Kucinich Introduces Universal Pre-K Bill

[AnAmerican]

"Congressman Dennis Kucinich today introduced a bill to expand pre-kindergarten programs to ensure all children ages 3-5 have access to a high quality, full-day, full calendar year pre-kindergarten education. The bill would provide grants to states to implement statewide universal pre-K programs.
"By providing students with early educational opportunities we can help lay the foundation for future academic success," stated Kucinich, a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. "Our country has great wealth. Yet, we are constantly selling the youth of our nation short."

The new program, funded by state and federal money, will be free and voluntary for children and their parents. The bill supplements existing pre-K programs and provides for professional development of early childhood educators. Kucinich's bill has 31 congressional co-sponsors and has been endorsed by the Children's Defense Fund and the National Association for the Education of Young Children"


From his website -- No copyright issues

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AnAmerican]

2. Oh boy.....Just what I like

Someone getting tombstoned before 8AM :eyes:

[hippywife]

3. Just watch our thunder!!

I think there are a lot of folks in for a big surprise!! :)

[LWolf]

4. When Dennis says he wants to do something,

he takes action. People who are hearing his campaign speeches and thinking, "The candidates all make promises they won't or can't keep" don't realize that many of the things he's campaigning for president on will be legislation already introduced. When he says he wants to do something, he actually brings legislation to the house to do so. And he works in partnership with his fellow congresspeople to support and promote that legislation.

This piece of legislation is so much more important than many people realize. With all of the test score frenzy out there, what is never mentioned to the general public is this:

The single most significant predictor of a student's test scores is not teacher, school, curriculum, or instructional methodology used. It is the socio/economic/ed level of parents. Kids who come from more affluent homes receive more in the way of conversation, enrichment experiences, stories, etc. than do kids from poor environments. Five years of more brain stimulation, more neural connections being formed...or not. When kids begin school in K at age 5, they are already significantly behind in forming the neural connections that lead to academic success.

Getting them into an enriched environment earlier in their life is crucial to truly addressing the achievement gap.

[diamondsoul]

6. That is one of the things I genuinely LOVE

about Dennis. This is not a man of all words no action, he actually steps up and DOES something about it. I had hoped that his showing the copy of his healthcare bill at the debate would prove that to a few people, but so far I have't heard much about it.

[JohnKleeb]

7. I was so pleased to see this

Thanks An American for posting this, only reinforcing my support for this great man. Just goes to show you what hes all about. Also I think this is a terrific idea. Kudos to Dennis. One has to wonder with all he does why isnt he doing well in the polls.

[genius]

20. Dennis is the best on kids issues.

And it's great to see so many kids involved in his campaign.

[JohnKleeb]

5. Now tell me why I should be supporting your candiate name here other than

Kucinich.
He is so dead on this, my brother could be helped out by this, not my annoying one lol but my baby brother who is 2. Dennis god bless your soul, you have such great heart and know where you came from. I will always wear my Kucinich buttons with great pride and I will be proud to say I supported him early on well the draft Kucinich people could say that better than I.

[Desertrose]

8. Ya gotta start em off right as little bitty youngun's

....and Dennis is so right....
....and he's not simply all talk...he gets things done...

No one better IMHO...

GO Dennis!!

:hi: AnAmerican

:loveya: & Peace
DR

[JohnKleeb]

9. this will make the nation smarter which one of the reasons I love the idea

That legislation sure could do a lot of good.

[OrAnarch]

10. This Bill sucks...

Dennis may have best intentions at heart, but if I recall childhood development education, the empiracal evidence suggested pre-K education had a negative impact on early childhood education in grades K-6, whereas non-education day care children proved to be far more receptive to learning and scored better on tests throughout primary education (better than control group with neither and pre-K group). I wish I had the studies on hand but that was a year ago Ive seen all that. Ill dig up if anyone's intrested.

Sounds good...NAFTA sounded good to some people. Lots of things sound good to the masses. The Iraq War sounded good to a lot of people. I don't know if I want to have a president who has policy based on Utopian ideas that sound good, rather than the empiracal facts surrounding a subject to provide a utilitarian solution. Not bashing Dennis...just food for thought.


Another thought besides the empiracal evidence.....

