Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/trends-in-education-and-care/5017112/
This final of three articles further addresses the trend toward universal pre-kindergarten as a means to integrating care and education and increasing quality, both essential ingredients to successful universalizing of pre-kindergarten.A number of states are talking about early education for all children. “All” may mean free for all children; it may mean parent fees based on family income; it may mean prioritizing low-income children; it may mean adding a grade before kindergarten to the public schools. Different meanings have very different cost implications.
This article focuses on what states are currently doing. There seems to be two different approaches. One focuses almost entirely on the pre-kindergarten age group in the public school system. This approach aims to increase the amount of state education dollars to schools in order to make our school systems more equitable and more effective. These states have maintained a separation of care from education by expanding only programs funded through the education system, usually in the schools; but in cities like Milwaukee, the schools offer many alternative options for parents through vouchers.
The second, systemic approach aims to increase and combine the investments of state, federal, and private dollars in all forms of ...