By Mona Charen
Subsidized daycare and universal pre-K are goals that sound so wholesome only a ghoul could oppose them. Especially in an era when Democrats and Republicans have achieved consensus that money grows on trees, who could possibly object to spending a few hundred billion or so, as President Joe Biden has proposed with his American Families Plan, on ensuring that kids get the best start in life?
My hand is up. There are many solid reasons to believe that expanding subsidies for daycare and universal pre-K is not good policy, and not good for kids. Here is a partial list:
Syndicated Columnist
Subsidized day care and universal pre-K are goals that sound so wholesome only a ghoul could oppose them. Especially in an era when Democrats and Republicans have achieved consensus that money grows on trees, who could possibly object to spending a few hundred billion or so, as Biden has proposed with his American Families Plan, to ensure that kids get the best start in life?
My hand is up. Here is a partial list of reasons:
1. It’s not what parents prefer.
Numerous surveys have shown that most parents prefer arrangements other than commercial, center-based care for their young children. An American Compass survey showed that among poor, working-class and middle-class parents, the most common preference was for one parent to work and the other to care for children under 5. Only among upper-class families did the largest percentage choose to have both parents working. And center-based care is not what Americans are doing. Data from Child Trends shows that on
Mona Charen
Subsidized daycare and universal pre-K are goals that sound so wholesome only a ghoul could oppose them. Especially in an era when Democrats and Republicans have achieved consensus that money grows on trees, who could possibly object to spending a few hundred billion or so, as President Biden has proposed with his American Families Plan, to ensure that kids get the best start in life?
My hand is up. Here is a partial list of reasons:
1. It s not what parents prefer.
Numerous surveys have shown that most parents prefer arrangements other than commercial, center-based care for their young children. An American Compass survey showed that among poor, working-class and middle-class parents, the most common preference was for one parent to work and the other to care for children under 5. Only among upper-class families did the largest percentage choose to have both parents working.
Upcoming virtual international conference to focus on early childhood education
Research group evaluates early childhood education
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Research group evaluates early childhood education
DETROIT – This week Local 4 News is pleased to be a part of a first. There will be a virtual international conference to discuss the topic of early childhood education.
The program is an initiative of HighScope in Ypsilanti, a non-profit which for 50 years has been researching and developing how children learn and then using the information to improve pre-K education.
The
conference will be critical to parents and educators alike.
Nestled in Ypsilanti the non-profit HighScope’s groundbreaking research that led to an early understanding that learning between the ages of birth to 5 years old is key to a child’s ability to learn and succeed beyond learning.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Mona Charen’s recent column, “Why, Goodness, Who Could Possibly Oppose Universal Pre-K?” mixes apples and oranges, and a few bananas. Her column mixes up daycare and preschool (two very different programs) and a parent’s desire to work while parenting young kids. All three concepts deserve a separate column.
I have no doubt that some of the surveys that she quoted are accurate. It is exceedingly difficult to balance work and parenthood. Part-time work is a great compromise, as mentioned in her column. But balancing work and parenting is not the point of the president’s desire to expand preschool for all. Nor is it the point of his desire to offer two free years of junior college to all. The point is more education for more kids.