In his
State of the Union address President Obama announced his desire for every child
to have access to a high quality early childhood education. In what is being hailed by many as a call for
universal pre-k, it has been reported that most of President Obama’s vision for
universal pre-k is already being eroded.
According to published reports by
several new agencies, the White House has circulated a “blueprint” on what
universal pre-k would look like. The
blueprint would only guarantee federal funding to states for the schooling of
four–year olds from families that earn below 200 percent of the poverty line. Additionally, new programs such as expansion
of Head Start and increase availability of home visits by nurses and social
workers will be part of a number of services that will support poor children[i]. If this blueprint turns into policy, then our
country will not have universal pre-k, our country will have an upgrade of Head
Start.
While an upgrade of Head Start was
adequate for another time, it is not enough for the economic realities of a
future which requires mastery of reading, writing and work-based skills. President Obama believes that universal pre-k
is the “best long-term economic investment America
Although the economy is on the mend,
the new reality is higher unemployment, a widening skills gap, and jobs with
lower wages. This new reality brings
greater opportunity for families (especially in the middle class) to fall in
and out of the poverty line. As it
stands in this new reality, a majority of American families are receiving some
form of government assistance in the form of food stamps and health insurance
for their children. This new reality
makes it imperative that universal pre-k is truly universal.
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