AP: (Hillary) Clinton wants Pre-K for all 4-year-olds

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Clinton wants Pre-K for all 4-year-olds

Mon May 21, 2:29 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing a $10 billion
federal program aimed at providing voluntary pre-kindergarten for all
4-year-old children in America.

The Democratic presidential candidate planned to discuss the program in
remarks Monday at North Beach Elementary School in Miami Beach, Fla.

Her campaign staff issued an outline of the plan in Washington.

It would provide federal funds to states that agree to establish a plan
for making voluntary pre-kingergarten services universally available for
all 4-year-olds.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_children

[LostinVA]

1. Great idea -- although it'll never pass

[Missy M]

2. It is a good thing and sorely needed........

My son and daughter-in-law tried to get their daughter in the local school systems new Pre-K but there is only so much room right now so it's on a lottery basis. They didn't get lucky so the Pre-K private school they wanted to send her to cannot have Pre-K because they don't have enough kids enrolling because of the town's new program. It's a Catch-22. They are school tax payers in the town and can't use the service they help pay for. They did find another private Pre-K and it is expensive even though it is only 3 days a week for a couple of hours. All children should be able to have Pre-K in this country.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. We should cradle to grave health care and education in this country, but it

will never ever happen.

[Missy M]

6. Exactly......

and I agree it will never happen.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

84. Are you old enough to remember Floyd R. Turbo?

Because you're channeling him.

[Kelly Rupert]

99. Some of us "American's" even read grammar books.

Who "would of" thought? (And what's your deal with Calc? Calculus was an extremely high-level form of mathematics when Newton created it. I took Calc AB in 10th grade. Are you complaining that math is more advanced now than in the 1600s?)

[ThomCat]

68. I agree with you on both points.

We should. And it won't happen. :(

[YOY]

4. I'd prefer a huge improvement on K through 12 but not a bad idea

n/t

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jefferson_dem]

57. Wow! Welcome to DU.

Enjoy your stay... :hi:

[YOY]

72. J_d...did you read what he said???

Pretty sure the guy is a troll FReeper.

You know I'm no Hillary fan. I consider her to be too conservative, populist, and corporate for my taste but for crying out loud, she's not the goddamn antichrist!

[jefferson_dem]

78. I did. Hence...the "wow" and the "enjoy your stay"

:toast:

[YOY]

74. Well you're all f***ed up in the head...

I'm no Hillary fan, but at least I understand her for what she is and what she is not. Far more than I can say for your beyond stupid ass.

The funny thing is she's (and her husband) are actually more traditionally conservative than you realize.

So what the fuck is wrong with the UN by-the-way, it's not like we actually pay our membership dues or anything? Asshole monolingual freepjob...probably proud of falling out of a pussy in Detroit rather than accomplishing anything to be actual proud of.

[earthside]

5. Terrible Idea

A four year old child should be at home with a parent.

$10 Billion could go a long way to offering either a tax credit or a subsidy to let at least one parent remain at home to nuture and raise a toddler.

[Captain_Nemo]

9. A four year old should be in pre-school. Read the stats. and to presume a four year old

should be at home with a parent (I assume you mean a father) is to presume that there is at least one "stay at home parent."

Again read the stats . Most family units of two parents and child need teo incomes to survive.

[jefferson_dem]

13. Remember, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas,

but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession..." (Hillary 1992).

She believes it's demeaning and unfulfilling to "stay at home".

[ElizabethDC]

20. Misinterpretation of the quote

she was referring to the ceremonial duties of a first lady (of Arkansas). Hillary's own mother was a stay at home mother - I don't think Hillary would find it demeaning. Hillary herself was evidently very upset at that misinterpretation of what she said.

[Captain_Nemo]

44. great, post. Thank you :-)

[LostinVA]

22. Not what she meant by that quote

Oh boy.

[Forkboy]

89. I never took it that way at all.She got needlessly slammed for that.

[karynnj]

14. consider that this is pre-K, not day care

Most working parents I knew got a shock when their child who was in day care, with a day that could stretch from 7 am to 5 pm suddenly was in kindergarden. I knew many parents who opted for private kindergarden because it was combined with day care.

