Early Childhood

Business Group Seeks Ambitious Pre-K Agenda

By Michele McNeil — July 11, 2006 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

While national business leaders may make a compelling economic argument for expanding preschool to all children, states are years from being able to afford the minimum $16 billion price tag their plan requires, experts in state budgets and early education say.

In a new study, the Washington-based Committee for Economic Development calls for high-quality preschool for all children. The initiative would cost $16 billion to $27 billion a year, according to the CED’s estimates, but is a price the group declares states and the federal government must pay.

The result, the report says, would boost the nation’s economy and deliver returns of between $2 and $4 for every dollar states and the federal government invested. The benefits of universal preschool would come in better health, less crime, improvements in educational attainment, and increased tax revenue, according to the report.

Read “The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation,” available from the Committee for Economic Development.

The report offers no clear answer for how to pay for such a program, which researchers say must be of high quality—and staffed by well-trained teachers—to get the desired results.

“This report is giving us the economic argument. This is just another piece that you can use to persuade policymakers this is a good idea,” said Rachel E. Dunsmoor, a research associate with the Committee for Economic Development. The report, released June 28, was funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Budgets Squeezed

But state budget experts point out that the plan may be too ambitious.

The reality is that state budgets are still being squeezed by federal education mandates, growing Medicaid rolls, and rising energy prices, said Corina Eckl, the fiscal-affairs director for the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures.

She added that a new accounting rule requires states to account for the future costs of public employees’ health and pension benefits—a seemingly arcane change whose impact goes far beyond the balance sheet. States will have to disclose the liabilities, which will force them to either start socking money away to cover the costs, or face disapproval from bond-rating agencies, which could drive up states’ borrowing costs. (“Accounting Rule Targets Benefits in Public Sector,” March 22, 2006.)

“That’s not to say the idea of preschool doesn’t have merit,” Ms. Eckl said. “The bottom line is, you have to find the money.”

It might take 10 or 15 years, but it is realistic to think states will be able to come up with the resources to enact widespread preschool programs, said Libby B. Doggett, the executive director of the Washington-based Pre-K Now, an advocate for high-quality prekindergarten. “States are finding a way to pay for this,” she said.

During the 2006 legislative sessions, she said, states infused an additional $250 million to $300 million into preschool education.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the July 12, 2006 edition of Education Week as Business Group Seeks Ambitious Pre-K Agenda

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Rethinking STEM Assessment: Strategies for Administrators
School and district leaders will explore strategies to enhance STEM assessment practices across their district, within schools and classrooms.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Federal Webinar Keeping Up with the Trump Administration's Latest K-12 Moves: Subscriber-Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
Artificial Intelligence Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Math & Technology: Finding the Recipe for Student Success
How should we balance AI & math instruction? Join our discussion on preparing future-ready students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Early Childhood Letter to the Editor Why Head Start Remains a Smart Investment for America
Full funding of Head Start is about strengthening our nation’s social and economic fabric, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Early Childhood The Expectations for Kindergarten Have Changed. How Teachers Are Adapting
Here's how three kindergarten teachers keep the fun in formative learning.
6 min read
Kindergarteners in a play-based learning class look around at the site of their forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Kindergarteners in a play-based learning class look around at the site of their forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024. Across the nation, kindergarten classrooms have become more academic over the past few decades.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Early Childhood Trump Allies Say the Case for Head Start Is Weak. Researchers Say They're Wrong
Head Start critics oversimplify research to justify calls for its closure, researchers said.
9 min read
A student participates in a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
A student participates in a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida in Miami on Jan. 29, 2025. The organization gets about a third of its funding from the federal government. Supporters of President Donald Trump's plan to cut Head Start say it's ineffective. Advocates say they are oversimplifying key research.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Early Childhood Pre-K Programs Expand Nationwide, But Quality Falls Behind
Preschools experienced a boost in funding and enrollment nationwide, but a deeper look reveals a disparity in quality.
6 min read
Teacher Grismairi Amparo works with her students on a reading and writing lesson at Head Start program run by Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Teacher Grismairi Amparo works with her students on a reading and writing lesson at a Head Start program run by Easterseals South Florida on Jan. 29, 2025 in Miami. The organization gets about a third of its funding from the federal government.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP