On the Issues
Wes Clark's Universal Preschool Plan
Wes Clark believes that all of America's children deserve a fair start. Too many children today enter school already far behind. Forty-six percent of kindergarten teachers report that half or more of their class lacks one or more basic school readiness skills. There is a substantial "preparation gap" for disadvantaged children: children in the lowest socioeconomic quintile are roughly half as likely as their more affluent peers to recognize letters, less likely to recognize numbers and shapes, and score an average of 61 percent lower on cognitive assessments than children in the highest quintile. Programs like the High Scope/Perry Preschool Project, Chicago Child Parent Centers, Oklahoma's universal preschool, and Educare show that quality educational early childhood programs can significantly reduce these gaps and prepare children to succeed in school. The body of published evidence makes clear that quality preschool can help kids perform better in school and subsequently to earn higher wages as adults. In fact, researchers estimate that every dollar invested in preschool returns $7 to the government in the form of future remedial education, welfare, and crime costs, as well as increased tax revenue. Despite the benefits of to children, their families, and society as a whole of quality preschool education, fewer than half of poor children have the opportunity to attend preschool and many middle-class families who do have the opportunity struggle with the costs of early childhood care and education.
Wes Clark's $70 billion Universal Preschool Plan will expand preschool opportunities to all children so that they enter school prepared to succeed. This is the first step in a broader educational agenda that will increase the focus on reading in the early grades, improve K-12 education, expand college opportunity, and enhance training. Wes Clark's Universal Preschool Plan would provide grants to states that accept his challenge to make high-quality, voluntary preschool available to all four-year-olds and a growing number of three-year-olds. Specifically, Wes Clark's three-part Universal Preschool Plan would:
- Offer universal preschool access for all four-year-olds and a growing number of three-year-olds whose families want it;
- Improve preschool standards and quality to ensure children learn; and
- Strengthen the federal commitment to Head Start by increasing enrollment to 1 million children immediately, doubling enrollment in Early Head Start to focus on the vital years from 0 to 3, move towards fully funding Head Start, and improve teacher quality.
Less than half of all poor three- and four-year-olds have the opportunity to attend preschool, and many middle-class families also struggle to pay for early childhood programs. Head Start, which seeks to bridge this gap, serves only three out of five eligible children nationally. And while 46 states currently have public preschool programs, only about 12 percent of three- and four-year-olds nationwide are in them. This deficiency is an important national problem because it is well known that preschool has a profound impact on whether kids are ready to learn by the time they enter kindergarten and first grade.
- President Bush has left preschoolers behind. The Bush administration has made no effort to expand preschool access. By allowing Head Start funding to barely keep pace with inflation the Administration's budget would cut the number of children receiving childcare subsidies by 200,000 by 2007, which will have a devastating impact on those families and each child's preparedness for school.
- Wes Clark pledges to invest $50 billion over ten years in voluntary universal preschool access for all four-year-olds whose families want it. States that establish universal access to high-quality, educational preschool for all four-year-olds would be eligible for federal grants to help cover the costs. Funding would be phased in over several years to allow time necessary for the development of high-quality preschool options to meet increased demand.
- Sparking state innovation and flexibility: By providing grants to states for universal preschool, Wes Clark's plan would capitalize on state innovation and build on existing preschool in 46 states. States would have broad flexibility to use a variety of preschool models and providers, including existing state programs, Head Start and state Head Start, public schools, private preschools, and community organizations. States could also use some of the money for preschool modernization, including ensuring that facilities have proper security, equipment and space for an appropriate learning environment.
- Closing the gap for poor children: The first priority for universal preschool should be to move towards equalizing preschool access and participation for poor and affluent children. To ensure that states target preschool programs and funding to those who most need it, states that receive universal preschool grants must demonstrate that they are closing the gap between the percentage of poor and high-income four-year-olds enrolled in preschool.
- Providing universal access for all families: No four-year-old should go without preschool because of family income. States would be required to offer universal and affordable access for all working and middle-class families that choose to send their children to preschool.
- Younger children too: Once states offer universal and affordable access to all families, including closing the gap for poor children, they could also choose to use the federal funds to enhance preschool for three-year-olds as well.
- Maintaining state investment and program quality: In the 1990s many states made significant progress improving preschool opportunities. However, current state budget crises jeopardize this achievement. Wes Clark's plan will help states preserve and expand on the advances they have made by requiring states that accept universal preschool grants to demonstrate maintenance of effort for early childhood.
Programs like the High Scope/Perry Preschool Project, Chicago Child Parent Centers, and Oklahoma Universal Pre-K demonstrate that successful preschool programs have high standards, qualified teachers, and strong, developmentally-appropriate academic curricula that reflect scientifically based research about how young children learn. Moreover, these successes are the direct result of a commitment by state and local communities to quality preschool education.
- President Bush's failed leadership. President Bush has highlighted the importance of scientific research and called on Head Start to improve quality, but has failed to provide additional resources that are essential to do so. His Head Start proposal could actually allow states to undermine Head Start program quality standards.
- Setting high standards. Currently, only 14 states have school readiness standards and require preschool programs to use them. Under Wes Clark's plan, states accepting universal preschool grants would be required to phase in school readiness standards for universal preschool. At a minimum, these standards should be aligned with state K-12 standards and include pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills as well as cognitive, motor, social and emotional development. These standards should be based on advances in scientifically based research over the last decade that focuses on how young children learn, particularly in the area of early literacy.
Head Start and Even Start are important national investments that have improved the lives of millions of children. Head Start children come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and need a broad range of health, nutritional, social and other services as well as preschool education. General Clark would invest $20 billion over ten years to expand Head Start and improve the quality of learning.
- President Bush's attack on Head Start. The Bush administration has focused on attacking Head Start rather than providing the critical support the program needs to improve quality for poor children. Even as the President calls on Head Start to improve quality, his block grant proposal would dismantle more than 30 years of federal experience with Head Start and could allow states to undermine quality standards and cut investment in early childhood programs.
- Wes Clark would increase enrollment in Head Start to 1 million children and move towards fully funding Head Start. Wes Clark's plan would immediately increase Head Start enrollment to 1 million children and move towards full funding for Head Start. Wes Clark would maintain the federal-local grant structure of Head Start, continue to emphasize comprehensive services, and work to improve teacher quality.
- Doubling Early Head Start Enrollment. The latest early brain research shows that years from 0 to 3 are crucial in a child's mental and emotional development. Wes Clark would promote a fair start for America's children by doubling the enrollment in Early Head Start.
- Improving teacher quality. Head Start teachers need to have the skills to teach disadvantaged children. Wes Clark supports moving towards the requirement that all lead Head Start teachers have at least a bachelor's degree and that all teaching assistants have at least a Child Development Associate Credential. Wes Clark's plan would provide the Federal funding needed to increase salaries and move towards this goal by adding to-not drawing from-the valued pool of qualified elementary and secondary educators.
