Here are some of the best recent news and opinion pieces written about preschool. We'll always identify a few "top picks" that we think you'll find most interesting and informative.

See news coverage from 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, or 2002.

Top PicksTop Picks

July 17
Boston Globe: Editorial: Big ideas for little kids
On the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton is talking about preschool and its power to help children thrive. It's welcome attention, but so far politicians' ideas about what preschools could be aren't as detailed as the research on what preschool should be.

July 16
Los Angeles Times: Preschools are squeezed for space
Santa Ana's situation is typical of underserved cities in the state: not enough room, and nowhere to grow.

July 12
Sacramento Bee: Editorial: Seeking solutions to dropout crisis
Figures released by the Department of Education last month show California's high school graduation rate in 2006 was the lowest in 10 years. Clearly the state must act to address its growing dropout crisis.

July 8
Arizona Republic: Teaching kids early lighter on the wallet
Editorial writers from across the country were listening to speakers at Columbia University's Teachers College talk about early-childhood education.

July 7
San Antonio Express-News: Give Hispanic students a boost
In 2000, half of all young Hispanic children lived in two states: Texas and California. Expanding and improving the quality of early education for Texas' Hispanic population should be among our highest educational priorities.

July 5
North Jersey Record: Spilled milk, taking turns and other life lessons
New Jersey is a national leader and a model in early childhood education... I remember the days almost a decade ago when the state Supreme Court ordered then-Gov. Christie Whitman to start a preschool program for the poorest 3- and 4-year-olds.

June 25
Stateline: Early ed gains momentum in states
This fall, states will see the results of the big bucks they are promising to plug into early education programs.

June 24
San Francisco Chronicle: College seems out of reach to most Latinos
San Leandro High School senior Veronica Santana strode across the stage in a scarlet cap and gown to receive her high school diploma at a graduation ceremony earlier this month on the hillside campus of Cal State East Bay...Veronica benefited from the help of teachers and counselors, but her family was the key to her success, beginning with the hours her mother spent at Veronica's preschool, learning to kneel down and speak face to face with her kids and to appreciate the ways that dress-up and Play-Doh help children learn.

June 14
The New Jersey Star Ledger: Study: Preschool works in Abbott districts
While court-ordered funding for the state's poorest districts is under siege, evidence is mounting that one important mandate seems to be working: quality preschool.

June 7
Capitol Hill Press: State Makes Sure Education Starts Young
As graduation nears, many twenty-something college students are facing the end of their educational careers. As they try to get ahead in the world, they are plagued by the competition to get a job or get into graduate school. But what if getting a leg up in life could happen before age five?

May 29
Edutopia: Preschool Comes of Age
Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eliot Spitzer may not agree about a lot of things, but here's one area they concur: Preschool education can perform miracles. Children who attend prekindergarten programs have bigger vocabularies and increased math skills, know more letters and more letter-sound associations, and are more familiar with words and book concepts, according to a number of studies.

 

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2007

July 2
North County Times: County looks to San Marcos preschool as model for success
Two years after creating the city's first state-funded preschool program, the San Diego County Office of Education is using it to create a manual showing how school districts can successfully partner with private enterprises to provide quality preschool education, and at little expense.

June 21
North County Times: Low-income preschool options in flux
Even as the county-run Head Start preschool serving the area's neediest families prepares to shut down its Temecula program this week, there are still several options for families who can't afford to send their children to a private preschool.

June 20
Pacifica Tribune: Pacifica School District's special ed preschoolers celebrate graduation
Pacifica's special education program is designed to help kids with special needs and their families. This is the first preschool class to have all their needs met from an in-house staff of experts in their fields.

June 15
Tracy Press: Tobacco tax pays for local preschool
Tracy Unified School District will expand its preschool efforts this year with the help of about $2.2 million worth of tobacco tax money.

June 5
One Day: Teach for America Alumni Magazine: Getting It Right from the Start
Back in 2000, when Claire Cohen received her Teach For America corps assignment-teaching kindergarten in Franklin, La.-she was excited to teach her young students how to read. However, on the first day of school, it became apparent that other lessons had to come first. Few of the children could recognize letters, let alone words, and many others lacked the vocabulary to identify common objects such as chairs or pencils.

June 3
CNN.com: Candidates weigh in on their first 100 days as president
The last question posed to the eight Democratic candidates at Sunday night's debate came from a substitute elementary school teacher who asked about each candidates' top priorities for their first 100 days. Bill Richardson says, "I would upgrade our schools. I would have preschool for every American, full-day kindergarten."

June 3
New York Times: When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?
States around the country are considering rolling-back the age for kindergarten, given the rising standards set at the local, state and federal level. Preschool is cited as an effective institution for transitioning students to kindergarten, however without proper investment, many low-income families cannot afford preschool and are forced to have their children spend “another year watching TV in the basement.”

June 1
San Francisco Chronicle: Legislators get earful of advice on how to combat violence in Oakland
Angie Garling, who works on pre-school anti-violence programs for Alameda County, said that kids should begin learning conflict resolution even before they start kindergarten so they can develop the confidence to avoid the cycle of violence when they become older.

May 30
NBC11.com: Advocates Push Preschool To Fight Crime
Advocates say preschool is one of the most effective ways to fight crime. Catherine Hazelton, of Fight Crime Invest in Kids, cited multiple studies that showed crime can be fought by investing in kids. "One of them tracked the kids until they were 18 and showed that at 18, those who had been left out of preschool were 70 percent more likely to have been arrested for violent crimes," Hazelton said.

May 26
The Nation: How to (Really) Leave A Child Behind
Even if NCLB funding were to increase, its framework does not allow for important structural changes--for example, a system of teacher preparation and professional development that would routinely produce high-quality teaching; curriculums and assessments that encourage critical thinking and performance skills; high-quality preschool education, libraries and learning materials; and healthcare for poor children.

May 21
Education Week Magazine: Vicky Schippers: Fund Preschool Where It’s Needed Most
Anyone who works with youngsters from low-income backgrounds notices that they often begin school far behind their middle-class peers. While middle-class children enter kindergarten enjoying a friendly acquaintance with the alphabet, zoo animals, and Dr. Seuss, their less fortunate peers do not.

May 21
Associated Press: Clinton Pushes Pre-Kindergarten Proposal
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing a $10 billion federal program aimed at providing voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-old children in America.

May 9
Tulare Advance-Register: Lindsay makes strides for preschoolers
Teresa Mendoza has noticed drastic changes in her 4-year-old son, Jose, since he began attending preschool classes. Before, she said, Jose could not speak. "Now he talks a lot," Mendoza said through an interpreter. "He's more educated, he speaks more and it's really beautiful to see how he has become more loving and affectionate."

May 8
San Diego Union Tribune: Free preschool cut off for military families
A federal initiative to improve the living conditions of service members has unwittingly rendered an untold number of military households ineligible for state-subsidized preschool, which used to be free for them.

May 7
San Jose Mercury News: David Kirp: Lawmakers quietly considering universal preschool
The debate over how much to spend on pre-K and for which kids is now in the hands of the state politicians, and the issue will resurface this week when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger releases his revised 2008 budget.

May 3
San Bernardino Sun: $1M from state will help boost SB preschools
An education roundtable led by Mayor Pat Morris announced Wednesday it has secured $1 million in state funding for expanded preschool programming in some schools. "It's a down payment on a larger commitment we've made as the mayor and educators to the families who live here," Morris said.

May 3
San Francisco Chronicle: Government Eyes Special Ed Requirements
Many children in special education classes may not belong there, the government says. A new policy is aimed at intervening early with intensive teaching to give struggling students a chance to succeed in regular classrooms and escape the "special ed" label.

April 30
Stockton Record: Lack of new funds putting thousands of kids on preschool waiting lists
Sheryll Candelario hopes to enroll her 4-year-old daughter, Erica, in a Stockton Unified School District preschool this fall, but the waiting list might be too long.

April 25
San Mateo Daily Journal: Mandatory kindergarten bill proposed
In California, all 5-year-olds could be starting school by 2011 if a bill by Assemblyman Gene Mullin for mandatory kindergarten passes, but home school advocates argue it decreases beneficial parent contact time with children… “We think all children deserve access to a preschool program. This puts the access of it front and center before the legislation bringing up the conversation of the need to invest really in preschool-aged children and the skills needed for the foundation of reading and writing,” said Preschool California President Catherine Atkin.

April 25
Press Enterprise: Nuview district widens lead in universal preschools
As the California Assembly held hearings in Sacramento for universal-preschool proposals Wednesday, Nuview schools continued to set the standard.

