June 19, 2008

Pre-school education varies widely

California children from poor and/or minority families who need quality pre-school experience the most are the least likely to get it, according to a new study by Rand Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank.

Pre-school programs are now known as "early care and education" or ECE. Rand says that while using public and private ECE centers "is the norm for California families," it's evident that "sociologically disadvantaged children participate at lower rates."

Although two-thirds of pre-school children from non-poor families attend ECE centers, fewer than half from economically disadvantaged families do, the study found. A similar disparity was found when the education levels of mothers was placed in the equation. But, Rand says, even those who do patronize the centers find that "programs fall short on quality benchmarks, particularly those for the promotion of thinking and language skills."

The highly detailed Rand report is the latest development in California's long-running political debate over the relatively poor academic performance of its K-12 students and whether more elaborate pre-school programs, especially those centered on children from poor and/or immigrant families, would generate better elementary, junior high and high school results.

Two years ago, voters rejected a ballot measure, sponsored by actor-director Rob Reiner and advocates of child care, that would have imposed a surtax on high-income taxpayers to generate $2.4 billion a year for expanded pre-school education with critics saying it would be a giveaway to affluent families that already pay for ECE. But the debate over expanding ECE and financing it continues.

The Rand study - both summaries and the full report - is available here.

Posted by Dan Walters on June 19, 2008 9:36 AM