by Carrie Weitz

Created on: September 23, 2008

The current education crisis has many people crying "More, more!" Expanding a model that is failing our K-12 set, and pinning our hopes on children who are trying to master toilet skills, is preposterous. While kindergarten has moved from half-day crafts and games to full-day standardized test preparation, and overall public school spending per pupil has doubled, improvement in outcome has been minuscule. Quantity does not compensate for quality.

Learning is very much a developmental process; one that cannot be forced by age or universal method. It can, however, be greatly influenced by experience. A child who has never been read to is not likely to meet the kindergarten entrance requirements. One who has not spent much time with other children may not be able to handle the exuberance of a room full of peers. Clearly, experience needs to be had. The question is whether or not it is the government's responsibility to provide that experience.

The prerequisites for most kindergarten programs include some basic letter and number recognition, along with independent self-help skills. Barring any special needs of the child or parents, in which case Early Intervention services are important, these milestones are attainable for the majority of children before age 5 without spending several thousand dollars in resources. Bedtime stories, grocery shopping, building blocks, coloring books, and regular dialogue forge the same connections in reading, writing, and mathematics as they did in the acquisition of language and use of utensils. A government funded academic program to meet these early skills is a gross overkill and waste of resources.

There may be a value in preschool though. Many children enjoy the social aspects of preschool programs, while their parents enjoy making use of the time their children spend there, whether for work or personal activities. Despite the potentially mutual benefits, fun and flexibility is not a government responsibility.

Tax-funded early education does have its place. Statistically, children with unstable home lives, low income families and, in some areas, racial minorities, show the greatest gains when preschool is made available to them. Children from families who cannot provide the quality time needed to build a foundation for learning skills should not be left to languish, unstimulated.

A four-year-old learns best by watching and playing, and all four-year-olds deserve the chance to do just that. Whether at home, in a play group, or in a preschool, parents need to be taking personal and financial responsibility for their venue of choice. Every parent claims to want what is best for their children. It is past time that we remember whose job it really is to provide that.

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