April 25
Education Week Magazine: For Head Start, A Marathon Run
The nutritional, social, and educational needs of disadvantaged children—combined with opportunities for parents to be involved—have been elements of the Head Start program since it started more than 40 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty.

April 20
San Jose Business Journal: Jim Wunderman: Investing in preschool is a no-brainer
California's school system needs a major overhaul, according to a new Stanford study titled "Getting Down to Facts: A Research Project to Inform Solutions to California's Education Problems." The report launched Sacramento lawmakers into their annual debate about school reform. But there's one piece of the study upon which everyone agrees: affordable access to effective preschool gives kids the foundation they need to succeed in school and in life.

April 17
San Jose Mercury News: Letter to the Editor: Preschool superior to day care options
In a column deriding the effects that schools have on children's social skills, Bruce Fuller (Another View, April 12) fails to understand the distinction between preschool and day care.

April 17
The Argus: Contending with day care and a world of work
You and your spouse are trying to make ends meet; perhaps you're a single mother, father or guardian. The rent, or mortgage, continues to climb, the price of gas is staggering, and the grocery list isn't much help. Under these situations, parents have no choice but to work a full-time job — they have to provide for their children, don't they?

April 17
The Politico: Steal this education agenda
Political memo to: Hillary, John(s), Mitt, Barack, Rudy and other '08 aspirants
From: Andrew J. Rotherham and Richard Whitmire
Subject: Why you need to really care about education…
Open the door to pre-kindergarten education. Academically focused pre-kindergarten programs help close the racial and economic achievement gap.

April 18
San Mateo County Times: Center devoted to tots of all abilities
A center entirely devoted to young children with and without disabilities and their families officially opened Tuesday in a newly remodeled building. Community Gatepath, an agency serving disabled children, adults and seniors in San Mateo County, opened the new Niall P. McCarthy Center after seeing a growing number of children diagnosed with developmental disabilities locally and nationally.

April 12
Santa Cruz Sentinel: County gets $1.2 million for preschool
As many as 250 more children in the county will be enrolled in free preschool and day care through a state program that's pumping $1.17 million a year into local early education classes.

April 12
Ventura County Star: Preschool called a lifelong boost
Two dozen children stood on a stage outside their Oxnard preschool looking a little intimidated Wednesday afternoon. A crowd of more than 200 elected officials, parents and school and district staff members stared back at them as the preschoolers waited for their cue. When the music started, their long faces turned to smiles as they sang and danced, inspiring the crowd to join in, clapping to the beat.

April 9
San Mateo Daily Journal: Innovative preschool stresses English
Samira Mendoza began taking classes through Even Start when she was three months pregnant with her now 2-year-old son James Jardon. She wanted to learn English. Now Mendoza spends five days a week volunteering in her son’s preschool classroom while attending the parent classes. She’s pretty good at understanding English, although she answers questions more comfortably in Spanish. Mendoza is part of the family literacy program at Early Start in Redwood City. The program, which began nine years ago, provides family services for 35 low-income families with children up to 7 years old.

April 9
The Bakersfield Californian: It's never too early for books
Just because they don't know how to read doesn't mean preschoolers at Mount Vernon School don't love their new library. "We get to read!" said 4-year-old Crystal Ambriz as she clutched her book "Cat & Mouse: A Delicious Tale."

April 2
San Francisco Chronicle: A school helping kids take a step toward hope
"The idea was if we could get these kids young -- 3, 4 years old -- and get them in a healthy environment for eight, nine hours a day, then we could really make a difference," said Rosenthal, 68, who has three children.

April 2007
Harvard Law and Policy Review: A new deal for urban public schools
Yet there is a difference between making excuses and acknowledging that many students attending urban schools enter them facing distinct educational disadvantages…As a result there is a keen need for early interventions that narrow these gaps early on and help disadvantaged youngsters enter school ready to learn.

March 30
Napa Valley Register: Andrea Knowlton: Time for state to invest in preschool
Like many Californians, I believe all children benefit from preschool. Ask the experts who study school performance and they’ll tell you our schools are more effective when children arrive at kindergarten prepared to learn. The children who attend quality preschools come to our public school system ready to read, ready to learn and ready to do their best.

March 29
ABC News Channel 10: Free Preschool Receives High Marks
A free preschool program in the Manteca and Lincoln Unified school districts is getting rave reviews after its first year in session. The "Power of Preschool" pilot program is a voluntary class offered free of charge to children when they reach age four, no matter their income level.

March 27
Napa Valley Register: Advocates push early education programs for Latino children
The children and parents gathered for story time one recent Saturday morning in Washington, D.C., heard “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” not once but twice. “In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf,” the Eric Carle classic began in the first rendition. “Bajo la luz de la luna, encima de una hoja, habia un huevecillo,” it began in the second.

March 26
Education Week Magazine: States Again Weighing Proper Enrollment Age for Kindergartners
An issue that never really goes away is back again this year: the starting age for kindergarten...Ms. Kaurez also suggests that there may be, in effect, a “push up” from the early-childhood-education field because of the continuing expansion of public preschool programs, as well as attention to building high-quality programs with specific learning standards.

March 25
La Tribuna Hispana: "English Only" no es tan bueno en pre-escolares, dice estudio
Contrariamente a lo que se piensa en general, es posible que las clases de pre-kindergarten exclusivamente en inglés no faciliten el ajuste escolar de los niños cuya lengua materna es el español.

March 23
California Progress Report: Schwarzenegger Wants Presidential Candidates in California to be Specific and Answer Tough Questions
There were chuckles in the audience yesterday when our actor Governor uttered the lines "I want to hear specific plans. Not just applause lines or rhetoric. Hope is on the Way, Compassionate Conservatism, Building a Bridge to the 21st Century. Don't tell us you invented the internet. We're tired of all the sound bites..." What about pre-school programs. What about early childhood development? 

March 23
Merced Sun-Star: Livingston Head Start includes children with disabilities
Most every child is bound to learn a few nursery rhymes and singalong songs in preschool. But in Merced County's full-inclusion Head Start program, preschoolers also learn social skills, cooperation and acceptance.

March 21
Los Angeles Daily News: Mayors plan to boost middle class
A task force of the nation's mayors is calling for the federal government to create a lifetime learning savings account for every child born in the country - beginning with a $500 deposit - as part of an overall strategy to ease poverty...The program could cost $23 billion a year, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors' panel, which also called for increased federal investment in preschool and education to boost the middle class and reduce the number of working poor.

March 17
Tracy Press: These are the lucky ones
Alicia Vales drops off her 4-year-old daughter at preschool each morning before she works out of her Mountain House home. She considers herself one of the lucky ones. Vales can rattle off the names of friends who remain on Mountain House preschool waiting lists and others who drive their children to Tracy and Livermore child-care centers.

March 14
New York Times: States Looking to Pre-K to Help Kids
Yasmine Carrizo has trouble pinpointing exactly what she likes best about pre-kindergarten at Carlin Springs Elementary. "I like the toys, and playing house, and book time, and sleep-over (nap) time," the wide-eyed 4-year-old says one morning as she colors with markers at a table just her size.

March 13
Stockton Record: Free preschool enjoys growth
The growth of free preschools in San Joaquin County has been dramatic. Unlike existing federal and state preschool programs, these new spots on multicolor carpets in classrooms across the county don't require families to meet income eligibility requirements.

March 13
Redland Daily Facts: Franklin preschoolers find free dental care
Students in Deedee Witherspoon's preschool classroom had a rare treat this morning, and not one that would cause tooth decay - in fact, it helped prevent tooth decay. Dr. Jane Ellis of Redlands and her assistant Silvia Cortez of Colton visited Witherspoon's classroom to provide free teeth examinations, courtesy of Colton-based First 5 Dental Program, which funds preventative dental care for children ages 0-5.

February 28
Contra Costa Times: First 5 Contra Costa grants are available
The average person may not think that children's picture books and finger puppets are essential materials, but for the volunteers and staff of the Stories-to-Go early literacy program of the Contra Costa Library, these are necessary tools for success in life.

February 27
New York Times: A Bad Report Card
The news from American high schools is not good. The most recent test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the national report card, finds that American 12th graders are actually performing worse in reading than 12th graders did in 1992, when a comparable exam was given.

February 24
Sacramento Bee: 'Bye, Mommy ... go'
At 7:30 a.m., it's just minutes before showtime in the 4-year-olds' classroom at the Child Development Center on the campus of American River College. Marie Jones is here, as usual, setting the stage for the day's nonstop entertainment.

