Universal Pre-K

02/19/2015

Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up...discovering we have strength to stare it down.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Several decades ago when we lived in Somerville, Massachusetts, Bonnie organized a neighborhood playgroup that she called "Summer Street Players." One of the "players," Jeanne Chang, had a boisterous sister, Sonia, who was a wanna-be player. Last month, this same Sonia, now Massachusetts State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz of Jamaica Plain, according to the Boston Globe,

"...introduced a bill that would include 3- and 4-year-olds in the state's Chapter 70 funding, the mechanism that sends state aid to local public schools. (Some children would attend public schools, while private preschools would handle some of the care.) In essence, the bill — which by this week had garnered 42 cosponsors — would make early education a state obligation, rather than a privilege for those who can afford it."

The Globe editorial questioned whether the state could afford universal pre-K at this point, but concluded that "the bill serves as more of a conversation starter than a realistic short-term proposal. But it's a conversation worth having."

Indeed, this conversation is happening in cities and states around the country. It is a conversation that child advocates need to be active players in to make sure any legislation that follows supports, rather than undermines, the existing child care delivery system. We have seen too many examples of well-meaning universal pre-K initiatives that end up driving high quality existing providers of care out of business.

Save on the phonological awareness program that gives kids a head start on the path to reading!

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