Facts In Action

In a recent policy statement, the Committee for Economic Development has outlined a series of recommendations geared towards the development of a universal preschool system. The CED believes that federal and state governments should undertake a new national compact to make early education available to all children ages three and up as an investment towards a productive and just society.

CED's vision of universal preschool starts with states creating expanded preschool opportunities and integrating the diverse array of providers and programs into one system. At the same time, the federal government would provide incentives and assistance to states through subsidies tied to strategic plans and acceptable quality standards.

Within the CED's recommended strategy, states would choose their own approaches to developing preschool systems as long as they have the following components:

• access for all children age three years and up,
• a variety of choices among providers and types of preschool settings,
• financial responsibility shared between each state and the federal government,
• improvements to infrastructure such as capacity,
• quality control mechanisms, and the oversight, monitoring, and training of staff, and
• a movement towards improving and expanding data collection scope and methods.

CED argues that to actually develop a comprehensive and coherent system of preschool for all American children will take an investment of time and money, but will reap rewards for our children and therefore for our society. Policy action needs to be taken that will ensure every child access to high quality, equitable opportunities for preschool educational experiences that will benefit them individually and society overall.

Source:
Preschool For All: Investing In a Productive and Just Society, Committee for Economic Development, 2002.

For more information:
contact Committee for Economic Development, 477 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10022, or call (212) 688-2063. This report is available online at www.ced.org.

Facts in Action, April 2002