Proposition 82 (Preschool) discussion

[JandA]

As a teacher, a lot of people are asking me about prop. 82. An interesting article came out against prop 82 in the LA times that I agree with. The requirement for free pre-school would be that all pre-school teachers be credentialed. This is an undue burden on pre-school teachers and a very expensive propostion for our districts. While I believe in free pre-school, this isn't the right bill. It would put a huge strain on the already difficulty in securing credentialed teachers. The junior colleges due a great job of preparing pre-school teachers and many schools are already offering low cost pre-school.

One teacher's opinion,
Amy

[mommato3boys]

What schools are these with low cost preschool?? And who's definition of low cost? I cannot even afford $50 a week for preschool. And having personally attendended the JC teaching classes, I did not nessasarily learn anything to put into action, but rather learn just by working in the field. I have not made any decisioning either way but I cannot say, as a parent and former preschool teacher, that there is *any* sort of option for the truely low income families to have their children attend preschool if they wanted them to. There is a huge gap between qualifying for head start and being able to fork out $200 plus a month for preschool (the preschool I worked prior to having children actually charges $450 a month for 3 hours of school 4 days a week) that needs to somehow be addressed whether with the measure or another.

As a teacher, a lot of people are asking me about prop. 82. An interesting article came out against prop 82 in the LA times that I agree with. The requirement for free pre-school would be that all pre-school teachers be credentialed. This is an undue burden on pre-school teachers and a very expensive propostion for our districts. While I believe in free pre-school, this isn't the right bill. It would put a huge strain on the already difficulty in securing credentialed teachers. The junior colleges due a great job of preparing pre-school teachers and many schools are already offering low cost pre-school.

One teacher's opinion,
Amy

[petermargolies]

As a teacher, a lot of people are asking me about prop. 82. An interesting article came out against prop 82 in the LA times that I agree with. The requirement for free pre-school would be that all pre-school teachers be credentialed. This is an undue burden on pre-school teachers and a very expensive propostion for our districts. While I believe in free pre-school, this isn't the right bill. It would put a huge strain on the already difficulty in securing credentialed teachers. The junior colleges due a great job of preparing pre-school teachers and many schools are already offering low cost pre-school.

One teacher's opinion,
Amy

When our children were preschool age and money was even tighter than it is now, we enrolled them in a co-op preschool. Parents participation was required and this kept costs way down. We were able to use a church's facilities and with parent involvement the co-op ran with only one paid employee. If there's a will, there's a way.
Pete

[mommato3boys]

When our children were preschool age and money was even tighter than it is now, we enrolled them in a co-op preschool. Parents participation was required and this kept costs way down. We were able to use a church's facilities and with parent involvement the co-op ran with only one paid employee. If there's a will, there's a way.
Pete

my sons friend attends a three day a week co-op with mandatory parent participation (which I think is a great thing of course!), for $70 a week, that seems awful expensive to me to pay that much for 3 days a week 4 hours a day and essentially work I think it is a full day each week, so $35 a day for the days you are not working in the class.

[Sonomamark]

With all due respect, I strenuously disagree. For one thing, it is kind of a no-brainer in my opinion that adults entrusted with caring for and educating children should have some kind of documented training and governmental oversight. The fact that this isn't required now is the problem, not that Prop. 82 will require it. I'd say it's long overdue. Will this cause some dislocation for some current preschool teachers? I'm afraid that yes, it will. To the betterment of the system as a whole and of the education of California's children, which is a trade-off I'm willing to make.

Secondly, providing preschool will save millions of parents thousands of dollars per year in childcare costs that they will otherwise bear themselves. The poor will benefit most. This is a very, very progressive proposal which will give a big leg up to single parents and others most in need of one.

Thirdly, if you look at the big picture, this is a tremendous boost for teachers. Guess what all those credentialled preschool teachers are going to be? They're going to be a) beloved to the parents of the children they serve; and b) members of teachers' unions, swelling their ranks (and their political coffers) and giving teachers even more leverage in the political process.

Finally, there is the political impact of Prop. 82 going down, which would be severe. First of all, it will be taken as the public not supporting guaranteed preschool for all children: a terrible result. It will also be spun by tax opponents as an indication that the public doesn't support further taxing the rich to meet state budgetary needs--another undesirable result.

Prop. 82 is a GREAT idea. I encourage everyone to vote for it.

As a teacher, a lot of people are asking me about prop. 82. An interesting article came out against prop 82 in the LA times that I agree with. The requirement for free pre-school would be that all pre-school teachers be credentialed. This is an undue burden on pre-school teachers and a very expensive propostion for our districts. While I believe in free pre-school, this isn't the right bill....

[JandA]

I was thinking more about this issue. There is no way I want preschool subjected to junk legislation like No Billionaire Left Behind. These are the kind of regulations that preschools would get hoodwinked under. What about curriculum? At my daughter's pre-school, her teacher burnt the toast. Instead of throwing it out, she brought it out and an instant teachable moment became drawing with charcol, seeing if it would make coffee in the by grinding it and putting through a milita filter, etc...I wouldn't want to see pre-school curriculum prescribed or tested. There are all kinds of pre-schools for all kinds of philosophies. I would be really sad if free meant "scripted and constricted."

Amy

[sf_nicole]

I just wanted to make a comment related to one of the replies here. There seems to be a great deal of focus on credentialing as if the problem was quality of instruction. That just simply is not the problem. I am substituting at several of the local schools and the quality of the instruction is fine and in some cases great. The problem is lack of parent involvement. I will have students that flat out tell me "I do not do assignments". Many of the students having issues with basic skills are the students who refuse to work on the assignments.

I am sure requiring pre- school would make a positive difference, but unless the underlying problem of parental involvement is fixed, the pre-school requirement will be just a band-aid.

I am afraid when our economy began to require both parents to work for better capitalistic productivity - we started the process of liquidating our future, and it will be our children who end up picking up the tab.

Nicole Cook

[mommato3boys]

Preschool would NOT be mandatory, it would be AVAILABLE to all. Right now I cannot send my children to any sort of preschool due to lack of funds, we are a family of 5, soon to be 6 living on less than 30,000 a year in Sonoma County with all utilies in our name not our landlords. Need I say more?
It is my understanding that this would allow my family to send my children to preschool (since we don't qualify for programs liek Head Start) should I choose to, but nothing would be MANDATORY. I agree with you that a lot of issues with schools is lack of parental involvement though :(

The problem is lack of parent involvement. {snip}

I am afraid when our economy began to require both parents to work for better capitalistic productivity - we started the process of liquidating our future, and it will be our children who end up picking up the tab.