February 24
Sacramento Bee: A primer on preschools
Preschools have a long history in the United States, including "infant schools" in Boston during the 1830s and publicly financed pre- kindergarten programs during World War II. In recent years, researchers have amassed growing evidence that brain development in the first five years of life is particularly dynamic and that quality preschool can contribute to success in school and later in life.

February 23
North County Times: School, day care join to help special needs kids
Smith said the entire premise of her child care center is to create a feeling of inclusiveness, whether it's through teaching sign language, offering bilingual instruction, learning about the ethnic backgrounds of families or just overall participation of the students with one another. ABC Child Care is now partnering with Ysabel Barnett Elementary School to offer a "wrap-around" preschool program for special needs students.

February 23
Washington Post: Expanding preschool program clears first hurdle
Much of the national debate on improving schools is focused on the No Child Left Behind Act. Absent from the limelight is an equally significant federal program with a proven track record of results. Head Start, America's early childhood development program, should not only be reauthorized but also strengthened and expanded.

February 19
San Diego Union Tribune: Preschool supporters turn to state for more funds
Children's advocates haven't given up on making preschool a birthright in California despite voters' overwhelming rejection of a 2006 ballot measure to fund free preschool. They aren't planning to go back to the polls, but they are lobbying Sacramento to budget more money.

February 19
Stockton Record: Program helps encourage love of books
A bright red bag bulging with books looms large in the life of Dylan Spencer, 3. Dylan is one of thousands of children in Calaveras and San Joaquin counties who are learning a love of books with a little help from the bright red bag. The program encourages both family bonding and language development by making it easy for families with preschoolers - even families in which parents can't read themselves - to spend cozy time together flipping through illustrated children's books and discussing the stories.

February 16
Los Angeles Times: State preschools short of space, survey says
Classroom space in California public preschools is at such a premium that 21% of eligible 4-year-olds would be unable to attend if they all attempted to enroll, according to a statewide study released Thursday.

February 16
San Francisco Chronicle: Preschool space shortage projected
California would have to create space for thousands more preschoolers if it were to offer preschool to all 4-year-olds, as proposed in an initiative that state voters rejected in November, according to a study released Wednesday assessing the space available in the state's child care centers.

February 16
Press Enterprise: Space shortage puts squeeze on universal preschool
A lack of classroom space could stymie efforts to make preschool available to all 4-year-olds -- and Riverside County faces an especially severe space crunch, a study released Thursday said. The report from the Advancement Project, a civil-rights group whose work includes pressing for better school facilities for low-income children, looked at whether the state had enough preschool space to provide classes for all.

February 16
Vallejo Times Herald: Solano lacks preschools
The state is suffering from a profound lack of preschools, and Solano County has the Bay Area's biggest shortage, a study released Thursday concludes. One in five California 4-year-olds lacks a space in preschool, and space is especially limited for low-income and minority children who could benefit the most, the report states.

February 16
Oakland Tribune: Study: Make room for preschools
For some families in East Oakland's Melrose neighborhood, the nearest preschool is a 20-block walk away. It was apparently too far for some; just one-third of this year's kindergarten class at Melrose Elementary School attended preschool, the principal said.

February 15
Contra Costa Times: Preschool fills need for families
The founder of the speech therapy program Happy Talkers, wanted a place where children with special needs -- and those without -- can attend school together.

February 7
Christian Science Monitor: Coming US challenge: a less literate workforce
US workers may be significantly less literate in 2030 than they are today. "There is no time that I can tell you in the last hundred years" where literacy and numeracy have declined, says Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston and one of the report's authors. "But if you don't change outcomes for a wide variety of groups, this is the future we face."

February 7
New York Times: Bridging Gaps Early On in Oklahoma
To get to the new preschool in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood here, you drive down a dead-end stretch of East Fifth Place. But then you get to the end of the block and see the brick and stone building with the bright blue roof. Inside, sunlight streams into a front atrium, and children run around big classrooms that are filled with new wooden furniture.

February 6
The Federal Reserve Board: Chairman Ben S. Bernanke: The Level and Distribution of Economic Well-Being
Although education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. The most successful early childhood programs appear to be those that cultivate both cognitive and noncognitive skills and that engage families in stimulating learning at home (Heckman, Stixrud, and Urzua, 2006).

February 5
San Jose Mercury News: Fisher: Easing the way to college
Gonzalez, 40, is one of 35 students enrolled in an exciting new De Anza College program that offers college-level classes in child development at Mariano Castro Elementary School, in a lower-income Mountain View neighborhood. The evening classes are taught in Spanish. The students get college credit but pay no fees. Child care and dinner are provided.

January 25
Los Angeles Times: Mayor keeps high profile on D.C. trip
On Wednesday, he delivered a proposal for eradicating urban poverty in a speech before the National Press Club, calling for significant federal investment in universal preschool, subsidized college savings accounts and other measures to lift the poor into the middle class.

January 25
New York Times: Childhood Poverty Is Found To Portend High Adult Costs
Children who grow up poor cost the economy $500 billion a year because they are less productive, earn less money, commit more crimes and have more health-related expenses, according to a study released on Wednesday...Mr. Holzer and others said that although various proposals to ease poverty needed more research, some efforts, especially the earned-income tax credit, which benefits low-income workers, and quality prekindergarten education had been shown to justify their cost and deserved to expand.

January 21
Ukiah Daily Journal: Math, reading scores too low
The recently released report notes the state has established "well-respected standards and a comprehensive accountability system," with more qualified teachers than in the past and credits these factors for more children reaching targeted performance levels than in the past. "However, over half of California's students still score below targeted math and reading levels on standardized tests, with low-income students and African American and Latino children consistently scoring below their peers," according to the report.

January 19
Pasadena Star News: Ending gangs with preschool
Ask anyone working on the front lines in the fight against gangs and gang violence what they need to win and you're likely to hear a potpourri of interlocking solutions...But there is one thing everyone agrees on as essential to any anti-gang effort: Preschool. The fact that easy, affordable access to quality preschool reduces crime has been reaffirmed in study after study.

January 19
Associated Press: Obama answers questions
As to what he would do if he had the power to change one thing about America, the Harvard law school graduate said the education system needs to be "fundamentally revamped," with improvements in early childhood education and the recruiting and training of teachers.

January 17
New York Times: What $1.2 Trillion Can Buy
For starters, $1.2 trillion would pay for an unprecedented public health campaign — a doubling of cancer research funding, treatment for every American whose diabetes or heart disease is now going unmanaged and a global immunization campaign to save millions of children’s lives. Combined, the cost of running those programs for a decade wouldn’t use up even half our money pot. So we could then turn to poverty and education, starting with universal preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old child across the country. The city of New Orleans could also receive a huge increase in reconstruction funds.

January 16
Whittier Daily News: Funding their future
The deadline is near for child care providers to apply for some of the extra $45 million in state funds available for pre-kindergarten programs located near low-performing public elementary schools. Of the $45 million available - made possible through legislation, AB 172, signed into law last fall - more than $13 million is scheduled to come into Los Angeles County to help serve as many as 4,000 4-year-old preschoolers, said Supervisor Gloria Molina. 

January 12
Stockton Record: New doors open for Tracy preschoolers
The school was needed to serve families who can't afford preschool but don't qualify for programs providing school to low-income students, said Brandi Harrold, a school readiness program specialist for the Tracy Unified School District.

January 11
The California Aggie: Editorial: State education ranking
A recent study ranks California 34th among all U.S. states in its students' potential for success. The state's poor ranking is rooted in disadvantages associated with early childhood - an issue that must be addressed by California policymakers and citizens alike.

January 9
The California Aggie: California ranked 34th in national education study
Michael Jett, director of the California Development Division for the California Department of Education, said California will maintain a strong commitment to early childhood education. "[Preschool] is vitally important, particularly for reducing the achievement gap," Jett said. "I think there is a sense that all of the children that fall into that category are children that would benefit from a quality early childhood education program. We are also increasing our efforts to enhance the professional development of the staff."

January 9
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Childcare remains unaffordable, non-existent
A lack of state funding for childcare programs and the escalating cost of care has put pre-kindergarten programs out of reach for hundreds of poor families in the county and made those programs an expensive luxury for the area's middle class.

January 8
Calaveras Enterprise: New emphasis, new role for preschools
Slightly more than half of Calaveras County’s children ages 4 and 5 attend preschool, slightly higher than the statewide average, according to Children Now, a child advocacy group. Calaveras has a higher number than California’s overall statistics, but is 57 percent, the number of Calaveras children attending preschool, enough?

