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News Article
March 21, 2006
San Bernardino County Sun
Starting out even
Lunch is almost over. The scent of pizza still lingers at the Boys & Girls Club Head Start on San Bernardino's West Ninth Street.
Minutes later, the 3- and 4-year-olds clean up after themselves and brush their teeth.
Then, they sit in a circle and sing.
Despite bright pictures on the walls and toys strewn about, this doesn't seem like a place that can determine a child's entire future.
Research shows, however, that children who attend preschool not only have a more solid academic future but a brighter one overall. These studies suggest that an afternoon of finger painting, snacks and stories fights crime, increases graduation rates and helps children lead more successful lives as they become adults.
In regions like San Bernardino County, which is grappling with recent waves of violent crime, experts, educators and community leaders are searching for solutions to prevent children from becoming statistics in the juvenile justice system. In San Bernardino County, preschool may be more than just a casual option. It could be a lifesaver.
But there is a high price for preschool.
Middle-class families and the working poor who aren't quite poor enough to qualify for free Head Start or state preschool programs struggle to afford the cost of private preschool, paying tuitions comparable to that at a state university.
Fewer than one in five 4-year olds in California is able to attend preschool, according to the 2000 U.S. census, in part because 75 percent of publicly funded preschools statewide have waiting lists, according to a report by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California.
An initiative sponsored by Hollywood film director Rob Reiner, slated to go before voters June 6, could change that. Proposition 82 would make state-funded universal preschool available free to every 4-year-old in California by 2010, when roughly half a million children will be eligible.
As Election Day for the much-touted preschool initiative nears, educators, child experts and critics study whether it will work and if there will be enough teachers and classrooms for everyone. Some contend the measure will be a godsend to middle-class families. Others say a free preschool program will lower the quality of public preschools while driving private schools out of business.
The future of the measure - once considered a shoo-in - is now uncertain. A key backer has withdrawn support, and even Reiner is under fire.
Initiative backers estimate it will cost about $2 billion to jump- start the program. Funding would come from a tax on California's wealthiest - individuals with an annual income of more than $400,000 and couples with an income that exceeds $800,000.
A study released by the Rand Corp. last spring projected that a universal preschool system would ultimately pay for itself by reducing costs to taxpayers - as much as $2.62 for every dollar invested in preschool - through savings on welfare and police services.
Money major obstacle
It's 1:20 p.m., and work time begins.
The preschoolers at the San Bernardino Boys & Girls Club Head Start indicate to their teacher where they will go work or play. Some paint, while others work on rainbow crafts or play house.
Semaj McNeese, 3, isn't sure if she wants to be a photographer or an artist during work time. She flirts with photography, pretending to take pictures with a toy camera, then moves on to drawing.
If it weren't for Head Start, Semaj's grandmother, Denise Thompson, who is raising the girl, said she would be unable to send her to preschool. That's why she supports a free universal preschool system.
"I'm a big believer in it,'' the 46-year-old Thompson said. "Places like this have rules and structure. The things they would learn in kindergarten, they are learning now at 4 and 5 years old.''
Preschool paves the way for students as they enter their early school years because it prepares them for the experience and fosters good study habits, said Andy Megaw, president of the Upland Teachers Association.
"With the state standards, they are getting tested in the third and second grade, so preschool gives them an advantage,'' said Megaw, a third-grade teacher at Valencia Elementary in Upland.
In California, the average cost of attending a part-time private preschool is $4,022 per year. A year's tuition at a California State University campus is about $3,164.
Middle-income families, who make too much money to qualify for publicly funded programs like federal Head Start or state preschools, struggle to pay for private preschools.
"Families can't enroll their kids in quality preschool because they can't afford it,'' Brian Lee, deputy director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, has said. "Even if they can afford it, they have to compromise the quality of the program.''
Federally funded Head Start is available only to low-income families. Sometimes preschools have to turn people away because they make too much money.
"We have people who come in here and offer to pay for it themselves,'' said Sharri Carroll, site supervisor for Boys & Girls Club Head Start. "And we have to tell them that we're sorry but they can't.''
Veronica Lugo of San Bernardino knows the feeling.
Lugo is a stay-at-home mom whose husband makes too much money to qualify for Head Start. Yet they are unable to afford a private preschool.
"You don't qualify for anything but you can't afford anything either,'' Lugo said.
Lugo sends the couple's 3-year- old daughter, Anaely, to Las Familias, a church-based preschool in San Bernardino. It is affordable because parents do the maintenance and run the school's activities.
Studies show that for every 10 children enrolled in public preschool statewide, four end up on waiting lists.
Dorothy McQueen, an eligibility worker at Boys & Girls Head Start, said there is a waiting list of 20. She is already compiling a waiting list for next year.
So far, it has about 45 names.