[NashVegas]

17. Find Me a Four Year Old

That will not learn more and not be more emotionally-well adjusted by quality time with a loving parent. Can't be done. Obviously, bad parenting is an exception.

Two working parents and day-care / pre-K may be the reality for many, but it is not, in anyway, the ideal.

Families with full-time working parents should not be forced to defend doing what they have to to meet their financial needs, nor should they feel threatened by the fact that their situation is not ideal for raising children.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. Heh.

"...nor should they feel threatened by the fact that their situation is not ideal for raising children."

So you're saying they're bad parents if they both want to work?

[Captain_Nemo]

42. some are still in need of a little conciousness raising, I'm afraid.

[Captain_Nemo]

41. Read the Feminine Mistake. It was just covered in Air America this morning.

[beachmom]

60. Oh, the anti-SAHM book. Maybe liberals ought to learn that they have SAHMs

among them, and should consider our feelings before running off their mouths.

[NashVegas]

69. No Thanks

(to the book, that is)

Which of these quotes regarding education is not real?

1. "School produces mental perversion and absolute stupidity." --Vincent Youmans, world-famous American physician and academic (1867)
2. The creation of the compulsory public schooling system was ordered by "certain industrialists and the innovative who were altering the nature of the industrial process." --James Bryant Conant, President of Harvard University from 1933 to 1953 (1949)
3. "We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science." --Rockefeller's General Education Board (1906)
4. Education is "the development of critical reasoning and the acquiring of basic facts relating to science, history, the arts, and similar areas." --Education Department (1968)

[Captain_Nemo]

92. Liberals are not anti-stay at home parents. They are equal opportunity.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[electron_blue]

77. Wow, you sure know a lot. Speak for your own situation, please.

[DesertRat]

85. Don't confuse PreK with daycare

I teach PreK in a public school for 3.5 hours a day. Our program runs from 7:45 am to 11:15 am then a parent picks them up for the rest of the day. In my experience, the children we serve would be in front of the tv during those 3.5 hours if they weren't in PreK.

[beachmom]

59. I'm a SAHM, and I still want my child in preschool. So there are

two bad assumptions: 1. that one parent is home and 2. even IF the parent is home, that they are able/willing to prepare the child for kindergarten.

[steel71]

67. Have you ever taken a statistics class?

I hope you know that statistics are easily manipulated. It's a fact that can't be denied, and it's used all the time. People, get your kids out of public school while you can. If you have to downgrade your lifestyle without all the materialistic junk we don't need, please consider it. They aren't educating as much as training them to be obedient little citizens, and to tattle-tale on their parents if they aren't following the STATE'S rules.

[LanternWaste]

128. Out of idle curiosity and for my edification,

Out of idle curiosity and for my edification, precisely how does teaching a student calculus or to play the clarinet train a person to "tattle-tale on their parents if they aren't following the STATE'S rules"?

Are there any peer-reviewed periodicals or publications that strengthen your position?

Do *you* know where the Soviet Weather Machine is...?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. Shouldn't that be up to the parent?

Did you see the word voluntary in the article?

[beachmom]

58. Disagree. I am a parent of a child who will be 4 in summer.

SOME parents are great teachers, are infinitely patient, and can teach their kids at home. I'm not one of them. I need outside help to prepare my child for kindergarten which is a real pressure cooker these days.

As long as it is voluntary, this is a good idea.

[electron_blue]

76. The reality is that most 4 yr olds are in some kind of daycare, much of it

very poor quality. The burden on working parents to pay $7000-$10,000 per year for quality daycare is a staggering one to many working parents, especially single mothers.

[rucky]

119. What about single parents? n/t

[durrrty libby]

7. I really like Hillary, but this is an idiotic idea

Why bother having kids at all? People want to send them off at 4?

They are still babies

Save the federal funds to help the college kids.

[LostinVA]

8. The college kids should get money, too

But, this is a terrific idea. It's a great aid in socializing kids and easing them into school a year later. WAY better than daycare.

[Captain_Nemo]

10. Universal Pre-School (this modern version of universal day care) is something that

was introduced in the 1960s by the women's liberation movement. WIth two parents working it is necessary.

