Corzine's education
legacy
EDITORIAL, On the
Web, August 7, 2008
Posted gaypasg August
10, 2008
GOVERNOR Corzine is best known for
his efforts to put the state's finances in order and deal with its staggering
debt. But his most lasting legacy may be felt in New Jersey's preschool
classrooms.
Corzine's expansion of state-funded preschool programs to reach all low-income
children is nothing less than an educational milestone.
The campaign for universal preschool is a national movement, and New Jersey is
considered a model, thanks to its long-established full-day programs for 3- and
4-year-olds in the Abbott districts, the state's neediest. Corzine's
phased-in expansion, which begins in September, will eventually offer preschool
to any low-income child in public school across the state.
Eligibility will be based on whether a child qualifies for free or reduced-price
lunches. A few non-Abbott districts will start preschool classes this
year, and all others have been asked to plan to begin a year from now.
It's a huge undertaking, and tens of thousands of children will benefit.
In North Jersey, Clifton, Hackensack and Englewood are among the districts
pursuing plans for comprehensive programs. Clifton, for example, expects
that almost 400 children eventually will participate as the program is phased in
over the next six years. Districts can decide to have their own classes or
work with private preschool or Head Start programs. The classes must be
full-day, limited in size and taught by certified teachers using a
state-approved curriculum.
No child should be denied the strong foundation that quality preschool provides.
Most educators and many business leaders now believe that preschool is just as
essential as kindergarten -- if not more so.
It is shocking to realize that some districts in this state still do not have
full-day kindergarten, much less any form of preschool. They are doing
their students a disservice.
Decades of research have repeatedly shown that preschool instruction leads to
substantial gains in language, reading and math, as well as higher test scores
later on. Children from preschool are generally better behaved in
kindergarten, more ready to learn, and more comfortable, curious and
cooperative. They have already been exposed to books, numbers, vocabulary,
music, art, sharing, taking turns, asking questions and solving problems.
They've been screened for learning disabilities that can be addressed early.
Ask any first-grade teacher how hard it can be to work with a child who has no
previous classroom experience and how much time is lost. Preschool
provides so many benefits, in fact, that early-childhood educators say some
young students will fall behind their peers and never catch up without it.
In recent years, brain research has shown that a child's earliest years are
ideal -- in fact designed -- for learning, and that preschool offers a unique
opportunity that may not come again.
No doubt, some districts will grumble that they are being asked to do too much.
But they are mistaken. They could hardly do anything better for their
students than provide them with a quality preschool experience. The state
will pay the cost of preschool for any low-income student, so money is less of
an issue.
For most middle-class children, some form of preschool is a given, whether it's
day care, nursery school, Montessori or a community program. For many
children from poor families, the first classroom they enter is kindergarten, and
they may already be far behind.
That's why Corzine's preschool expansion is one of his most important
achievements as governor. Quality preschool is the single best investment
we can make in later educational success.
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