January 4
Sacramento Bee: Kids' chances for success not great in state
Children born and raised in New York, Nebraska, Minnesota and 30 other states have a better chance of becoming financially successful adults than do those who grow up in California..."It's hard to make the argument anymore that we can just look at K-12 education without considering what happens before children get to the schoolhouse and what happens after they leave," Swanson said.

January 4
Education Week Magazine: Lynn Olson: Paying Attention Earlier On
In his 2006 book Building Blocks: Making Children Successful in the Early Years of School, the author and education observer Gene I. Maeroff argues, “Unprecedented attention to schooling from preschool through 3rd grade offers greater promise for improving outcomes than almost any other step that educators might take.”

January 4
Education Week Magazine: Early Intervention on a Large Scale
Persuasive economic research indicates that there is a far more promising approach to economic development with government assistance. It rests not on an externally oriented strategy of offering subsidies to attract private companies, but rather on government support of those much closer to home—quite literally: our youngest children. This research shows that by investing in early-childhood education, governments—in partnership with private firms and nonprofit foundations—can reap extraordinarily high economic returns, benefits that are low-risk and long-lived.

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2006

December 20
Education Week Magazine: U.S. Urged to Reinvent Its Schools
Titled “Tough Choices or Tough Times,” the report was unveiled at an all-day meeting here Dec. 14 by a prominent panel whose members include former U.S. secretaries of education and labor, retired governors and mayors, state and local superintendents, and business executives...Among its proposals: High-quality early education available to all 4-year-olds and to all 3-year-olds from low-income families.

December 13
The Almanac: Holiday Fund: Family Connections helps preschoolers, parents grow together
"Always, a parent stays with their child," says Debbie Denton, community liaison for Family Connections, which provides free preschools for children from low-income families living in Belle Haven, East Palo Alto and parts of Redwood City.  "This is not a drop-off center," says Ms. Denton. It's a parent-participation preschool that combines parent involvement and leadership with access for some 150 children, infants to 5-year olds, to early education and school readiness each year.

December 13
San Francisco Chronicle: Miller's focus includes student loans
At a press conference in his committee room -- standing before a huge blue banner reading, "Strengthening America's Middle Class" -- Miller ticked off a long wish list of items: universal pre-kindergarten schooling, an expanded Head Start program for young children and increased Pell Grants for needy college students.

December 12
T.H.E. Journal: NASBE Recommends Universal Preschool
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has released a new report recommending universal preschool and addressing strategies for states moving toward greater access to high-quality preschool programs. The report, entitled "Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool," is available now in abridged form on NASBE's Web site.

December 12
Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley: Temple Emanu-El Preschool honored for supporting children with special needs
While Temple Emanu-El Preschool, launched in 2001, was not designed specifically for children with special needs, its openness, and willingness to accommodate all kinds of children, has drawn families whose children have a variety of special needs. Last month, the preschool was awarded a “Community Resource of the Year Award,” from the San Andreas Regional Center, which serves children and adults with special needs.

December 5
Long Beach Press Telegram: Horizons opened here for 22 years
Kim Malone is sorting through cloth shapes with a half-dozen 3- to 5-year-olds in an activity that doubles as a math exercise.

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November 28
Palo Alto Daily News: Education leaders call for reform
About 150 parents, teachers and other residents of Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos gathered on Monday night to hear two leading educational policymakers place local schools in a global perspective. Many in the audience at Palo Alto High School took notes as former state schools superintendent Delaine Eastin and Ted Lempert, president of the advocacy group Children Now, spoke on how to make public schools more competitive with those of other nations.

November 22
Modesto Bee: Tobacco tax generates $8.5M for Stanislaus kids programs
California's tobacco users continued to support early childhood development in Stanislaus County during the past year, to the tune of $8.5million.

November 21
San Diego Union Tribune: Military allowance disqualifies kids from preschool
Located in the midst of a large military housing development populated by young families with small children, Bay Point State Preschool should be bursting at the seams. But the publicly funded preschool at San Diego's former Naval Training Center can fill only one of its three classrooms. It's not for a lack of demand. The problem is that income eligibility rules prevent many military families from taking advantage of the school, within walking distance of their rented townhomes.

November 20
New York Times: Schools Slow in Closing Gaps Between Races
Despite concerted efforts by educators, the test-score gaps are so large that, on average, African-American and Hispanic students in high school can read and do arithmetic at only the average level of whites in junior high school...Suggestions abound for ways to narrow the score gaps faster. Since scholars have documented that minority children enter kindergarten with weaker reading skills than white children, some experts advocate increased public financing for early education programs.

November 17
San Mateo County Times: Learning Centers not just for kids
It focuses on helping parents in low-income families get involved in their child's education and at the same time learn parenting skills...Parents of children in the preschool-through-first-grade classes at these schools are required to volunteer in the classroom at least once every four weeks. They usually work with students one-on-one or in groups on different lessons they are covering in the class.

November 15
Education Week: Early-Childhood Issues Raised for NCLB Law
As states continue to add public preschool programs—in the hope that greater access to early-childhood education will improve schools’ chances of meeting the NCLB law’s targets—it’s not surprising that some organizations are pushing to increase the federal government’s role in the years before kindergarten. The federal law “does not adequately address the critical education of children under age 5. This must change,” Libby Doggett, the executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group Pre-K Now, said when she spoke this past summer to members of the Commission on No Child Left Behind.

November 6
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco: Janet L. Yellen: Economic Inequality in the United States
Recently, researchers led by James Heckman from the University of Chicago have argued that these funds should be targeted at even younger children. Family background factors are critically important in student achievement, and recent evidence suggests that the cognitive and social skills associated with college attendance are developed very early in life.

November 5
Auburn Journal: Preschool owners seek to impact young lives
"Children, they learn so much in the first five years of life," Mai-Ling said. "We truly believe in preschool because we feel they can come here for socialization, for structure, for academics and the fun in just those couple hours, and they learn a lot, and by the time they leave here they want to come back for more."

November 3
Harvard Education Letter: Recent Research on the Achievement Gap
There’s been enough progress to establish firmly that these gaps are not written in stone. Even IQ gaps are narrowing. Measurements of the intelligence of kids less than one year old show virtually no racial or social-class differences, yet racial and social class achievement gaps are firmly established by the time students start kindergarten.

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October 30
Marketplace American Public Media: Investing in the kids
Host Scott Jagow and Marketplace economics correspondent Chris Farrell look at a new trend in corporate philanthropy: giving to early childhood development programs.

October 23
Sacramento Bee: Preschool: Part lab, part opportunity
Part enrichment program and part living lab, the school's goals range from research to social justice.
"Our mission is to eradicate the inequalities of public education," said former basketball star Kevin Johnson, whose St. Hope organization wants the preschool to complement its K-12 charter schools.

October 18
Press Enterprise: Quality Time for Kids
"The mission is to provide a quality education and to prepare children for kindergarten," he said. "It's a safe place where parents know their children are being cared for in a reputable and loving manner. And they know there is educational value to what is being done."

October 16
Slate Magazine: Sharing at the Sand Table 101: Do you need a college degree to teach preschool?
So, do you need a degree to teach preschool? Study after study shows that 3- and 4-year-olds are better served by more-educated teachers in myriad ways. As you might expect, these teachers tend to offer superior curricula and formal teaching. But they're also, on average, "more stimulating, warm, and supportive" and "provide more age-appropriate experiences."

October 12
Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Head Start employees push for pay hike
Like most who work for the federally funded preschool program, Bañuelos, a single mother, is struggling to make ends meet, even after 14 years on the job, five of them in her current teaching post.

October 10
Daily Californian: Campus to Open New Child Care Facility
The facility will be open to children who are not yet old enough to go to kindergarten and will be a center for campus research on early childhood development.

October 10
Redding Record Searchlight: Grant boosts Tehama's Hispanic outreach
Flush with $345,000 from a state grant, the Tehama County Department of Education and the Tehama County Education Foundation are focusing their attention on schooling the region's undereducated Hispanic population. The county's program pays for adult and early childhood education, and teaches parenting skills and parent-child interaction.

October 10
Napa Valley Register: Even Start program puts whole families on path to literacy
“The whole family wins in Even Start,” she said, referring to the classes available for parents and the free preschool for children. “Many of the parents come to this city without any support system, and are in need of socialization. A couple months into the program they are laughing and talking and have marvelous accomplishments ... they are a testimony to themselves of how strong they are.”

