Comments about ‘Education gets a boost, but preschool advances remain elusive’

The photo with this article demonstrates an upside to the preschool bill not passing. The research often cited indicating long term cost benefits of preschool programs also states the caveat that the preschools need to be "high quality" preschools. I am not making any judgements on the preschool mentioned except to say that the project depicted in the photo is not high quality. Perhaps the children chose to do it from many options available to them but....if that was a small-group teacher-directed activity then the program directors clearly have not done their research.

My fear with the legislation was that preschools would become early kindergartens. Preschoolers certainly can learn those concepts but preschool brains learn differently than 5-6 year old brains and teaching methods should be different.

I am glad that public moneys will not be spent on preschools that use black line pictures, worksheets, flash cards, thirty minute circle times, 7 minute rotating centers (which, by the way are a great way to "teach" ADD) and the like. That type of preschool may increase test scores in kindergarten but not in the long run. If you want long term results, find a high quality preschool.

Now if we can just stop Obama from.adding free preschool to the long list of failed entitlement programs overseen by the education department. What an oxymoron that title is.