A bite out of crime
As work time nears its end, 4- year-old Jacob Moore plays on the computer.
A buzzer rings indicating his 10-minute turn is up. Jacob doesn't want to give up his seat but suddenly loses interest in the computer when he sees the indoor "sandbox'' - full of beans instead of sand - has been abandoned.
One of the key lessons preschools teach is socialization, Carroll said. Social skills are the main focus along with working, problem-solving and separation from parents.
Jacob's father, Timothy Moore of Loma Linda, said preschool has made a big difference in his son's behavior toward other children.
"He used to always be fighting,'' said Moore, 22. "He's calmed down a lot, and he pays attention more. He fights less, too.''
Studies show preschool has multiple returns - and not just financial.
A December 2005 Rand study that tracked students from an inner-city Chicago preschool showed a drop in juvenile crime. The study suggests the same could happen f all 4-year-olds in San Bernardino and Riverside counties by 2010 were enrolled in quality preschool for one year.
If less than two-thirds of the 68,000 4-year-olds in both counties enrolled in a universal preschool program, at least 4,000 fewer cases would be filed in the juvenile justice system, the study suggests.
The report predicts 1,400 fewer students would drop out of high school and 1,900 would not be held back in school. The study also shows youngsters who attend preschool may be less likely to try drugs and alcohol, join gangs or be truant.
Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, proposed a universal preschool system last year, complete with standards that every preschooler must master and a credentialed program for preschool teachers.
O'Connell has said such a system can help level the playing field between the haves and have-nots, calling it "a great equalizer in our society.''
Juliann Martin, chairwoman of the department of child development at San Bernardino Valley College, said universal preschool would provide all children with the same quality of education, no matter the tax bracket.
"It puts all children on the same footing,'' said Martin, who sits on the board of First Five San Bernardino, the county's Children and Families Commission. "This will help them graduate from high school and go on to earn money and contribute to the economy.''
People who are working are also less likely to commit crimes, she said.
Amanda Wilcox-Herzog, an associate professor of psychology at Cal State San Bernardino, said the trick is creating a "high quality preschool.''
"We have some good ones, but not all are up to par,'' Wilcox- Herzog said.
A high-quality preschool will help disadvantaged children more than their more affluent counterparts.
Wealthier parents are likely to have more free time to spend with their children and more resources like expensive developmental toys to give them. The working poor may have to hold down two jobs, Wilcox-Herzog said.
About 70 percent of preschool- eligible children in San Bernardino County by 2010 - an estimated 23,000 - are expected to enroll in free preschool. The county will need roughly 577 classrooms for them.
It's Carolyn Tillman's job to make sure they will have a place to go.
Tillman, special assistant to Herb Fischer, San Bernardino County superintendent of schools, is the area liaison for preschools and is compiling a list of preschools that may want to participate in the Preschool For All program.
The list includes for-profit, nonprofit, faith-based, Head Start and state preschools in 33 school districts.
There are 400 licensed child- care facilities in San Bernardino County. The list includes district-run state preschool programs and Head Start programs and 650 licensed large family- care centers, which have more than 1,400 kids.
It is unclear how many Preschool-For-All facilities there will be because O'Connell has yet to decide what will define a "high-quality preschool,'' a standard all universal preschools must meet.
County educators cannot put a plan together until the preschool initiative passes, Fischer said.
Should it pass, O'Connell will have six months to set the guidelines for a high-quality preschool program. After that, county offices statewide will have one year to develop a plan for their preschools and until 2010 to put it in place.
Educators and experts are also split about what is more important for a 4-year-old - an emphasis on academics or child development like motor skills and socialization, Fischer said. A delicate balance must be struck, he said.
"This will essentially be like adding another grade level,'' Fischer said. "This is the same discussion that took place when kindergarten was introduced in the late 19th century. There was a great debate as to whether these children were ready to come to school.''
To this day, kindergarten is not mandatory, although every child must attend first grade, Fischer said. There are few children eligible for kindergarten who don't go.
A 2005 report by the National Institute for Early Education that focused on preschool programs in five states showed large gains in early language literacy and mathematical skills in children who attended.
"Ninety percent of our brain growth occurs before the age of 5, and children are eager to learn at this age,'' Martin said. "The downside, as I see it, is that I don't know if all 4-year-olds are ready for the same mold. My underlying worry as a parent and educator is that sometimes we take young children and push them when they aren't ready, and they burn out.''
Then there is the difference between day care and preschool. Day-care providers supply supervision that meets children's basic needs, but preschool is targeted at academic development and preparing a child for school.
If universal preschool becomes a reality, Fischer expects to see more child-care providers moving into the preschool arena, especially in San Bernardino County.
Although for some parents like Moore, Head Start provides not only preschool but a service similar to day care. With two small children, it's a big help.
"I work full time but I'm also on call,'' Moore said.
