Here we go. Many people, including the governor, say we need all-day kindergarten for all Indiana children. Now, this Indiana University report says we need a statewide program of pre-kindergarten:
A prekindergarten program educates preschool-aged children (typically 3- and 4-year-olds) with the explicit goal of improving school readiness. In 2004, 38 states offered publicly-funded prekindergarten programs, in part to address the same challenges that Indiana faces. Indiana is one of a handful of states that does not offer any funding for prekindergarten.
Where does this end? Maybe we need an ante-prekindergarten program so the government can make sure the kids are potty trained the right way. I've read some of the research on early childhood learning, and it makes sense; most of our ability to learn is pretty much set by the time we get to school. But public substitutes for parental obligations are a knee-jerk reaction not likely to be effective in the long run.