October 6
Ontario Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Educators whoop it up for reading
The Cat in the Hat and Clifford the Big Red Dog made a special appearance at Linda Vista Elementary School in Ontario to kick-off a program designed to get kids excited about reading.

October 4
New York Times: Early Repairs in Foundation for Reading
Children with severe reading problems usually struggle for years before getting the help they need. But a growing number of neurologists and educators say that with the latest diagnostic tests, children at high risk for these problems can be identified in preschool and treated before they ever begin to read.

October 3
USA Today: Q-and-A: 'Building Blocks' are keys to learning
Even as Americans worry about low graduation rates in high school and college, education journalist Gene Maeroff says it's time to go back to the beginning. In his new book, Building Blocks: Making Children Successful in the Early Years of School, he says we should pay more attention to the benefits of preschool — and consider creating more pre-K-to-third-grade (PK-3) programs that cater to children under 9.

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September 27
San Bernardino County Sun: Young readers boosted
Programs that help low-income youngsters read got a major boost with more than a half-million dollars in grants announced Tuesday by the state Department of Education. The money is used to help teach pre-school students and their parents about reading. 

September 21
Santa Cruz Sentinel: El Jardin offers a garden of bilingual opportunities
The name of the preschool is a mouthful, but in the coming years its students should be able to say it in both Spanish and English.

September 12
San Francisco Chronicle: Teach them early
Any kindergarten teacher can tell. When the school year starts, it's easy to spot a youngster who went to preschool and began the learning process -- and a kid who didn't and is already behind.

September 11
Fontana Herald News: Phil's Findings: It may look like child's play, but...
A program which prepares children to become better persons at home and at school, to develop into better students, to learn desirable social skills, to adapt to fairness when playing, and to recognize their own ego strengths is the Preschool Program offered at the Fontana Unified School District elementary schools.

September 8
The Desert Sun: Governor visits local school touting early education initiative
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited Two Bunch Palms Elementary School on Thursday, touting a $100 million early education initiative for children in poor-performing schools and economically struggling areas.

September 8
San Francisco Chronicle: Governor signs into law funding for preschools
"I think there is a lot of momentum in California right now ... and working together, we can do some important things in coming years," said Catherine Atkin, president of Preschool California, a nonprofit in Oakland that has been campaigning for a publicly financed preschool system for three years.

September 8
Los Angeles Times: Gov. Signs Preschool Funding Bill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed legislation that provides $50 million to expand preschool opportunities for thousands of low-income children.

September 8
Oakland Tribune: Governor: Thumbs up to preschool bill
"Preschool gives our kids the strong foundation they need to be successful in school and in life," said Schwarzenegger during a signing ceremony at the Para Los Ninos Vermont Child Development Center in South Central Los Angeles.

September 1
Whittier Daily News: Legislature OKs preschool bill
Supporters hailed as "wonderful news" the passage Thursday by the state Legislature of a bill that would allocate $50 million for programs in underperforming preschools.

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August 31
Wall Street Journal: Notable Absence: High Teacher Turnover Can Take Emotional Toll on Preschoolers
Starting new classes in the fall is change enough for most small children. But an estimated one in three kids in child-care centers and preschools will face yet another, unplanned transition during the school year: A teacher or classroom aide will quit his or her job to move on to a better-paying opportunity.

August 29
La Opinión: Padres latinos tienen altas expectativas
Contrario al estereotipo, los padres de familia latinos están tan interesados en el éxito educativo de sus hijos, y en que reciban una educación universitaria, como padres de otras etnias, según una encuesta publicada por New America Media.

August 28
Asian Journal: Poll of Latino, African-American and Asian-American Parents Reveals High Educational Aspirations for Their Children
There is also strong support for early education programs, according to the poll. "This survey clearly shows that parents of all backgrounds want their children to have the best education possible, starting with quality pre-school," said Graciela Italiano-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP).

August 24
Harvard Education Letter: The School Readiness Gap
For decades now, educators, researchers, and policymakers have puzzled over so-called achievement gaps—the disparities in academic performance by race and ethnicity that consistently show up on standardized tests, grade-point averages, and a host of other measures. A growing body of research, however, suggests that any serious effort to eliminate disparities at the primary and secondary school levels must also address what some researchers call the school readiness gap—the variations in academic performance and certain social skills among children entering kindergarten and first grade.

August 24
Whittier Daily News: Poll: Minority parents value education
A majority of African-American, Asian-American and Latino parents interviewed were not satisfied with merely having their children attain a high school diploma. They want and expect their offspring to achieve bachelor's degrees or higher, the poll, which was conducted in several languages by New America Media, showed.

August 24
San Francisco Chronicle: Nonwhite parents' high hopes
California parents who are black, Latino and Asian American voiced big aspirations for their children and support for early childhood education in a new poll commissioned by New America Media, a national media association based in San Francisco.

August 24
KSBY Channel 6: Preschool for all in Santa Barbara
Studies show that kids who go to preschool are better prepared and have more success in the classroom later in life. While a statewide initiative failed at the ballot box, the Santa Barbara School District is not giving up on the idea of "Preschool for all."

August 23
Sacramento Bee: Sergio Bendixen: Fresh expectations for state schools
In addition, nearly three-quarters of ethnic minority parents in California believe that children need to attend an educational program before age 5 to prepare for kindergarten.

August 23
San Francisco Chronicle: David Gergen: What you can do to close the learning gap
The results are telling: by first grade, children from low-income families command a vocabulary of about 5,000 words, while children from middle-income families know some 20,000 words -- an astonishing difference. Fully a third of the country's children now show up for kindergarten unprepared to succeed in school, ill-prepared for the journey ahead.

August 21
Christian Science Monitor: Free preschool will help Latinos and US
We generally think of kindergarten as a time of possibilities and fresh starts. But kids don't begin their formal education on equal footing: When they arrive at the schoolhouse door, poor and minority students often lag behind their peers by as much as 18 months.

August 20
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Free preschool options increasing
Mercedes Zatarain is a native speaker of Spanish with limited knowledge of English, but her 5-year-old twins are already bilingual — something she attributes largely to preschool.

August 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Arthur Reynolds: A coordinated approach to early childhood education works
In order for children to get the most out of growing public investments in early learning, we must align standards, curriculum and assessment from pre-kindergarten through kindergarten and into the early elementary grades. That's the PK-3 approach.

August 17
North County Times: San Pasqual Union starts classes with new preschool
When San Pasqual Union School started the new academic year Thursday, the diminutive kindergartners for once weren't the smallest students to set foot on the K-8 campus at the city's eastern edge. A new preschool program also began there Thursday that school officials are targeting specifically at the children most at risk of falling behind in school, those whose first language isn't English.

August 16
Auburn Journal: Gazing into Class of 2019 
Sarah, whose first day of kindergarten is today at Alta Vista Elementary School, thinks she's ready for school because she knew Tuesday what she wanted to wear today. Sarah's parents are confident she's ready for a number of other reasons - she's a preschool pro - and they're happy to see her starting kindergarten now and think she's ready for it.

August 9
Los Angeles Times: Crisis Looms for Quality Child Care in California, Report Says
California faces a crisis in the availability of quality child care over the next decade with an aging workforce approaching retirement even as demand is rising for experienced teachers, according to a new study.

August 9
San Jose Mercury News: Survey: Child care at risk
A statewide survey released Tuesday by First 5 California found that low salaries, high turnover rates and an aging workforce threaten the availability and quality of child care in the state.

August 8
ABC 7 News: Study Shows Pre-School Teacher Shortage
The number of toddlers entering preschool is expected to grow significantly while the number of teachers is expected to drop. A new study spells trouble for parents and kids.

August 6
Washington Post: Late Learner
I've tried hard to become fluent in the lingua franca of contemporary motherhood: boppy, Baby Bjorn, Bugaboo, breast-feeding, Ferberizing, co-sleeping, attachment parenting, Dr. Sears, Super Baby Food and the sleep sack. But, in all my research, I never realized I should have started looking for preschools last fall, when my son was barely walking.

August 3
Merced Sun-Star: Youngsters to get academic foundations
All 12 of the Merced City School District's elementary schools will be offering a preschool program this fall, with the goal of equipping youngsters to be more successful in an increasingly rigorous kindergarten setting.

August 3
Appeal-Democrat: Smart Start eases Barry students
Classmates Olaitan Coker and Grecia Rodriguez squatted in the spacious garden on a sloping field at Barry Elementary School in Yuba City, dirt clinging to their blue jeans, and poked at the small green sprouts peeking out of the ground.

