Preschool: Early Education Dollars

OUR EDITORIAL / Detroit Free Press

Spend early education dollars wisely

As they consider increasing preschool funds, lawmakers ought only to support effective programs

   
A push to expand state-funded preschool in Michigan is gaining momentum. Now, it seems inevitable that the Legislature will allocate more funds for the state’s youngest citizens. That change could offer the additional support and instruction some children will need to compete in school.

   It’s hard to put a price tag on that. And Gov. Rick Snyder, numerous lawmakers and many in the business community say the investment in early education has notable payoffs. In his recent State of the State address, Snyder said he would push for more preschool funding when he lays out the budget next month. In addition, the Center for Michigan’s latest report on education showed 68 percent of polled residents support expanded early childhood education.

   Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw, has introduced legislation to increase early education funding by at least $130 million, more than doubling current funding. Compared with the nearly $13 billion a year the state spends on K-12 schools, that figure seems manageable.

   Yet the budget is tight, and lawmakers may have a difficult time deciding where to find the additional funds. Given the broad support for this move, however, the Legislature is expected to come up with the money.

   Ideally, this is not a role the government would have to take on.

   But not all children grow up in nurturing environments where their families read to them and teach them the basic skills they require to succeed in kindergarten or first grade. Once kids start out behind, it’s difficult for them to catch up later. This becomes a deficit many will carry their entire lives.

   While a strong case exists for expanding preschool programs, lawmakers and Snyder should keep a few things in mind.

   Not all preschool programs are created equal. The state must ensure taxpayer dollars are only going to the best ones. Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program has a solid track record. It began with small, pilot programs in 1985 and has continued to grow.

   Last year, the state Department of Education estimated the program reached 30,000 low-income and disadvantaged kids.

   If the program receives a funding boost, it could significantly increase the number of children it serves — as well as enhance the programs it offers, says Susan Broman, director of the Michigan Office of Great Start.

   Results from a long-term study on the program’s impact came out last year. The HighScope Educational Research Foundation followed children from 1995 to 2011 who had attended the state’s preschool program and those who did not.

   Researchers found children who had participated in preschool were more engaged in kindergarten and did better in elementary school. And a higher percentage (58 percent versus 43 percent) of high school students graduated on time, although both numbers are still low.

   On the other hand, results for the federal preschool program Head Start aren’t as rosy — and 29,000 Michigan children are in the program.

   Anew report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that the $8 billion a year spent on Head Start isn’t helping. For instance, by third grade, Head Start participation had no measurable effect on a student’s ability in reading, language and math.

   More alarmingly, children who had attended the program were less likely to get along with peers as they got older.

   And even though Broman would like to treat age four “as its own grade,” states that have universal preschool aren’t seeing much impact either. For more than 10 years, Georgia and Oklahoma have offered state-funded preschool for all 4-year-olds.

   But Lindsey Burke, education policy expert at The Heritage Foundation, says the programs haven’t translated into “significant improvement in students’ academic achievement.”

   Burke points to Florida as a better model. Although it offers universal preschool, the state gives parents a voucher so they can send their child to any program — public or private.

   As Michigan develops its preschool program, state leaders must keep the focus on quality and helping children who need it most.