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This "unintended consequence" is occurring in other states, as well, as they expand availability and accessibility of publicly funded EC programs. This is a positive development if they replace poor quality EC programs (family or center-based) and increase the availability of high quality ECE that meets families’ needs, especially poor families. But, if the states are displacing good programs and failing to increase the number of publicly funded high quality EC programs, they are probably damaging our already inadequate EC system. Could these negative consequences be avoided with community involvement and planning?

I see similar repercussions in NYC where, after the exciting Pre-K initiative by Mayor de Blasio, many high quality private, not for profit EC centers have encountered drastic enrollment deductions and hence terrible budgetary problems.

Like Fertile, MN, my center is located in a very small community of lower income families. As Transitional Kindergarten is scooping up our 4 year-olds, a couple of our Family Day Care homes have closed. At my center, we're in a holding pattern financially but it's a matter of time until our program is impacted. There have been some 4 year-olds in my preschool who should have had one more year to develop emotionally and cognitively but the parents needed to save tuition by sending them to TK. These children weren't successful in TK and had to repeat before Kindergarten, a miserable year for the kids & parents alike. I employ 7 staff members in a low income community, and will probably have to cut staff as a result of lower enrollment due to TK. I wish the politicians would realize that small independent childcare/preschool centers like mine support the job market and are able to fill the needs of individual children in a more nurturing environment.

RE: teri torchia's comment: I agree that better training is needed overall in ECE, but elementary teaching is a different world than ECE teaching. In CA, Transitional Kindergarten was mandated in the CA public schools. Instead of seeing 4-year-olds as needing a distinct environment and approach, they were blended into Kindergarten Classes (sometime 2-3 TKs among 20 Ks; sometimes vice versa). It has been a disaster. Four-year-olds are not ready to learn via worksheets and drill (neither are Ks, but pushing down the curriculum to younger ages is now the norm). As a result, parents are reporting that their TK children now see themselves as "dumb" and their kids have lost any interest in school (at age 4!).

Also, when the implementation of TK was being debated in the CA state legislature, the resulting closure of private centers was pointed out. The lawmakers responded that those left unemployed by the shift in enrollment would find jobs as Teaching Assistants in public school classrooms. (That didn't happen.)

I am a local Family Daycare Provider. I have been in business for over 25 years. When I started there were over 50 people like myself, now because of the area schools starting simular programs fir 3 &4 year olds, there is less than 10 in home daycare and some of the smaller daycare centers also had to close...Not all children will thrive in the larger programs...SAD....

Terry, very good points. I think that to attract and retain highly qualified ECE's, we need to develop programs under the auspices of public schools. A public school teaching position requires more rigorous training and credentials (at least a B.A. and then an Master's within 5 years in Massachusetts, teaching practicums, a MA Dept.of Elem. and Secondary Ed. license).Thus, we will have a better-trained workforce. I have consulted with many child care centers over the years and the inconsistency of quality is concerning.

This I feel is becoming a huge problem across the country. Public school using the buildings that the taxpayer has built including myself to provide direct competition with the private sector. They use several program models that have been developed here in the private small business world. I have been in business since 1969. This industry created the before and after school program that almost every public school now uses cutting the costs we must charge to provide this service. The public schools use buildings I built with my taxes. Public schools pay no taxes. My taxes on one school equal the taxes paid on 5 local residential homes. Yet I have no voting rights. We also created the full day kindergarten here and now the public school have extended day kindergarten, once again direct competition. Now they want my pre-schoolers too! Enough! The government can not be allowed to to take my business and employees away!

This situation is not unique to Minnesota. It is happening all over the country. It first started with the public sector taking over kindergarten. Ten years ago 25% of the public school districts provided full-day kindergarten in New Jersey. Now it's 75%. The remaining districts feel like they have to go the same route and are moving to do so -- It's called "Bracket Creep". Now we are seeing it with four year olds and in some cases three year olds. This is the next frontier for the public sector. It's masked through a veil of quality, but anyone running a quality childcare program knows that the public sector can't even come close to matching the care of both the child and the rest of the family the way the private sector can. Does anyone really want their three or four year old on a bus with fifth graders? What do parents do with all of the public school holidays and teacher conferences and every excuse you can imagine to take half-days? What happens with child care during the Summer? However, its very difficult to compete with "free". Everyone knows its really not free. The cost is simply shifted to all of the tax payers instead of the people using the service. In New Jersey, the public pension fund is $83,000,000,000 in the deficit, yet every PreK classroom that opens in the school districts makes that problem worse. When will we wake up?

Guy Falzarano
President & CEO
Lightbridge Franchise Co.
V.P. Government Affairs
New Jersey Child Care Association

Currently our province is in the final of a four year roll-out of full day junior and senior kindergarten, (FDK). This has had some unintended and some predicted outcomes, and we're still in a state of flux. At the same time, the oversight of child care moved under our Ministry of Education (MOE). Some things to consider:
-closure of many private commercial centres (some not so great)
-closure of some really excellent not-for-profit centres and nursery schools
-financial saving for families
-opportunities for "school board" wages, benefits, and pension for ECEs
-a loss of some of the best ECEs to the school boards, from care of the youngest and most vulnerable children
-a province wide shortage of ECEs; especially strong, experienced ECEs
-lots of job opportunities for new ECE grads
-a new early learning framework from our MOE, helping to raise the bar province-wide
-now with our province-wide provincially funded parenting centres, steps toward a more comprehensive picture for prenatal to school-age children and their families

And those are some of the consequences; both unintended and intended, here in Ontario.