million prekindergarten program is not meeting expectations, missing projections by tens of thousands of children, state officials said Friday. Gladys Wilson, deputy director of early learning for the state agency that manages the program, told a conference of small-business leaders assembled by the nonprofit Florida TaxWatch that only about 80,000 4-year-olds are enrolled. That's 54 percent of the 147,000 expected to attend. October 15, 2005 [More Results from The Gainesville Sun (FL)]
Pre-K plan may have a big flaw Use of religious schools for programs could be a violation of the state constitution. As they crafted Florida's free prekindergarten program last year, lawmakers were largely silent on one potential hang-up: Their plan may be unconstitutional. The problem is that Florida lawmakers, rather than relying on public schools as other states have done, opted to offer public money for 4-year-olds to attend religious schools. by Joe Follick June 7, 2005 [More Results from Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)]
Editorial: Ride the preschool wave Education fads often turn into regrets. Open classrooms' Too noisy. Rejecting phonics as a tool for teaching reading? A disaster that caused California reading scores to plummet. Now comes the movement to promote high-quality public preschools, which is taking on some faddish signs. In Florida, preschool advocates are stunned by their success selling Lance Armstrong-like orange wristbands — $21 for a pack of 10, with the profits dedicated to raising the quality of Florida's new preschool program. April 24, 2005 [More Results from USA Today (FL)]
Study: Children don't exercise nearly enough at preschool Children are supposed to play, run, jump and be active for at least two hours a day, but most aren't doing even half that much at preschool, says one of the first large studies to examine physical activity in children ages 3 to 5. This low activity level could be contributing to the increasing problem of excess weight in kids, says researcher Russ Pate, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. About 10% of children ages 2 to 5 are overweight; another 12% are at risk of becoming so, the latest government statistics show. More than half of 3- to 5-year-olds go to preschool. Children need more vigorous play during unstructured free time at preschool, Pate says, and they also need more organized physical activities, like dancing the hokey-pokey. by Nanci Hellmich November 1, 2004 [More Results from USA TODAY]

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