Academic credentials
Preschool teachers do not need a bachelor's degree. But if Proposition 82 passes, they will.
All public preschool teachers would be required to have a four-year degree by 2014 and a teaching credential by 2016. Teaching assistants would be required to have a two-year degree.
"Over the last 20 years, what we've seen is a pretty steady decline in the qualifications of preschool teachers since there was little oversight,'' said Nathan James, spokesman for the Yes on 82 campaign.
Low requirements have resulted in low pay, James said, making it hard to retain a good work force.
The initiative would set aside $700 million for established preschool teachers to earn the credits needed to get their degrees, James said. It also sets aside funding for colleges and universities to develop preschool teaching programs.
The Rev. Petra Malleis-Sternberg, pastor ate First Congregational United Church of Christ Church in San Bernardino, which runs the private Las Familias preschool for low-income families, was surprised the initiative would require veteran public preschool teachers to earn a degree.
"Wow, that would be a big change,'' she said.
Wilcox-Herzog applauded the requirement.
"But it will be difficult to get the current work force back in school and earning those degrees,'' she said.
Initiative criticism
According to Yes on 82 campaign Web site, children who attend preschool are more likely to read by the time they reach third grade and eventually graduate high school and go to college. They are also less likely to be arrested or jailed because they are more apt to support themselves as adults.
Yet the initiative campaign has not escaped criticism.
State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, once a key backer of the initiative, withdrew his support late last month. And Reiner, the embattled First Five Commission chairman who is leading the initiative, was accused of spending $23 million in taxpayer money from the state panel to pay for television advertisements touting Proposition 82.
But supporters say the flap, which led Reiner to step down as chairman of the commission until the campaign is over, doesn't take away from the measure's validity.
"When people vote on 82, they will see an initiative about improving and strengthening our preschool system for our kids - about the values of preschool and how it will strengthen their chances in school,'' James said. "That will be the main issue when folks vote in June.''
Critics like California Parents For Educational Choice and the California Montessori Council have also come out against the preschool initiative, contending "free preschools'' will dramatically lower the quality of preschools.
Proposition 82 could drive private preschools like Montessori out of business, said Alan Bonsteel, president of the Tiburon-based California Parents for Educational Choice.
Bonsteel said his group is concerned about a lack of oversight of universal preschool system.
"There are no checks or balances in place. Prop. 82 money will be put into the hands of the county offices of education, and they will decide (which program) gets to participate or not,'' Bonsteel said. "Montessori schools could go out of business as county education offices channel Prop. 82 money toward public preschools.''
This could lead to other private preschools going out of business in California, Bonsteel said, which would mean "decreased competition, less parental control and fewer choices.''
James said the initiative was drafted to include all preschools to help serve the 500,000 children who would be eligible for universal preschool in 2010.
Malleis-Sternberg, whose church runs Las Familias, which charges between $90 and $110 per child per month, said she isn't worried free preschool would cut into the school's clientele. The preschool, which serves about 40 children, is expanding its classes and has a waiting list.
"We are in favor of anything that supports families and children, so whatever happens happens,'' Malleis-Sternberg said. "But I think the families here are really committed. People come back with children and grandchildren and friends years later.''
Mitch Hovey, superintendent of the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, said he has seen the benefits of preschool as an elementary principal.
"It helps to lay a solid foundation not just academically but allows children to interact with other kids,'' Hovey said. "What I've noticed is when kids who haven't had that opportunity go to kindergarten for the first time, it's traumatic for them.''
But Hovey, who sits on the county's P-16 Council, which focuses on academic growth from preschool through college, also wants to see facilities for free preschool ready.
"That would be one of our the biggest hurdles,'' Hovey said. "The intentions of these programs are always well and good, but we need the funding to implement them.''
It's time to see snow, the San Bernardino Head Start teacher tells her class.
The children watch, gasping and squealing as the teacher adds water to a powdery white substance that mysteriously expands as soon as the liquid touches it.
Like his classmates, Christian Maravillo grabs handfuls of the "snow,'' made of the same material used in diapers to absorb liquid. He and the other children delight in spreading the "snow'' around the table and squishing it between their hands.
Now that he is 5, this will be Christian's last year at Head Start.
Dee Serrano watches her son and recalls how he started preschool with a speech problem.
"He was 3 but he wouldn't speak,'' said Serrano, 30. "Now he's talking. They are so advantaged when they leave here. My oldest came out of here reading. ''
But with three kids to support, private preschool was not an option for Christian.
"Maybe I would have been able to afford it with my first,'' Serrano said, "but it would have been too much with my second."
BENEFITS OF PRESCHOOL
Children are:- More likely to read by the time they reach third grade.
- Less likely to be placed in special education or held back in school.
- More likely to graduate high school and go to college.
- Less likely to be arrested or jailed.
- More likely to support themselves as adults.