Readers React:  Sticking up for preschool

To the editor: The attack on preschool by the right-wing American Enterprise Institute displayed raw ignorance of the last half-century of research, showing how high-quality early childhood programs can enrich the early learning and long-term horizons of children from poor families. (“Preschool for all is no panacea, California,” Opinion, Oct. 8)

The measure now on the governor’s desk carefully focuses on ensuring that all children from low-income families have the right to enter a high-quality pre-K program, which mountains of empirical studies show will narrow early disparities in their health, learning and social development.

If we fail to prevent early gaps in children’s growth, from toddlerhood forward, we will lose the battle to equalize the uplifting power of education and widen the range of California families that come to hold a deep stake in civil society.

Bruce Fuller, Berkeley

The writer is a professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley

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To the editor: Katharine Stevens raises valid concerns about our education system.

But it’s absurd to propose taking early learning opportunities away from vulnerable, low-income children simply because some programs are under-performing.

How many affluent or middle-class parents would look at the Tennessee study cited in the column and decide that the solution was removing their children from preschool altogether?

That’s like saying we should eliminate second grade because students in some programs have fallen behind by the fourth grade.

The solution is not to divert critical funding from children but to focus on improvement so that early education programs can deliver on their promise.

Ted Lempert, Los Angeles

The writer is president of Children Now, an advocacy group

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