Not only is preschool a bad idea in taking children away from parents at an earlier age, numerous studies show it's a waste of time from the perspective of academic achievement.First of all I agree parents (especially the economically challenged ones that really need this pre-K program) should spend more time with their kids, but your conservative whacko attacks on family assistance and "welfare reforms" to promote "personal responsibility" force moms to go work for the paltry minimum wage you people won't even adjust with inflation.
Bob cites in an ignorant post in Dakota Voice Blog one Karen Effram speaking against pre-k and also talks about test scores in Oklahoma and Georgia, two states not exactly known for their educational prowess anyway. I would guess the politically manipulated public schools in those states just may be erasing the value of head start with a politically warped curriculum and gutted social services help for low-income parents. (Hey, if Bob can speculate, so can I.)
Not so fast with this "expert," Dr. Effram:
Karen Effram is a retired pediatrician and professional talking head, not an education expert, who is flown all over the country saying whatever who is paying the ticket wants her to. She is against vaccinating children and mental health screening, apparently good Christian parents can tell if something is wrong with their kids, who needs doctors. She is not an expert on pre-K or education for that matter, and from what been able to find out about her I don't trust her opinion on about anything.
Here's the truth: Head Start has proven that pre-K works and has lasting effect, if you ask the real experts that like, uh, study the subject. Here's a real study(not a right-wing hatchet job) and a review article from the National Institute for Early Education Research that explains why the studies Bob is citing are wrong.
Just wanted to plant a little reality here. Of course I agree kids need to spend more time with their parents. That's why we bleeding heart liberals want the minimum wage adjusted so it will buy as much baby food as it did ten years ago.
Pre-K is not being considered mandatory, the goal is to make it more universally available, especially to stretched parents that must use daycare but can't afford the kind that will be a stimulating environment with pre-K AGE APPROPRIATE education.
This is a good thing to talk about but we should stick to the facts, and real developmental milestones and outcomes, not cookie cutter, canned test scores.
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Along with Bob Ellis being against pre-school, we also know that he THINKS his kids are getting a superior education at home. The people that I know that were home schooled just plain act "different" when they grow up. It's as if they don't know how to get along with anybody but their family and family friends, that basically think just like them. However, when it comes to pre-school there a lot of parents that can't afford anything but Head Start. I do know people that don't have a real good opinion of Head Start, but I think that stems from the division of it that was called Head Start/Home Start, where a worker went into the child's home on a weekly basis to work with the child. Anyway the people that complain about Head Start are parents of kids that were in the Home Start division. Kids have to be taught how to socialize and they don't get that if they aren't ever with kids of different backgrounds. For example I know a couple, both professional, working full time, they have one child that Grandma babysits, but when something comes up that Grandma can't babysit on a given day and the little girl has to go to a daycare, she screams her head off, because the only interaction with other kids that she has is with cousins who live in another state.
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