And to presume that people shouldn't have children because they are just going to send them to pre-school is prehistoric at best and contemptuous of working parents at worst.

If you don't want people having children (becasue you don't want to spend money educating them) maybe you should work with trying to get men to keep their pants zipped so that less women can get pregnant.

[LostinVA]

23. Good post n/t

[Captain_Nemo]

50. President Nixon called Day Care a communist plot when both houses passed a universal day care

bill. He vetoed the bill. What are the chances of both houses passing this in 2007?

[jefferson_dem]

51. Just what we need in this country - more of the "day care" culture...

more institutional herding of our young children. :sarcasm:

My recommendation -- instead, let's work toward enabling and strengthening families.

[Captain_Nemo]

91. enabling people to work is caring for families. What is all this "family " talk anyway?

How about "people."

[jefferson_dem]

96. I think we may be near agreement. Why shudder at so-called "family talk"?

Progressives should not cede such talk to those on the other side who have an entirely fucked-up sense of *so-called* "family values".

"People" to me represents a (potentially random) collection of individuals. One or two parents and their child or children is...a "family", and they are the ones would directly benefit from the program Hillary is proposing...at least she would argue that case.

[Captain_Nemo]

111. So then what is a "day care " culture. People have always had help raising children

from older siblings to grandparents. In modern culture we move around a lot. We are distanced from biological family. People need help with raising children if they are to successfully keep a roof over their heads. Keep them in health care. Keep them fed and healthy.

[durrrty libby]

93. " Read the Feminine Mistake"

Does not sound like a book for me. However, The Feminine Mystique helped start dialogue and change attitudes in the 60’s. Betty Friedan and Gloria were my heroes. I have met them both

It is a shame that some of you have such know it all attitudes. It is a real turnoff.

You could learn a few things from women like me

I raised 3 fantastic sons. My baby is a 3rd year engineering student.

I asked him if he would consider voting for a woman, and he said. “ Ma, I’m practically a feminist, and I think Senator Clinton would be awesome. But she is my second choice.
You are my first choice”

My firstborn has an IQ of 175 and the dumbest one has an IQ of 149.

I’ve raised them by myself, because my hubby took off when the baby was born

If you think throwing little 4 year old babies in school full-time is the answer,
then I think….. no….. I know you are, sadly, way off the mark

I wish you good luck, because you really need it.

(BTW, this post is not directed just at you, but at the many clearly clueless.)

[Captain_Nemo]

113. Well since you have insulted me and my family I guess there is nothing more to say. You said it all

[karynnj]

12. Head start actually has been shown to help

Head Start helps very poor kids get the enrichmant that others get at home. I don't know if you will see comparable gains in kids from middle class homes who currently don't get per-K. I wonder if the intent is an expansion of Head Start to higher income levels.

In my middle class to upper middle class community, kids enter kindergarden with a mix of backgrounds:
- Some have stayed home with mothers
- Some have stayed home with nannies, while both parents worked
- A very few had nannies AND stay home moms
- Some, with working or SAHM, went to non-academic pre-kindergarden
- Some, with working or SAHMs, went to academic pre-kindergarden

Though not a scientific study, from three kids' friends and volunteering, I could not see a pattern. My guess is that in all the above situations, the kids received the stimulation needed. The choice of pre-k or not was mostly not an economic decision here.

[beachmom]

61. Do you have kids? MOST kids go to preschool when they're 4.

A lot of weird assumptions in this thread.

[durrrty libby]

102. "A lot of weird assumptions in this thread."

And truly, none weirder, sadder, or more ignorant than yours.

[beachmom]

123. Do YOU have a 4 year old? Because I think those of us who DO

speak from more authority. This program would be VOLUNTARY. If a parent would rather school them at home, then that's great. But if the parent would like to send them to preschool, too, then that's great also. Everyone I know sends their kids to preschool (save homeschoolers), and I DO know one family who simply can't afford to send their kids to preschool. This program would help them.

Kids are expected to be reading and writing by the end of kindergarten -- I'm not a big fan of hurrying this along at such a young age, but this is the reality. Therefore, it is important for the child to have either preschool experience or an active teaching parent at home.

[durrrty libby]

126. I have been through the 4 year old stage 3 times. So do I

speak with the mostest authority?


