State education officials say they are doing their best to build the preschool program from the ground up. In September, the prediction is the total will increase to at least 33,000 children, enrolled in full-day classes. But advocates for the children, some preschool experts, and an administrative law judge disagree. By some estimates, slightly less than half of all eligible children are being served now. Advocates say the state is not doing all it could to ensure that enough children have been enrolled and that the preschool classes are of high quality, as the Supreme Court intended.
Quality is crucial.
A new study published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds that intensive preschool classes make low-income children more likely to graduate high school and less likely to get in trouble with police. The preschool classes in the study included rigorous reading lessons and strong parent involvement. Last month, Administrative Law Judge Jeff Masin warned the state it must do more to evaluate the children's needs, to define educational standards, and to recruit more children. The quality of teachers has been an issue since the program was started. Newly hired teachers must be certified and have some preschool experience.