August 2
North County Times: New program offers free outdoor preschool
The free program, called Preschool in the Park, began July 1 and is intended to prepare children for kindergarten who otherwise might not get the opportunity to go to preschool.

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July 26
Chicago Public Radio: Analyzing Preschool for All
Child development expert Arthur Reynolds analyzes Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s “Preschool for All” program, which he signed into law on Tuesday, July 25.

July 26
Stockton Record: Crossing the bridge to kindergarten
Preschool gives students a year to get a jump on learning colors, shapes and how to write their names, but it also teaches them how to interact with their fellow students, follow directions and otherwise be primed to start learning when they get to kindergarten, said Brandi Harrold, Tracy Unified School District's school-readiness coordinator.

July 23
New York Times: David L. Kirp: After the Bell Curve
When it comes to explaining the roots of intelligence, the fight between partisans of the gene and partisans of the environment is ancient and fierce. Each side challenges the other’s intellectual bona fides and political agendas.

July 21
Ventura County Star: Panel urges local effort for universal preschool
California voters may have turned down free preschool for all 4-year-olds earlier this year, but proponents are trying to keep the idea alive locally.

July 20
Calaveras Enterprise: Preschool collaboration continues West Point tradition
HRC Calaveras Head Start/State Preschool and Calaveras Unified School District have joined forces with First 5 Calaveras to offer the new program, which continues the availability of preschool begun in West Point more than two decades ago.

July 19
Ledger Dispatch: First 5 California Chairman visits newly opened preschool in Jackson
According to a packet compiled by Preschool Director/Teacher Karyn Gregorious and members of the preschool's parent board, Amador Cooperative Preschool is a "newly forming nonprofit preschool" that will be the "first and only state licensed parent cooperative preschool in Amador County."

July 17
Whittier Daily News: State budget allots $100 million for preschool aid
Although voters rejected universal preschool at the ballot box last month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has included $100 million in the state budget to provide preschool for an estimated 43,000 California 4-year-olds.

July 11
La Opinión: Gestión pro educación de calidad
Una de las alternativas educativas que también se promovieron en la conferencia del NCLR, que se lleva a cabo en el Centro de Convenciones de Los Ángeles desde el pasado sábado y que concluye hoy, fue la educación prekindergarten. Es decir, la educación pre-preescolar.

July 10
Sierra Sun: Kinder camp: a boost for future kindergartners
This summer, and for the past three, the Alpine Winters Summer Camp has provided classroom exposure for children with funding through a variety of community partnerships. The program is geared toward children who have not had the opportunity to attend preschool or who need further support in building their cognitive and behavioral skills.

July 10
Napa Valley Register: Napa college program gives new teachers a boost
The ECE program partners with Napa Valley College to provide an introductory college course in early childhood development, as well as a variety of support resources, including job market information, career counseling, financial aid, and academic counseling. Rafael says the combined approach of college classes, on-the-job training, and support services helps motivate participants to continue their education and training toward an early childhood development career -- as Torres is doing.

June 29
San Jose Mercury News: Infusion of education funds welcomed
Local and state education officials on Wednesday applauded the state budget now before the governor, saying the infusion of desperately needed cash comes after years of slashing that have cut classrooms to the bone...The budget adds $50 million in ongoing funds to expand enrollment in the state's preschool system, as well as $50 million in one-time preschool facilities funding.

June 28
San Francisco Chronicle: State's budget called a victory for all sides
The state Legislature on Tuesday night approved a $131 billion budget that uses $7.5 billion in unexpected revenue to give victories to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats and Republicans by funding their key priorities. Preschool education will see $100 million, with half of it going to expand programs in high-need areas.

June 27
The Bakersfield Californian: Classes help parents bridge language barrier
Moreno is one of about 35 adults who spend four hours a day in a small building next to the fairgrounds learning English -- one word at a time. The Bakersfield Adult School provides the English teacher, and the Bakersfield City School District sends the pre-kindergarten teacher.

June 19
Tahoe Daily Tribune: Rite of passage
The 22 students of the graduating class of 2006 sat impassively as cameras flashed, video cameras zoomed and parents smiled. Although there was no valedictorian speech, the students harmoniously recited their ABC's to perfection.

June 19
Modesto Bee: Learning the ropes
If you bump into someone on the playground, it's polite to say "I'm sorry."  If you want to borrow a classmate's red crayon, you should say "please" and "thank you."

June 14
KXTV - ABC News Sacramento: Governor Wants Preschool for 4-Year-Olds in Low-Performing School Districts
The governor is promoting using Proposition 98 funding to enable 43,000 4-year-olds who live in low-performing school districts to attend preschool.

June 12
San Bernardino Sun: Early education still an option in local district
California voters have decided that free preschool is not for everyone, but one school district already offers a free early-education program for future students.

June 5
New America Media: John Springer: Who Asked Us? Preschool Laid a Foundation
Nap time. Snack time. Free time. Silent time. There are many "times" in preschool that I remember adoringly. Looking back on my early years in this world, I can see that my years in preschool were essential to my personal development.

June 5
Christian Science Monitor: John Funk: Pre-K success depends on teachers
Universal preschool would work better if teachers had adequate pay and proper training.

June 4
Los Angeles Daily News: Deborah Stipek: Investment in preschools makes kids better citizens
Studies have shown that children who had the advantage of a quality preschool experience are less likely to be convicted of crimes and also less likely to repeat a grade in school and to require special-education services. Rigorous analyses by the Rand Corp. indicate that for every $1 invested in preschool, we save $2 to $4 in such costs.

June 4
Tracy Press: Maryann O'Sullivan: Say "yes" to quality preschool
We have a chance to do something good for our children, and great for our schools, Tuesday.

June 4
Marin Independent Journal: Ethel Seiderman: What is good for the children?
I knew this was only the beginning and wanted to become a permanent part of the educational fabric of the district, dreaming of the day when my state and nation would invest in an appropriate child development-focused education for children, even under age five. I know that learning begins at least at birth.

June 3
San Mateo County Times: Ted Lempert: California is ready for Proposition 82
As Election Day approaches, the debate around Proposition 82, which would provide quality preschool for tens of thousands of California 4-year-olds who currently don't have access, has reached its peak. The facts the voters need to know to make an informed decision on Prop. 82, however, are being misrepresented.

June 1
San Francisco Chronicle: David Kirp and Deborah Stipek: Preschool is a smart investment
If the research matters, the answer is a no-brainer: pre-kindergarten is a smart investment to make in our children's futures. A library-shelf's worth of studies confirm what every parent already knows -- that the early years of a child's life make an enormous difference.

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May 31
San Francisco Examiner: Robert A. Corrigan: Proposition 82: Two views on preschool funding
Why invest in educating 4-year-olds? Because study after study has shown that children who have the benefit of preschool complete their education more quickly, effectively and at a higher level than those who don’t have that small one-year investment.

May 27
Sacramento Bee: Letter to the Editor: Measuring preschools
Daniel Weintraub has confused quality with quantity. He lauds the governor's proposal to increase spending on the state preschool program without recognizing that what's needed are stronger quality standards and better programs for children.

May 24
Los Angeles Times: Arthur Reynolds: Preschool: the best policy money can buy
Are public investments in preschool good for children's educations and for their well being? Do they make sense for society? After five decades of research, the answer is unequivocally yes.

May 21
San Jose Mercury News: Deborah Stipek: Statewide preschool would help all, not just the poor
Question: What do California's prison inmates have in common, aside from having been convicted of a crime? Answer: Poor literacy skills. On average, prison inmates read at about the seventh grade level. If we had invested in their education earlier, many of them would be employed and paying taxes rather than in jail costing taxes, and our prisons would not be overflowing.

May 20
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Dr. Julian Crocker: Invest in our children's future
We want all of our children to be successful in school. However, about half of the 2,400 children who enter kindergarten in our county each year are not as prepared as others to be successful.

May 20
Napa Valley Register: Nancy Jordan: Pre-kindergarten: The kindergarten of 20 years ago
Although they remain blissfully unaware, California's 4-year-olds are in the middle of a heated debate. The debate centers on Proposition 82, the "Preschool for All" act. Regardless of one's political position, this proposition raises a significant idea whose time has come.

May 20
Sacramento Bee: An early start
Like most 4-year-olds in California, Megan and Nathan Cruz spend their days away from home, in a bright colorful room where they draw, sing, socialize and learn the letters of the alphabet.

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April 30
Ventura County Star: Charles Weis: Preschool for All deserves passage
Study after study, published over the past 20 years, has pointed to the educational, crime-reduction and economic benefits of attendance at a high-quality preschool.