When my children started Kindergarten they could read


If you think Kindergarten is a "pressure cooker" how

will you ever handle High School?

Like I said in a post up thread to another hysterical person,

you could learn a lot from women who have been there and done that.

But y'all have such a nasty know it all attitude.

Who wants to advise and help people like that?

[Captain_Nemo]

11. This is why we need a feminist President: to put the needs of children and education on the top tier

WHen you look at how the electorate has deteriorated in this last decades maybe it is time for education to be on the front burner. Go Hillary.

[NashVegas]

19. If You Want to Put the Needs of Children on Top Tier

Let's talk about working wages in comparison to cost-of-living. Let's talk about larger tax exemptions for spouses supporting an at-home parent. Let's talk about playgrounds with supervised activities, both in city and suburb. Let's talk about the Farm Bill that subsidizes products that go into junk food at the expense of produce that goes straight to the table. Let's talk about medical care ....

[Captain_Nemo]

47. and, your assuming she won't? Let's start with children since wages, health care, food safety all

affect children. Maybe if we were a society that put children first we wouldn't plunge head on into things that damage our society for generations to come ie; pre-emptive war.

seven generations...

[Tellurian]

71. I believe it's a wonderful program..

It gives working mothers the option of use of the programs, full time or part time, and can be tailored to the mothers work schedule. The biggest bonus of all is if the program is subsidized by the state, essentially keeping more money in the working mom's pocket.

[NashVegas]

15. Yes, Let's Get Them Tamed and Indoctrinated Early

..

[jefferson_dem]

16. Parents? We don't need no stinkin' parents!

n/t

[NashVegas]

18. Correct!

Let's just turn them over to the state in infancy. The better to learn how to be good citizens and do everything the way the ruling class wants it done.

[Captain_Nemo]

48. I would think that line refers to tv watching - not day care and pre-school.

[Hekate]

117. That line goes back to the 1950s;conflating state-sponsored day care with Soviet practices...

...and designed to keep American women in the home.

It's sad indeed that our own propaganda worked so well, because in fact all during WW II when women were needed to work in the factories, day care (and night care for shift workers) was quite common. But then THAT was patriotic. Ten years later it was a Bad Thing.

See my post #116 regarding the Head Start program from LBJ's Great Society initiatives.

Hekate

[NashVegas]

122. My Friend, Soviet Practices Are Here

The evidence is in how specialized - and over-specialized - our education curriculum has become.

[Captain_Nemo]

125. Great information, thank you.

[rodeodance]

21. I hope she goes with this and makes it a priority (along with health care)

[LostinVA]

24. Me too

[primative1]

25. Is This a True Liberal Perspective?

Early indoctrination for 4 year olds? Guess I am just old school, believing kids should be left to be kids ..... childhood is so short, why spoil it so early with reality?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. I'm a true liberal.

I haven't got such a dim view of public education.

[primative1]

29. Okay ... so what is in it from the kids perspective ?

I have a firm grasp on the paid day care angle but how does the kid come out ahead?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. The kid comes out ahead...

by having two happy parents with money in their pocket.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

31. yep

I can't believe a lot of the responses here, and they should be qualified as by parents or not.
I am a parent and think this is a great idea.
It is an OPTION, not a requirement. A lot of parents have to work. It's as simple as that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

32. It's a weird combination...

of Dr. Laura style sexism and delusional paranoia.

[jefferson_dem]

33. BS. To say that parents should place a priority on taking care of their

own kids, with governmental assistance as needed, is neither sexist nor delusional paranoia. That's *real* "family values"...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. To say a parent needs to stay home (i.e. the mother)

in order to properly raise their child is neolithic bullshit.

And telling a parent how they should or shouldn't raise their kids is just old-fashioned bad manners.

[jefferson_dem]

38. No one that i've seen has said a mother needs to stay home to properly raise their child.

You're imagining that.

People make their own choices. Personally, I would never tell parent what they *should* do, given their circumstances. However, this is a forum where opinions are expressed, is it not? My point was that the big money Hillary is proposing here would be better spend by enabling parents to spend time raising their own kids.

