Pre-K programs help level education field
February 16, 2007
Closing the achievement gap will be impossible if children enter school ill-prepared.
Written by the Editorial Board, San Antonio Express-News
Mirna Turcios, a kindergarten student at Jones Elementary, claps and sings along with the Andean Latin American band Alborada during an assembly at the school.
Closing the achievement gap, lowering high school dropout rates and increasing the number of college graduates will take more than rhetoric. Children in Texas public schools must be prepared when they start kindergarten, or they may never catch up to their peers. State lawmakers, however, are starting their budget discussions with a Legislative Budget Board proposal seeking a $20 million cut in pre-kindergarten funding. That is a big step in the wrong direction. In a perfect world, children would begin developing learning and social skills before their first day in public school, but too often that is not the case. The education gap between ethnic groups is often measured in terms of high school graduates and college degrees earned, but the disparity in the education levels among children starts much earlier. Many 3- and 4-year-olds lack pre-kindergarten programs. Texas spends about $458 million a year on pre-K programs for 175,323 children who are homeless, have limited English proficiency, are economically disadvantaged or are in foster care. Last year, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, was instrumental in the passage of legislation expanding the program to children of military members. She is now pushing to expand the program to children who are in the custody of grandparents or other family members and to any child who has ever been in foster care. To Gov. Rick Perry's credit, he is proposing an additional $80 million over the next two years on pre-K for at-risk children. It is not enough to provide universal services, but it is better than slashing funding. Investing in children as they prepare to enter the public school system will reap major dividends. The Hidalgo Independent School District in the Rio Grande Valley is proof that pre-K programs provide benefits. Hidalgo is one of only a few school districts in the state providing pre-kindergarten to all 3- and 4-years-olds in their district. The Hidalgo district, located in one of the poorest areas of the state, has the accountability ratings and its fair share of college-bound students to attest to the benefits of starting a child's education early.
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