Dear Commons Community,
Coming on the heels of New York State Governor Mario Cuomo’s free tuition policy passed earlier this month for all students (whose family incomes are less than $125,000.) attending a state public university, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed yesterday free preschool for all 3-year olds. As reported by the New York Times:
“Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that New York City would offer free, full-day preschool to all 3-year-olds within four years, saying that he was building on the success of the city’s prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds and that it was time to go further.
New York would be one of few cities in the country to offer free preschool to every 3-year-old, including Washington. But New York’s program would dwarf that city’s effort, which enrolls only 5,700 3-year-olds. In New York, officials expect to serve 62,000 children a year.
Implementing the universal prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds was the centerpiece of Mr. de Blasio’s campaign for mayor four years ago and is considered to be one of the biggest accomplishments of his first term. So it is not surprising that, with his re-election effort starting, he is seeking to amplify the achievement….”
… In the often-divided world of education, the long-term benefit of early childhood education, particularly for low-income children, is one of the few things most experts agree on. Politicians on both the left and the right embrace the idea of expanding access to preschool, a rarity among educational initiatives. A number of states, including Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and West Virginia, offer universal prekindergarten for 4-year-olds.
Studies have found the biggest effect when low-income children are put in high-quality education programs soon after birth. A study by James J. Heckman, an economist at the University of Chicago and a Nobel laureate, followed participants in two randomized experiments conducted in North Carolina in the 1970s through age 35. It found that youngsters who attended a high-quality early childhood program completed more years of education and had higher incomes as adults than did children in the control group, who either did not go to preschool or were in lower-quality programs. The men were less likely to use drugs or have high blood pressure.
Mr. de Blasio’s new plan, which he called 3-K for All, comes with many challenges, not least that the mayor said the city would need $700 million from the state and the federal government to be able to reach all children.
“I assure you it will take very hard work,” Mr. de Blasio said on Monday at a public school in the Bronx. He said it would be “harder than pre-K.”
Congratulations to both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio for taking these extraordinary education initiatives for our state and city.
Tony
