Dear Editor,
Any suggestion that California’s preschools on the whole are “perfectly well-run” or working “pretty well” (“Preschool for All?”, May 26) falls short on the facts. Only 20 percent of California kids attend a high-quality preschool. Low- and middle-income families are hardest hit. Low-income families are often stuck on long waiting lists for publicly-funded programs, while middle-class families aren’t eligible for programs like Head Start, but can’t afford the high cost of a quality preschool.
Prop. 82 the “Preschool for All Act” will give all kids the same chance to attend a quality preschool. It requires preschools to meet nationally-recognized standards, such as qualified teachers and small class sizes. And it ensures that parents can choose the public or private program that best meets their needs.
We’ll all be better off if more kids go to quality preschools. Decades of research show that attending quality preschool helps kids succeed in school and stay away from crime later. The nonpartisan RAND Corporation estimates that universal preschool would cut juvenile crime 19 percent, and reduce high school dropouts 14 percent. Please join me, the California State Sheriffs’ Association and the California Police Chiefs Association in supporting Prop. 82.
Curtis J. Hill, San Benito County Sheriff-Coroner
