Speak Out: Do You Favor Universal Preschool?

President Barack Obama is advocating that all 4-year-olds who come from poor-to-moderate income families attend preschool.

During a visit to a preschool in Decatur, Georgia, yesterday, the president said, “Education has to start at the earliest possible age,” according to the Washington Post.

The president is pushing a plan to guarantee preschool for those children, and says he supports local initiatives to provide preschool to middle class children.

According to the Post, the plan calls for the Department of Education to allocate money to the states, funding which would be based on the number of 4-year-olds from low to moderate income families.

After receiving the federal funds, states would then allocate the money to local schools and other preschool providers.

The plan could cost between $10 and $25 billion dollars.

Here in the Upstate, leaders have spoken about the need to reach children early, in order to get them on a path to success later in life.

School District of Pickens County Superintendent Dr. Kelly Pew has said kindergarten teachers can look at their students and predict which ones won't make to graduation.

“We have children that come to school in 5K that have never been read to, they've never held a book, they don't know their colors, they don't know their letters, they don't know how to spell their name,” Pew said. “Then you have children who come to 5K and they can do all of that. So you have a teacher with students (where) there's already a gap, and it can make it very, very difficult.”

What do you think of the president's proposal? A good idea to help children who might fall through the cracks, or another burden on states and school districts?

Tell us in the comments!