Gov. Kaine is preparing to roll out his pre-kindergarten education plan for low-income 4-year-olds. Back in August 2005, Fairfax County public school teacher Kip Malinosky outline the benefits from pre-k education. These include:
* Reduced reliance on social welfare programs by the families of preschool children and by the preschool participants when they reach adulthood.
* Improved labor market outcomes for parents of preschool children and their employers.
* Enhanced educational and social experiences for peers of preschool children through effects on classrooms and neighborhoods.
* Improved health outcomes for preschool participants across life course and subsequent gains in health status for their children.
In other words, the $75 million per year this program would cost Virginia is money well spent. My only potential problem with the plan relates to the following:
Kaine also hopes to find cost savings by placing some of the thousands of new children entering the program into existing private and religious pre schools that meet state education standards.For the first time, those education providers would be eligible to receive state grants now available only to public schools that teach poor 4-year-olds. Private providers would be required to meet state standards to collect the grants.
State grants to private and religious schools? Bad idea. Pre-k education in PUBLIC schools for all 4-year-olds in Virginia? Great idea, money well spent!
P.S. This proposal points out once again the need for a sustainable, dedicated funding source for transportation, so we don't start cannibalizing the general fund - which pays for programs like this one.
P.P.S. I wonder how the projected $1.2 billion state budget deficit will affect consideration of the pre-k initiative.