Fox News: Obama Proposed 'Free' Preschool To Toddlers So They ...

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Wait, I made a mistake, I got preschool confused with kindergarten, so yeah not sure about whether it's free around here or not. However mandatory, no I disagree and actually I did not go to kindergarten because I didn't have to but the reason was more where I lived at the time. The primary school was really, really bad, the area itself was and still appears to be so sometimes there are reasons to want to avoid having your child being left with other kids at say 4 if those kids might be likely to already be kinda screwed up, I mean a certain amount. However preschool is different, I agree but it's still what I feel is a personal choice and I really disagree not going will stunt the emotional development of a child.

Oh, no, my son's emotional development was fine. It was his skills which were behind the kids who HAD gone to preschool. Here in the States, Kindergarten (which is around 6 years old...or, in PA, they have to be 5 before September 1 of the school year to attend), is much more academic than when I went to Kindergarten back in...many years ago, we'll say. I actually started Kindergarten when I was 4, but had to be tested and at a certain level to do that. Back then it was ABC's, playtime, quiet-time and snack. Pretty much, that was it. Now, they are learning to read in Kindergarten, so the fact that my son could say his ABC's, but not necessarily write his name legibly or identify most letters by sight had him alreay behind the kids who had attended preschool. It's not that I didn't try and work with him on those things, but working fulltime, etc, there wasn't a lot of time to sit down with him and practice his letters, especially as he had no patience with doing that with me.

My mom was more of a "fun" babysitter than a "teaching" one. My daughter, on the other hand, having attended preschool could already identify letters, numbers, etc before starting Kindergarten. Plus, she was used to class "structure" and "etiquette" from her preschool experience. My son wasn't...so that was an adjustment for him, too. He caught up quickly, because his Kindergarten teacher was great. He didn't even realize he was being taught in the approach that they used, but like I said, he was at the point in January where they wanted him to be by the following June. Actually, the majority of the extended-day Kindergarten class was, also. Unfortunately, the school district here has done away with the extended-day program based on budget constraints and because, according to the school board, almost half of those families moved out of the area before 3rd grade. Not sure why that matters...maybe for school tax purposes. I feel that was a huge mistake on their part, and wrote a letter to that effect, but it's still gone.

So, maybe it shouldn't be mandatory, and that's not being proposed. But the way it stands right now, preschool is an expense, since they are privately run for the most part, which low-income families can't afford. If there is no such thing in all schools as a longer day of Kindergarten to get those kids caught up (and there's not, currently), it's a burden to the teacher and can even hold back other students, as the teacher has to concentrate his/her time getting those kids up to speed, rather than being able to teach the curriculum which the state requires. The kids who already have certain skills are also being re-taught rather than learning anything new. Making preschool free and available to any family who wants to utilize it would benefit ALL students and the teachers, in general.

ETA: Pre-school here would apply to approximately ages 3-4, I believe.

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Last edited by Shiloh Lyric; Today at 01:54 AM. Reason: TYPOS!! GRRRRRR

Source: http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/politics-religion-society/80955-fox-news-obama-proposed-free.html

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