The real bad manners was on your end - by suggesting that those who wish to emphasize raising their own chilren are "sexist" or "delusional" and "paranoid". Thanks.

[thoughtcrime1984]

35. I am a dad of a 6 year old boy

He attended a private pre-K, coupled with daycare at the same location. I feel that it was very beneficial to him to be in a structured setting with his friends for a few hours a day. It is to be voluntary, not a requirement. I see no problem with this whatsoever.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

43. Obviously, you're a horrible parent.

:P

[jefferson_dem]

37. Happy parents and material wealth does not necessarily equate with well-adjusted, healthy children.

In fact, such an emphasis is, in my view, anti-thetical...to the whole point of *parenting* in the first place.

Sorry, it takes much more than "happy" parents and the latest, greatest Nintendo rig for the kid to come out ahead.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

45. Never said it did.

Although I'll take a kid in pre-K with happy parents with money to burn than an kid in day care with unhappy broke parents any day.

[primative1]

39. Amazing ...

So why is it my responsibility to pay for raising your kid ... Lol .. The more I hang with libertarians the more I like their thinking. You wanted children, You have them, you sacrifice what it takes to raise them ... not my problem ... If you demonstrate poverty maybe ... just on general principles forget it. You want to help me heat my home?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

46. Do you have a problem paying for Kindergarten?

Or, for that matter, the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted in Iraq?

Is that what your real beef with this proposal is?

Money?

[primative1]

49. Basicaly ... yeah ..

We arent a rich nation you know. Every time some bonehead idea like this comes up the real cost gets bumped right back to the community level and presto, the property tax goes up another 85%.
Personal responsibility isnt as evil as it sounds. It shouldnt be entirely an elective.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

52. We aren't a rich nation?

Who are you? Mr. Burns?

[primative1]

53. Just someone who can read

what part of 9 trillion dollars in debt doesnt sink in for you?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. What part of "richest country in the world..."

doesn't sink in for you?

[primative1]

56. Now look who is repeating talking points ..

I think that "richest nation" statement was last true in the 1950s.
Thanks to the incompetents on both sides of the aisle stuff like this is the trend we have been on since at least ray-gun.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2187rank.html

Buckle up.

[Telly Savalas]

103. What other countries have a higher per capita GDP than the U.S?

[michaelwb]

127. Several

Luxembourg, Ireland and Norway for example.

[beachmom]

81. And who will pay your social security, may I ask? Those of us

who chose to have kids are financing your retirement. So a little respect and understanding would be useful.

[DesertRat]

100. The kid has an advantage

Because research shows that children who attend quality, developmentally appropriate preschool programs are more successful in school. They get better grades and attend college at a higher rate. :thumbsup:

[steel71]

36. Remember, they are going to be the STATE'S children

You slap them on the rear-end, that's jail time for you. You can't treat STATE property like that! The US Dept. of Education, or the United Nations (I should say now), have done a fantastic job of educating America's children the last few decades. Those test scores are off the charts! The SAT/ACT will have to be rewritten because today's high school grads complain of simplistic tests that embarrass their intelligence. Even some minority students are claiming racism because the test are just too easy. A US Dept. of Education official acknowledges that this is a grave situation, and has been ignored since the 1970's. The official stated,"We really tried to provide them a dumbed-down education which was the reason our Dept. was created in the first place, but that back fired on us long ago. As you can see, these kids are setting the standard for the whole world to follow"!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

82. Well, they didn't do a great job with you.

:shrug:

[beachmom]

62. 3 or 4 hours a day of learning is "indoctrination"?

This has got to be the most ignorant thread I have ever read!!!! Everybody I know sends their kids to preschool, and the ones who don't are very good teachers to their children, and cover that stuff at home.

[neverforget]

63. You see his problem isn't "indoctrination" it's money. I've got mine

so fuck the rest of society.

[primative1]

66. I've got mine?

If you want to try selling this lame idea at least try passing it off as some innovative educational step forward. I know it isnt one and the poster I responded to admitted their interest was saving money so ... onward
As for the I have mine comment? You want to come see all I have? I would bet most of the clowns waiting to cash in on Hillaries latest brain fart are in far more comfortable circumstance than I am. The differnece: Maybe I dont whine enough?
Whhhaaaaa ... yeah, that should cover it.
But Im still not complaining at least in comparison to what I see around me. So by all means do a means test on state paid daycare and let it rock. I have no objections.
As for institutionalized free day care? I want my equal free offset. If not go figure out your own problems and deal with them. Dont make mine worse.

