Preschool programs need funding, not cuts

The federal No Child Left Behind Act may be flawed, but it has brought attention to the fact that not all of our children are succeeding in school.

Many factors contribute to struggles in education, like a family history of learning difficulties, motivation, language delays, limited English and poverty. The NCLB Commission is considering its effectiveness and has identified the improvement of early childhood education as an area of need. Last week, almost $1 million was cut from the Alaska state budget that was allocated for Head Start and other early intervention programs. Almost $500,000 was cut from the budget that was to be allotted for studying a statewide preschool for all 3- and 4-year-old children.

Children coming to school are from increasingly diverse families, both culturally and linguistically. Often they have had limited opportunities to participate in cooperative play, learn social skills and experience sensory, fine and gross motor activities. Children who participate in high-quality preschool programs are more prepared for school and life. In Alaska, family-oriented Head Start early intervention programs serve disadvantaged students on a space-available basis. While these programs are effective, they do not reach all of the children who would benefit from intervention. In addition, there are several private preschool programs. These programs charge tuition and often have waiting lists.

While some students are identified early as having a disability, many more are referred for intervention in the early years of school. Students with disabilities who are identified before age 3 are served by the Infant Learning Program. In the Mat-Su Borough School District, preschool is available for students ages 3 to 5 meeting eligibility criteria for having a disability. Most of these children are identified through the Child Find screening process, a joint effort between the Mat-Su Borough School District and Mat-Su Services for Children and Adults. Eligible students receive specialized services provided through one of the 11 district-wide preschool programs or on an itinerant basis. Currently, there are no typical peers in the program due to space and budget constraints.

A quality pre-kindergarten is needed to address issues of school readiness. Research on early intervention indicates students who participate in preschool demonstrate short-term gains, such as preparedness for kindergarten, decreased retentions and special education referrals. Long-term benefits are also seen, such as higher graduation rate, higher employment rates and lower teen pregnancy rates.

Alaska is one of 10 states that does not have a statewide public preschool program. At this time, our children need more services available, not less. In a state where we reap dividends from oil revenue, doesn’t it make sense to invest in education? For each dollar spent on early education, it is estimated that $7 will be saved later on education, crime reduction and social services.

The Committee for Economic Development reports that “public investment is justified because high-quality preschool increases the likelihood that students will become net economic and social contributors to society, allowing governments to dedicate more resources to productive endeavors rather than to remediation, incarceration and welfare. Early investments in children that lead to an improved workforce will also likely boost America’s long-term economic growth and standards of living.”

Clearly, we need to plan how federal, state and local funds can be combined and used to provide a high-quality preschool program for all 3- and 4-year-old children in Alaska.

Kelly Lytle is a special education teacher for the Mat-Su Borough School District. The views expressed in Chalk Talk are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.