How early do we want our children reciting the Pledge of Allegience to the Reich and Joining Bush Youth programs anyway, to learn more and become more productive citizens in the New American Century? Let the kids chill out a bit and at least develop some form of mental protection before they get pounded with propaganda about how we defeated the Tourists of Al Queda and established ourself as the only nation God happened to Bless. :)

[JohnKleeb]

11. I will try to understand

but social security was a good idea doubted by some so was the GI bill.

[OrAnarch]

12. yes...

But was there direct empiracal evidence stating that Social Security wouldn't work? No. In this case, there is direct evidence linking too-early education to diminished preformance K-6. Ill have to find the studies obviously.


Thats just my point...there is proof this will not help out the kids. Something which Dennis probably wasn't aware of, along with the supporters. I was very surprized when learning this BTW. Sounding like a good idea isn't enough when it comes to something provable about our children's education. Before developing policy on something that is more or less a science, that science needs to be studied.


Of course, I may of only been reading a handful or studies designed in such books to convey one point of view, when there may be many others showing a difference. In such case, I could be right or wrong, and perhaps there is no answer with conflicting studies. In such case, are we so stupid now that starting when we are 3 will help us oh-so much more? Is there any time to be a child in life? Is what we are doing not working for anyone? OR is it more, individuals it doesn't work for are simply not given equal conditions, in which case, a different approach, such as imporoving children's early conditions, should be addressed instead of education.

[diamondsoul]

13. Hang on, the program in Kucinch's bill is voluntary

Not mandated. IOW, whether and when the child is enrolled depends on the parents.

I have to wonder about your "empirical evidence", no offense meant, (without a starting point I wouldn't know where to look for it) but if it existed why would Head Start have proven to be such a success? Wouldn't any evidence supporting what you've said also negate Head Start's apparent postive outcomes?

[OrAnarch]

14. ahh...

Not mandated...much better.


Head Start...Well....it goes like this. All assumptions. Parent's who are likely to create a positive learning environment are more likely to enroll their children in such programs, and it is not the program that cause the advantage per se (if there is one), but rather the positive nuturing environment created by the parents. Correlation doesn't require a relationship, but only suggests such. We'd never know unless you randomly took kids and ran a long term study, etc.

BTW, cant remember who did the studies. Spitz may of been involved but I simply don't have it on hand.


Also, one thing that would appeal to me about it, aside from my dissaproval of the education based thing, is simply the daycare aspect. Its so expensive to have kids looked after for families that cannot have one parent stay home all day. So I admit that that in itself, alone, would be a great addition.

[diamondsoul]

18. Always remember to read the fine print. ;D

I think the daycare aspect combined with the nurturing of a love of learning is what makes the entire proposal appeal to me. I have to profess a personal observation about Kucinich-

He doesn't seem to be one for turning our children into automatons. Each time I've heard him speak of or to our youth, it's the same thing, "You have the right and the ability to form your own opinions and express them.". I have not seen or heard that encouragement to young people from any other politician that I can readily recall.

As I posted to my blog, children can identify with some of Kucinich's platform, and there is a reason for that. Because they matter to him.

"He wants people to stop hurting each other."- out of the mouths of babes. They know what's important, and they realize HE knows the same things.

[LWolf]

15. Empirical evidence?

I'm not sure which evidence you are referring to, but....

This proposal does not say what the kids will actually be doing in preschool, does it? It sounds like you define preK as a particular sort of philosophy or curriculum. More drill and kill at a younger age, or??

Where as I defined it as developmentally appropriate enrichment...things that many kids aren't getting before they start K right now:

Attention and conversation
stories
crayons and paper
making things

etc, etc, etc,; all kinds of things that nurture growth. If they use available research about what kinds of environment and activities help the very young child to thrive, it will be a great thing.

[sandnsea]

16. Yes, that's PK 'education'

I'm sure DK knows that. They're also the exact activitites Bush is against with Head Start. If children aren't spewing out their ABC's, they must not be learning. :eyes:

[genius]

17. Good for Dennis. He's the best candidate

Why settle for less?

[genius]

19. Dennis has the best priorities of any of the candidates.

There will only be funding for this if we cut the military budget by getting rid of useless programs like Star Wars. I'm glad Dennis will be in charge of the economy after 2004.