The new refrain (echoed in an East Valley Tribune article) that state-funded preschool is necessary for children to arrive in kindergarten or first grade “well prepared” does not reflect the research about early childhood learning or the reality that most families are well-equipped to prepare their child for their first day of school.
Research on preschool programs, state-funded or not, finds almost universally that they do nothing to boost children from stable homes. They do help children who have unstable homes, or who do not speak English well. In these cases, preschool serves as a form of substitute parenting. But children who have good parents do not need substitute parenting, and they should not have this needless service provided at taxpayer expense, especially in a time of state budget crises in Arizona and everywhere.
Advocates of state-funded early childhood programs will tell you these are crucial for our future. The research proves them wrong. And good parents everywhere should not have their massive contributions continually insulted and belittled by these repeated falsehoods.
Joy Pullmann
Education research fellow, Heartland Institute
Chicago, IL
VofReason posted at 12:54 pm on Tue, Apr 24, 2012.
Weren't most people working class families at one point, but they were frugal and the Mom stayed home and raised the children? Didn't they use to not have cable in every room, not need cell phones (were invented) and spend time together for entertainment? Oh yah, that only the Tea Party conservative freaks that do that.
VofReason posted at 12:51 pm on Tue, Apr 24, 2012.
Yes, people are too stupid to raise the children that they are too stupid not to have because they cannot afford them. This is why we need to tax the rich people who aren't too stupid to have too many children that they cannot afford to pay for babysitters. That way the parents can both work so they can have cell phones with Internet for everyone in the household down to the young children, a house they cannot afford and new cars they cannot afford. Vote Obama in 2012.
sockratties posted at 7:26 pm on Mon, Apr 23, 2012.
No leon, they just don't want them to be like you. They want them to grow up able to think, reason, converse and realize there are alternatives to hate, disrespect, self righteousness and group-think. They may have pity on those who are as challenged as you but hopefully they won't have to endure too many others. Such empty rhetoric becomes tedious when the grown-ups are trying to have a conversation.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 1:47 pm on Mon, Apr 23, 2012.
Joy,
Don't waste your time trying to instill "good, old-fashioned American Value Parenting" in these ......Liberal/Progressive/Socialist/Democrats. They are as indoctrinated to their Commie Wanna-be Lifestyle as the Jonestown Mass Suicide Cultists. They want their "off-spring" (Heaven forbid you refer to them as children...lol) to become "bi-lingual, gender-neutral, eco-freaks like the adults who breed them (Heaven forbid you refer to them as parents....lol).
These off-spring grow up calling their parents by their first names and grow up to be the Non-Patriotic, Anti-Capitalist, Globalists. Welcome to 2084.
chatmandu002 posted at 11:53 am on Mon, Apr 23, 2012.
When we let the government take over our responsibilities we lose our freedoms. Some won't get it until it's too late.
Cerulean posted at 10:09 am on Mon, Apr 23, 2012.
Since 1993 Sheriff Arpaio has cost the State $50,750,000.00 in claims and lawsuits.
Do you understand my point Joy Pullmann?
The tax dollars of working families who do not home school their children could easily afford classes for all children if we had a Sheriff who was not so careless with our money.
[sad]
Rich posted at 1:49 pm on Sun, Apr 22, 2012.
You can't start your indoctrination program earlier? Grab them as soon as they are born, why not? When Plato advocated it, it was satire. Has our intelligence declined far enough that it is a serious topic of discussion? If you can't be responsible to your kids, well, birth control is a reasonable option.
sockratties posted at 9:11 am on Sun, Apr 22, 2012.
Joy – under the guise of advocating for good parenting you are trying to advance the agenda of the Heartland Foundation, an ultra conservative organization based in Chicago but worried about our kindergarten programs here in Arizona.
Will you also be lobbying against protection from second hand smoke, disclaiming climate change and pushing for other interests of Big Oil and Big Tobacco who fund the majority of your “think tank?” Heartland has its own curriculum which you didn't explain in your letter, being content to simply stir the water and use the mud to your own advantage.
Arizona Willie posted at 7:35 am on Sun, Apr 22, 2012.
Joy, you admit that children from unstable homes and those with language problems benefit from the pre-school programs.
So, tell me please, how are you going to know which kids have good parents?
Do you think they wear signs? " We're good parents our kids don't need pre-school ".
Tragically, very few parents are good parents these days. They were raised by a tv set and that's all they know how to do -- plop the kids down in front of the tv and tell 'em to be quiet.
With over 90% of households needing two working parents to make ends meet they have neither time nor energy for really good parenting.
The top 10% with stay at home Mom's or Dad's aren't likely to put their kids in public school anyway. And they will also go to private pre-schools.
So those folks are not part of the problem.
The remainder ALL need pre-school.
You talk about research but you provide no links to any of the propaganda you have been swallowing.
I bet you are a tea-partier too.
Not facts just bull.