Read past storytime features: David, Terry, Holly, Prany, Amari, Cheryl, and Sue.

Storyteller: Robin, San Mateo.

Robin is a full-time mom in San Mateo County.

I recently completed a course on educational policy and a course on social policy at Northwestern University. Preschool for all always sounded intuitively right, but my coursework showed me that preschool, in fact, may be the best shot American has at decreasing the racial achievement gap. Children learn at a rapid pace from birth to five years. Those who are provided an intellectually stimulating environment come closer to achieving their full potential. Children who are denied this opportunity begin kindergarten behind their peers. Preschool gives children an equal opportunity to succeed later in life.

I believe a way to level the playing field would be to provide quality, full-day preschool to all low-income families. It would be great if we could think of a way to accomplish this in mixed-income, mixed-race schools.

The quality of these programs is of paramount importance. The program should serve to stimulate and react to a child’s natural curiosity and motivation, and ultimately prepare them for success in kindergarten. Most of a child's probability to achieve in school (K-12) is based on factors outside of the classroom, such as parenting style, socio-economic factors, etc. If these elements are hindering the child’s overall development, the school is the only tool available to counteract these negative influences. A preschool program that is designed to mentor– not baby-sit – would be the most beneficial to a child’s overall success.