"The Promise of Preschool"
| "Virtually every industrialized country in the world provides free, high-quality preschool for children regardless of family income. The United States is the opposite, and we should be embarrassed. We have a patchwork of preschools, many with weakly trained, poorly paid staff." John Merrow |  |
In the documentary, The Promise of Preschool, journalist John Merrow travels in the U.S. and abroad to see where preschools are working or not working -- and why. His report, which airs on public television this fall, raises critical issues about the future of America's preschools. Merrow tells us in The Promise of Preschool that children will enter school ready to learn, but the American reality falls short. However, momentum for change is building across the country. Merrow's documentary can help inform the debate about early education in America. NIEER reports on the important issues Merrow raises and why this documentary comes at such a crucial time. We encourage you to comment on The Promise of Preschool at info@nieer.org. | Find out more about the documentary The Promise of Preschool on John Merrow's Learning Matters web site Read "European Preschools Should Embarrass USA" (John Merrow USA Today) Send comments about The Promise of Preschool to info@nieer.org |
Support is Growing for Universal Access to Quality Preschool
- NIEER recently released the results of a national poll on preschool showing that 87% of voters support state government funding of quality preschool programs for all 3- and 4-year-olds.
- Free preschool education is one of Business Week's "25 Ideas for a Changing World" (August 26, 2002). "The Importance of Teaching Tots" says, "given the strong evidence of its benefits to society, preschool education for the poor -- and perhaps all children -- is a must."
- The Committee for Economic Development (CED), an independent, nonpartisan organization of business leaders, recommends in "Preschool for All," that every American child aged 3 and above have access to a free preschool education of high quality, with the costs borne equally by federal and state governments.
- Los Angeles County took a groundbreaking step toward free preschool in August 2002 with an initiative that devotes $100 million in tobacco tax revenues to expanding access to early education programs; including preschool.
- Florida most recently began providing free preschool to all 4-year olds. Other states have already moved ahead, most notably Georgia, where 70% of 4-year olds are enrolled in the state's universal prekindergarten program.
The Promise of Preschool includes segments focusing on four early education programs in the U.S.: a Montessori school on New York City's Upper West Side; a Head Start classroom in an industrial Connecticut city; the state prekindergarten program in Georgia; and the Chicago Child-Parent Centers, which serve low-income families. Merrow also reports on France's national system of preschools, which virtually all 3- and 4-year olds attend.
As Merrow presents portraits of these schools, four critical issues emerge for preschool in the United States:
Many Parents Have Few Preschool Options
The Promise of Preschool shows that wealthier families have a variety of high-quality educational options for their preschoolers. Some low-income families have access to early education through federally funded Head Start programs, although Head Start can't serve all those eligible. Middle-class families often have few preschool options. They earn too much money to qualify for Head Start, but not enough to pay for expensive private preschools. Other developed countries, such as France, long ago developed programs to provide free preschool education to all children, regardless of income.
Consistent Standards for Preschool Teacher Qualifications Do Not Exist
Merrow reports there are no consistent standards for teacher qualifications across different types of early education programs. In some private preschools, such as the Montessori school visited by Merrow, teachers have master's degrees. Teachers in the Chicago Child-Parent Centers have bachelor's degrees. Federal legislation passed in the late 1990s requires half of all Head Start teachers to have associate's degrees by 2003. Thirty states require teachers in child care centers to have no education or training beyond a high school diploma. In contrast, the French government mandates that teachers in its free preschool program have the equivalent of a master's degree, with training in early education. Research finds that teacher education is strongly linked to quality and the prestigious National Research Council has recommended that all preschool teachers in the U.S. have a four-year college degree.
Preschool Teachers Are Paid far Less than K-12 Teachers
Teacher pay is closely related to teacher qualifications. Like teacher qualifications, teacher salaries vary widely across different types of American preschool programs. In the Montessori school Merrow visited, lead teachers earn starting salaries of $38,000 per year. Teachers in Georgia's universal prekindergarten program start as low as $19,000 per year. Across America, the average preschool teacher earns about $21,000, only half the $42,000 earned by an elementary school teacher.
There Are No Uniform Standards for Preschool Programs
The preschool programs Merrow visited also vary in their objectives and standards for learning and teaching. France has a national curriculum with clear goals and objectives. Private programs for the rich often have high expectations for learning and development and use a well-developed curriculum. Some states have detailed curriculum standards for state preschool programs. Others do not. Head Start is mandated to provide a variety of services to children, as well as their parents. One lesson that might be drawn from Merrow's documentary is that Head Start is stretched so thin by all its responsibilities that not enough resources are devoted to educating children. President Bush proposes that Head Start place a stronger emphasis on early literacy.
The Promise of Preschool
The Promise of Preschool shows how difficult it is for most Americans to find affordable, quality early education programs. Merrow raises questions about why our preschool teachers' qualifications and salaries are so low and our standards for learning and teaching are minimal. At the preschool level we are clearly a nation divided into "haves" and "have-nots." Merrow urges change: "Public preschools should be built the same way we constructed our highway system: the same road available to all Americans, rich and poor."
Other Preschool Resources:
NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook
NIEER Publications: Preschool Matters (Print Newsletter)
Who Goes to Preschool and Why Does It Matter?
Video - Preschool: America's Best Investment
Quality Preschool Education Pays Off
Economic benefits of quality preschool education for America's 3- and 4-year olds