April 26
Los Angeles Times: Benefits of preschool come with every dollar
Our study concluded that making a high-quality preschool program available to every 4-year-old would generate an estimated $2 to $4 in benefits to California society for every $1 spent. And the cost of such a universal preschool program is more than outweighed by the benefits — even using very conservative assumptions.

April 23
Sacramento Bee: Dr. Edward Zigler: A growth investment
As one of the founders of Head Start, the 40-year-old federal program targeted to children in poverty, I fervently believe that publicly supported preschool available to all children is the best strategy to ensure everyone has the chance at a strong start in elementary school. It is without question the fairest policy, and it also is the only way to ensure that quality preschool is available to at-risk children who need it most.

April 22
Los Angeles Times: David Kirp: Letter to the Editor
The research by the National Institute for Early Education Research demonstrates that children, poor and middle class alike, benefit academically from quality preschool.

April 19
USA Today: High costs of childcare can lead to lifestyle adjustments
Margaret Schwartz would like to spend more time at home and maybe even take a day or two off work now and then to be with her sons. But she can't. She spends $1,330 a month on child care and preschool for her two 4-year old boys, Rupert, and Nicki.

April 4
Stockton Record: Letter to the Editor: Preschool can preclude some poverty problems
However, early-childhood interventions such as preschool have been prove to combat some negative effects of poverty.

April 3
Children's Advocate News Magazine: Preschool Search Even Tougher for Immigrants
"It's hard finding a place you feel comfortable leaving your kids!" says Willow Lancaster of San Francisco. Lancaster, like many other immigrants, wanted a place where her kids would be safe and could continue to speak both Spanish and English—a place close to home that she could afford.

April 1
La Opinión: Policías respaldan el acceso a preescolar
Steve Krull, presidente de la Asociación de Jefes de Policía de California y jefe de la Policía de Livermore, precisó que estudios realizados demuestran que los niños que van al preescolar son menos propensos a involucrarse en crímenes violentos y en el narcotráfico.

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March 26
San Jose Mercury News: Ted Lempert: Legislative paralysis hurts children
As the economy improves, other states are making significant investments in expanding health care and early childhood education. Last year, total funding for preschool increased almost 40 percent nationwide. And last year, Illinois passed a law to provide health insurance to all children.

March 15
San Francisco Chronicle: Preschool wait puts parents in panic
Like teenagers nervously awaiting college-acceptance letters, parents of preschool-age children are hovering around their mailboxes this month to see whether their applications to Bay Area preschools have paid off.

March 9
La Opinión: Pocos pueden pagar educación preescolar
Si las familias de todo el estado tuvieran acceso a educación preescolar calificada para sus hijos, las tasas de delincuencia juvenil se reducirían en un 19%, menos niños sufrirían abusos, alrededor de 10 mil estudiantes proseguirían sus estudios cada año sin pensar en la idea del abandono escolar y otro 19% no tendría que repetir algún curso.

March 2
Los Angeles Times: Giving Kids a Headstart
As a teacher and a mother, Nancy Linaweaver knows that prekindergarten is good for young children.

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February 17
San Francisco Chronicle: Study of youngsters links aggression, reading difficulty
Children who have trouble reading in their early grades are found by their teachers to act more aggressively later on, Stanford University researchers have found.

February 15
Voice of San Diego: Get that kid to preschool
Last year, economists at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization providing analysis of issues facing the public and private sectors, released a study showing the economic benefits to our state if most children attended a quality preschool.

February 13
San Francisco Chronicle: Why quality preschool matters
We know from decades of solid research and teacher observations that children who have been lucky enough to go to quality preschool enter kindergarten excited about learning, ready to share, communicate and cooperate with others. Perhaps most important, these lucky kids have a good foundation for learning to read -- the skill they will most need to thrive through high school and beyond.

February 2
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Unified to Provide Space for Preschool Classes
Los Angeles school officials Wednesday announced a partnership with early childhood educators to provide classrooms for thousands of preschoolers in underserved communities.

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January 28
North County Times: State-funded preschool sites flourishing in San Marcos
Four months after three state-funded preschool programs opened in the city, two are full and there has been an increase in parent involvement, preschool officials said Friday.

January 16
San Diego Business Journal: Andrew Clark: Invest in Preschoolers
Imagine if we could decrease the likelihood that our children would need special education, repeat grades, drop out of high school and enter into a life of crime at a young age.

January/February Issue
Harvard Education Letter: Degrees of Improvement (pdf)
The short- and long-term benefits of quality preschool education are well documented by research dating back decades.  

January 11
New York Times: The Need to Invest in Young Children
For while many American educators and policy experts have spent four decades in a slow push for universal prekindergarten programs and affordable child care, Britain's Labor government has leapt into the full agenda.

January 6
Wall Street Journal: James J. Heckman: Catch 'em Young (pdf)
It is a rare public policy initiative that promotes fairness and social justice and, at the same time, promotes productivity in the economy and in society at large.  Investing in disadvantaged young children is such a policy.

January 6
National Public Radio: Preschool teacher pay
Work and Family correspondent Sarah Gardner looks at why preschool teachers, on average, make less money than animal trainers.

January 5
Los Angeles Daily News: Jerri Hemsworth: Universal preschool would aid kids, county
When I interview a job applicant, I know that person has had more formative experiences than his or her resume can hold. To find out more, I sometimes ask, "Did you go to preschool?"

January 1
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Carole Mulford: Preschool for every child
If we want our education system to be one that offers true opportunity to all children, we have to commit to building a strong learning foundation for every child. In education, that foundation is preschool.

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2005

December 29
Fresno Bee: Carol Whiteside: Valley needs preschool for future success
Suppose we could find a way to improve our children's future at the same time we create meaningful reforms for our state's education system. Suppose, too, that the cost of doing so is measurably less than the benefits. Would such a proposal find strong support? Let's hope so.

December 28
San Diego Union Tribune: Julie Meier Wright: From preschool to a high-tech workplace
A recent report from the RAND Corporation provides important insight on how to ensure that San Diego, and California as a whole, continues to produce the kind of well-educated workers we need to power the creative industries that will generate our future prosperity.

December 19
Fresno Bee: Mounting Evidence
Preschool works. That much we know, and one more study released last week added more documentation to the argument.

December 15
La Opinión: Un antídoto contra problemas juveniles
Si la mayoría de los niños de entre 3 y 4 años de California asistieran a un curso de un preescolar cualificado antes de comenzar el jardín de infancia, el estado no sólo ahorraría millones de dólares que más tarde debería invertir en educación especial o en procesos judiciales de menores, sino que vería disminuir considerablemente el índice de abandono escolar en la escuela secundaria.

December 7
Los Angeles Times: David L. Kirp: Universal preschool's big payoff
It has long been an American article of faith that early schooling for poor children can work wonders...These days the rallying cry is preschool for everyone, not just poor children.

December 1
Red Bluff Daily News: Metteer kindergarten teacher part of poll
Metteer kindergarten teacher Pam Purcell was recently part of a statewide poll of kindergarten teachers that found that more than nine out of 10 kindergarten teachers in California say it is important for children to go to preschool before they start kindergarten.

December 1
Sacramento Bee: Marjie Lundstrom: Politicians need courage to bridge the gulf on children's issues
How wide is the chasm between what we say and what we do?  Is children's well-being really our top concern in California, as a recent poll reflects? Or is it just sort of important, so long as it doesn't cost us anything extra?

November 21
The Nation: David L. Kirp: Before School
The scene at San Francisco's Grace Child Development Center could have been lifted straight from a feel-good movie. On a perfect summer day the cameras rolled and reporters crowded around as filmmaker and preschool activist Rob Reiner joined a table of 4-year-olds.

November 16
Whittier Daily News: Out of the sandbox
A vast majority of kindergarten teachers - nine out of 10 - believe 4-year-olds who attend quality preschool programs do substantially better in kindergarten than those who do not, a report released Tuesday showed.

November 16
Eastern Group Publications: Escuelas Preescolares Esenciales en Educación
La escuela preescolar es necesaria para un futuro escolar exitoso de un niño antes de ingresar a un kinder, según una encuesta dada a conocer el pasado martes en Los Angeles.

November 14
North County Times: Free preschool for all could become reality
By August, many Escondido and Valley Center families may be taking their 4-year-olds to free preschool classes, courtesy of a countywide program to be considered next month.

November 2
National Public Radio: Study Backs Benefits of Preschool
The journal Developmental Psychology has just published new research suggesting that Oklahoma's pre-kindergarten program is a success at helping kids prepare for school.