[beachmom]

83. As stated upthread, those kids are going to pay your social security

and medicare. Their existence guarantees you survive and even thrive in old age. You are extremely shortsighted. And as to the 4 year old preschool, well, you can argue it's not necessary but to say you're against it because YOU don't have any kids is the wrong way to go about it.

And kindergarten is really tough these days. And first grade is a real killer. So the kids without preschool are at a disadvantage when they enter kindergarten (with some exceptions of SAHMs who are good teachers at home. Most don't send their kids to preschool because they can't afford it.)

[primative1]

86. Are you just teasing me to set me into a rage :)

lol ...
You know what I noticed?
We are talking about issues, ISSUES!
Isn't that cool?
Is the cloud actualy lifting?
Whether I agree or disagree with you on this, man is it great to talk about issues.
Wierd thing is with the advent of the neocons, every other thinking being in the universe has been crammed into this square of opposition and I am wondering how many of us know where we actualy belong.
Maybe someday we can sort it out and do some good debating on things like this. I hope so.
See ya next year :)

[Telly Savalas]

107. How about when you get a society full of doctors , engineers, construction workers

grocery clerks, etc., and you didn't have to wipe any of their asses, deal with their 103 fevers at 4 AM, or feed and house them for 18 years? There are externalities to parenthood, which is part of the reason we have publicly funded education in the first place.

[jefferson_dem]

64. I think this program would provide for Pre-K rather than Pre-school.

There's a fairly major difference between sending a four-year old to *Pre-school* for 3-4 hours a day 2-3 days a week and *Pre-K*, which is the same 8+ hours a day / five days a week gig as Kindergarten.

[DesertRat]

88. Wrong. It's just semantics.

It varies from school to school. We call our 3.5 hour program a PreK.

[durrrty libby]

97. I agree this thread is ignorant but for reasons very different than yours

[GreenArrow]

131. couldn't agree more. n/t

.

[DesertRat]

87. Indoctrination?

I am an early childhood educator. I teach 4 year olds for 3.5 hours each weekend morning. We sing, play, paint, cook, read stories together, socialize, climb, jump and run. The children have so much fun they don't know that they are learning. Our students are well prepared for the new rigorous Kindergarten curriculum where they are expected to be READING. That's where the REALITY of school sets in now. In our program kids are left to be kids, in a stimulating, age appropriate setting.
PreK is now what Kindergarten USED to be 10+ years ago.

As I mentioned in another post, my students would be watching tv or playing video games if it weren't for our program. They are still picked up by a parent at 11:15 every morning. They have the rest of the day at home.

[beachmom]

124. Great post, DesertRat. Thank you. n/t

[Mass]

70. This is the first positive point I have seen in what she has presented.

Rich kids get the early education that they need. Poor kids do not because parents cannot afford it.

[Az_lefty]

73. How about vouchers for pre-school???

most youngsters of working parents are in pre-school already. We don't need to build a new bureaucracy, just provide vouchers and give the parents a break.

[electron_blue]

75. Excellent idea!

[Celeborn Skywalker]

79. That's fine

AS long as it's not mandatory, then I think it's a great idea.

[AnOhioan]

80. Kucinich Issues Statement on Sen. Clinton's Plan

CLEVELAND, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Democratic Presidential candidate and Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who has been pushing for federal legislation to provide additional funding for a national free pre-kindergarten program since 2003, today issued a statement welcoming U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton support for a position he has long championed.

Unfortunately, Kucinich (http://www.kucinich.us/) said in the statement, Sen. Clinton's plan falls short by: limiting eligibility to 4-year-olds, failing to provide adequate federal funding; and requiring a too-high dollar- for-dollar match by state governments.

"I appreciate the fact that Sen. Clinton's announcement is now
attracting wider attention to this crucial issue," Kucinich said, "but, it would be more meaningful if I and the co-sponsors of H.R. 6114, which I introduced in September, could secure her support for companion legislation in the Senate."

