TKW Consulting

What to make of preschool plan
Posted by Kathleen O'Brien December 12, 2007

QUICK, NAME the childhood institution that is seen -- by somebody -- as all these things: a status symbol, a torture chamber, a source of fun, an entitlement.

It is your neighborhood preschool.

When it comes to preschool, most people base their opinion not on the care the kid is receiving, but on what the mother is doing while her kid is there.

Take two kids, Matt and Melanie. They are both at a preschool playing with puzzles.
Matt's mom is an at-home mom, and Matt attends for "enrichment" and "socialization." At this moment, Matt's mom may be vacuuming, running errands, volunteering at another school, or in Pilates class, but it doesn't really matter. Society approves of Matt's situation. Most would say Matt's mom is doing the right thing.

And in a way, Matt's attendance is sort of a status symbol, for it says his family has enough money for his mom to avoid paid employment and, at the same time, pay for him to attend preschool.

Melanie, playing alongside him, is there for a different reason. Melanie's mom works full time, so Melanie "has" to be here.

Same school, same puzzle, but society still hasn't figured out what it thinks of Melanie's situation. Opinions would fall somewhere between grudging acceptance and outright condemnation. Mix them together, and you'd get profound ambivalence. And worry: Will preschool harm Melanie? Shall we all hold our breath while the social scientists study her generation? (The general consensus of these studies: Academic achievement is boosted, but probably only temporarily; behavioral problems increase, but later settle down; sick days increase but the immunities lead to robust health later.)

Then there are those who feel preschool is something to be avoided at all costs; poisonous, almost.

Some of the angriest letters and e-mails I receive are from young fathers who work long hours precisely so their wives can stay home with their children. They see preschool as flat-out bad -- germy and raucous and unnecessary -- and you'd never be able to convince them otherwise.

They sacrifice mightily to keep their children at home, and deeply resent families -- the mothers, actually -- who make other choices. They see those mothers as materialistic witches who are harming their kids.

All this makes it fascinating to consider Gov. Corzine's new push to expand -- and pay for -- full-day preschool. He wants about 100 districts that don't now provide it to 3- and 4-year-olds to offer it.

He also wants wealthier districts to offer it to their poorer children, with the state picking up the tab. Initial estimates talk about enrolling an additional 17,000 children. I suspect in the upcoming debate, different people will view the proposal through their own prisms. Those who see preschool as a status symbol may be bewildered about the state expanding it to poor areas. Those who view preschool as harmful may be alarmed. Those whose children need it desperately may not believe this wondrous turn of events.

Most of the political wrangling will involve money, of course. But behind the words will be those very different -- warring, almost -- opinions about preschool. They'll give this debate an extra emotional punch.