Is Zero to Five Possible?
Pre-Kindergarten Research BlogArchive for February 6, 2009
2) The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education and the Middle Class
Summary: All children should attend preschool because of its long-term benefits, but because of the lack of funding, current public preschool programs leave out the middle class, forcing middle class American parents to either take on another unaffordable financial burden or put off their child’s early education.
Topic: zero to five program
Category: Non-profit institutional
What is it? A report released by Pre[k]now
Title: The Pre-K Pinch: Early Education and the Middle Class Publication Information: www.preknow.org November 2008 Washington DC Author: Wat, Albert; Doctors, Jennifer V.
Location: http://preknow.org//documents/pre-kpinch_nov2008.pdf
Accessed: Feb. 2, 2009
Support: United Kingdom Department of Children, Schools, and Families Linda Tandy, stay-at-home mom Pew Research Center, public opinion research funded by Pew Charitable Trusts Brookings Institution, independent research and policy institute Maggie Greear, divorced mother Emily Binetti, mother RAND Corporation, non-profit organization working to improve public policy and decision making National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Research Council Kara and Raymond Gore, middle class parents National Institute for Early Education Research Alabama’s Office of School Readiness
These sources represent stories from middle class parents struggling to afford pre-kindergarten education and various private and government research groups showing the importance of preschool and the inability for middle class to afford it.
Audience and Agenda: Pre[k]now, founded in 2002, provided $10 million and thousands of hours on counseling and technical support for pre-k advocacy. The organization assists national and state leaders in designing and implementing pre-k programs based on research. Various private foundations, working to improve either general or specific public policies, fund the research for Pre[k]now.
Usefulness: This report, written to improve Pre-K Programs in the United States, focuses on the inability of the middle class to afford it. The family stories make the subject relatable to everyday Americans. They show typical families struggling to support their children’s early education causing typical families to consider the affordability of their own child’s or grandchild’s education. Each parent wants the best for his or her child, and preschool, according to the report, is best. Similar reports can be found on the site www.preknow.org, emphasizing different aspects of the early education issue, including current government policies and progress. Pewtrusts.org, in addition to a link to this report, includes a list of reports showing progress and advocacy for pre-kindergarten programs. The document ends by stating various resolutions for the pre-k program; however, it presents the pre-k program as the only solution to a better educated America. Although the support for the pre-k program appears valid, it never states why we should focus on pre-k instead of a different aspect of the education system.
Works cited: www.preknow.org