More at
http://www.pr-inside.com/longtime-pre-kindergarten-champion-kucinich-r129930.htm

[Forkboy]

90. I agree with him...but I'm glad she's at least talking about it.

She'll bring the issue more attention than he will,sadly.

[primative1]

94. I knew the Funding was in the Toilet ...

I imagine the whole country is in the same basket on this one.
The fed has cut off the states and the states, being broke, have cut off the cities and towns. The school districts are straining under the weight of the influx of ... umm, new residents.
The town I am in spends 75% of their budget on the school system and to support that strain, property taxes are up big time. Its the towns only recourse to raise revenue. Mine have risen 85% in past two years. And no renters, you dont get to laugh it off, your rents go up every time the tax rate increases so we all pay.
Clintons proposal is laughable. We would all see our communities having to build new schools, staff them, provide transport ect ... the 10 billion Clinton proposes would likely only cover federal administation costs at most. The rest would come out of our pockets IMO.
Get ready to start paying, if you have anything left to dole out.
Clinton should sign a pledge to take dollar for dollar every penny she waves around, straight out of the pentagon budget. If not get off the bus.

[illinoisprogressive]

95. how very dictatoral of her.

[durrrty libby]

98. Your Hillary hate is predictable and boring

[IndianaGreen]

101. Hillary has been in the Senate for 6-years, and she just discovered this issue?

The Goddess of Peace, the Queen of Pandering, is hard at work on an Election "promise them anything" campaign. Guess what, Hillary baby boo? Unless we end the war in Iraq, including removing all residual troops and bases, we won't have the money to do anything.

[durrrty libby]

106. Oh dear. Please cover up. Your bi ..ass is showing, and it ain't

purty


Hillary IS shortsighted in one area

She is an idealist and truly believes it takes a village.

In theory, I agree with her. However, as is evidenced in this thread,

the village is full of idiots.



:argh: :freak: :dunce: :hangover: :hurts:

[Colobo]

104. In Puerto Rico everyone goes to Pre-Kinder

I don't know why that is not done over here.

[Telly Savalas]

108. Read the thread from top to bottom.

Even among the most progressive virtual community in the U.S., there's a lot of backwards thinking involved. That's why it's not done over here.

[durrrty libby]

109. Yep ..shoving your baby off to a stranger is super duper progressive.

[Telly Savalas]

112. 4 year olds aren't babies..

[durrrty libby]

114. Yes they are

[Colobo]

118. I went to Pre-K, and it was cool

[jefferson_dem]

129. Agreed. I guess the major question then is how we define "backwards."

n/t

[Telly Savalas]

105. Blah, blah., government should be parents, blah, blah, kids should

stay home with mommy until they're 13 blah, blah. Studies demonstrating the benefits of early education are written by pointy-headed librul elitists. Blah, blah. It's better for a child to stay home all day than spend time with their peers in a semi-structured environment. Blah, blah, blah. School is just corporatist brainwashing. Blah, blah. No kids should go to school and get indoctrinated. TRUTH TO POWERR!!!!111

[durrrty libby]

110. Blah blah blah...Mmmm ......feta

[Jed Dilligan]

115. As long as it's voluntary,

I'd be happy to see my taxes to pay for this. No Clinton fan here, but she's right on this issue.

[Hekate]

116. How about we fully fund & expand the Head Start program? It actually works very well.

If we make Head Start a universal program -- and free, like K-12 education -- it will be greatly beneficial. Never forget that Bush's backers want to destroy every program from the Great Society and the New Deal, and Head Start has been seriously weakened by now. It needs refurbishment -- and money -- but we don't have to reinvent the wheel here.

Hillary is no Janey-come-lately to children's advocacy. IIRC, her pre-WH career was as a lawyer for children's rights.

Hekate

[rucky]

121. Huzzah to that! n/t

[Colobo]

120. Again, why in the world would someone oppose that kids go to Pre-K?

Excuse my cultural ignorance on this issue, but why?

[ElizabethDC]

130. I have no idea

I'm shocked to find that people are against it. I thought all kids (at least those who could afford it) went to Pre-K. I know I did.