Universal Preschool Could Become Reality In California

CALIFORNIA -- Should every child in California have free access to a preschool? Four of the leading gubernatorial candidates think so, making it possible that the Golden State could become the first in the nation to offer universal preschool.

"Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, State Treasurer John Chiang and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin all agreed that universal preschool was essential not only for children, but for the state," according to a report by edsource.org.

The news site reported that universal preschool would be a major shift from Gov. Jerry Brown who previously rejected the idea.

"The candidates did not spell out what they meant by universal preschool, but it generally is understood to mean ensuring access to high quality preschool for all 4 year olds, with the state subsidizing the costs for low-income children," edsource.org reported.

Providing universal preschool would be an economic benefit, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corporation. The study found that providing preschool to all children "would generate about $11,400 in present value benefits per child for California society (public and private sectors), compared to $4,300 in additional present value costs, for a net benefit of over $7,000. (See the middle bar in the figure.) That equals a return of $2.62 for every dollar invested, or an annual rate of return of about 10 percent over a 60-year horizon."

"Each annual cohort of California children served would generate $2.7 billion in net present value benefits for California society," the study stated.

At the moment, preschool costs range from $4,460 to $13,158 per year, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.

A report by NPR found that California saw the biggest increase in preschool funding in 2016. Forty-three states provide some sort of preschool funding, the report said.

--Photo via Pixabay