October 7
Los Angeles Times: Universal Preschool Provider Celebrates Funding of 100th Facility in Los Angeles
In a ceremony that attracted state and local civic leaders, the Los Angeles Universal Preschool program awarded a contract to its 100th children's center Thursday and announced that it will commit $42.7 million to increase classroom capacity in the most underserved communities around the county.

September 15
San Jose Mercury News: Report: Child care teachers lack training and education
A national report jointly published by three research institutes has found that early childhood educators -- the people who take care of our nation's youngest children -- often earn less than $10 an hour, lack college degrees, and have no specialized training in childhood development.

August 17
Los Angeles Times: Russell Hammer: Investing in 4-year-olds
While all eyes are trained on the political theater surrounding the November special election, the real showstopper may come from an initiative on the ballot in June. It's called the "Preschool for All Act," championed by children's advocate Rob Reiner. If passed, it will provide every 4-year-old in California with an opportunity for one year of preschool.

July  24
Sacramento Bee: David W. Gordon: A good start for kids' lives
Should all parents in the Sacramento region and in California have the opportunity to send their children to a quality preschool? The evidence is now clear and compelling. The benefits - for children, for taxpayers, for the economy, for all of us - are too well documented to ignore.

July 24
Sacramento Bee: Q&A with Ross A. Thompson: A scientific journey into the mind of a child
In a question and answer session, Ross Thompson takes us through a scientific journey into the mind of a child.

July 24
Sacramento Bee: Graciela Italiano-Thomas: L.A. County offers model for preschool programs
I had the pleasure of visiting with children from Edison State Preschool recently and while there, I was reminded once again of why I became a teacher...They were "being 4-year-olds," talking with each other and sharing toys.

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May 20
Sacramento Bee: David W. Gordon: A good start for kids' lives
Should all parents in the Sacramento region and in California have the opportunity to send their children to a quality preschool? The evidence is now clear and compelling. The benefits - for children, for taxpayers, for the economy, for all of us - are too well documented to ignore.

May 12
Voice of San Diego: Sue Braun: Preschool For All: Has the Time Finally Come?
Lately we are hearing from all corners of the state about the importance of a good preschool for all children. Why now, when some of us child development people have been beating this drum for 50 years?

April 25
Los Angeles Business Journal: Andrew Clark: Benefits Outweigh Costs of Universal Preschool Program
The company I lead helps working adults finish their education, but lately I have become interested in how California can help its children begin theirs.

April 3
Los Angeles Times: Cheapskate Conservatives Cheat Students
Studies show that early childhood care and education programs are crucial to academic success.

April 1
San Jose Mercury News: Editorial: Study offers evidence: Preschool really does pay
Preschool for all children is not just equitable; it's sensible. The benefits are quantifiable and enormous.

April 1
Sacramento Bee: Editorial: Preparing kids to learn
In a small nugget in her State of the City address, Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo signaled that she's joining a host of mayors around the country in making the quality of education a high priority for the city.

March 30
Sacramento Bee: Study: Big Preschool Payoff
For every dollar California would spend on creating a public preschool program for all 4-year-olds, the state would yield more than $2 in economic benefits by reducing the number of students held back in school, increasing the number of high school graduates and slashing the number of children who land in the juvenile justice system.

March 30
San Jose Mercury News: Preschool pays off, study says
Experts have long touted the benefits of quality preschool, saying kids with preschool under their belt arrive in kindergarten socially, emotionally and educationally prepared. A first-of-its-kind study, released today, puts a dollar amount on the gain California would see if it offered preschool to every child.

March 30
Los Angeles Times: Study Touts Benefits of Universal Preschool
Universal preschool for California's 4-year-olds would bring about $2.62 in benefits for every dollar spent, greatly reducing special education needs, juvenile arrests and the number of children held back a grade, a Rand Corp. study concludes.

March 22
Fresno Bee: Editorial: Spreading the word
It's important, one teacher said, that children be screened for preschool. This would keep out those who were disruptive and in other ways "not ready" for preschool.

March 7
Modesto Bee: Editorial: State should make plans for universal preschool
Convincing evidence rests both in studies and in the personal stories of educators: Children who have had a quality preschool experience do better later in school and throughout life.

February 13
Riverside Press-Enterprise: Catherine Atkin: Universal preschool: A smart investment
There is little question, as "Edu-dreamworld" (Our Views, Jan. 26) put it, that California's budget troubles should force us to spend wisely and efficiently. We should be concentrating education resources on programs with proven benefits for both children and society.

February 12
San Bernadino Sun: Editorial: Building blocks, Every child deserves to go to Preschool
The link between preschool and success in adulthood is pretty elementary. The corollaries are predictable, and potent. Kids who go are much more likely to get a head start on learning and good, lifelong habits. Kids who don't are less likely to graduate from high school, and twice as likely to become career criminals.

February 9
Los Angeles Times: Many Children, Few Preschool Slots
A study finds that long waiting lists shut 326,758 poor children out of such programs. Officials in law enforcement decry the lack of spaces.

February 9
San Jose Mercury News: Editorial: Another failure: preschool slots
Here's yet another shocking example of how California's education system lags behind the rest of the country: The percentage of kids who attend preschool in this state is below the national average.

February 6
Fresno Bee: Preschool Power
A special opinion section including business, law enforcement and educator views on the importance of quality preschool:

Superintendant of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell:
State gears up for universal preschool
Assemblywoman Wilma Chan:
If only our political dream talks came true
Fresno County Sheriff Richard Pierce:
Laying Down the Law
President of Preschool California Catherine Atkin:
It's Not as Simple as ABC: Give all children a jumpstart on success in life
Fresno Bee Editorial Board:
Starting School Stronger

January 30
Ventura County Star: Editorial: Preschool gap must be closed
Among the reasons California schools aren't living up to all our expectations, there is the fact that some children attend classes years longer than others. The learning gap between them gets wider every year.

January 9
Palm Springs Desert Sun: Our Voice: Publicly funded preschool should be legislative priority
California must improve the academic performance of its public schoolchildren. A good way to start: Expand entry level educational opportunities so all preschool-age children get an equal shot at success.

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2004

December 6
Los Angeles Business Journal: Lewis Platt: The Smartest Investment in State's Future is Preschool
I want to offer you an investment.  In all my years in business I have seen few opportunities with such certain potential for profit.

November 21
New York Times Magazine: Life Way After Head Start
The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study shows that an innovative early education program can make a marked difference in the lives of poor minority youngsters -- not just while they are in school but for decades afterwards.

August 5
La Opinión: Niños latinos rezagados en preescolar
Niños latinos tienen menor acceso a preescolar que otros grupos .icos, y la brecha se extender3i las autoridades no hacen nada por remediar el problema, concluyó un estudio publicado ayer.

August 4
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Study shows preschool benefits
.... So strong are the study's findings that the advocacy group and its supporters sent a 300-member delegation to Sacramento Wednesday in an effort to persuade lawmakers to make voluntary preschool a regular part of the California education system...

May 24
Los Angeles Times: Group Sets Strategy for Preschool
Hoping to create a groundswell of support statewide, the nonprofit Preschool California--which promotes publicly funded preschools for 4-year-olds--met recently with educators, businesspeople and community representatives in six cities, including Anaheim.

May 12
Orange County Register: Group pushing for greater enrollment in preschool
"You can invest dollars in building more jails for me or invest in children," said Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona. "It's a huge investment, but the benefit is astronomical."

May 5
Vida en el Valley: Latino children missing out on preschool
A troubling trend pervades San Joaquin Valley preschools: They're as full as funding allows, but relatively few local children are enrolled.

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2003

March-October
The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Bee editorials
October 22: A schools agenda: For California, education still top priority
June 16: Universal preschool an idea whose time has come
May 27: Starting Early: It's especially important for English learners
May 12: Flunking Kindergarten: State must help more children succeed
April 7: Start early: Preschool doesn't have to bankrupt us
March 31: Start early: Preschool deserves Legislature's attention

April 12
The Economist: Wobbly first steps
The benefits of early education are well known. It helps to determine how long children stay in high school, whether they turn to crime, and how quickly they will find a job.

2002

August 26
Business Week: 25 Ideas for a Changing World: The Importance of Teaching Tots
Now, after years of research on the topic, it turns out that starting an education even at age 5 or 6 is too late. Children form basic cognitive abilities in their earliest years, and those who don't get exposed to letters, numbers, and social skills at home quickly lag behind those who do.

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