Editor’s note: Wellesley Middle School Social Studies students as part of a Civics Action Projects has this week taken over The Swellesley Report‘s letters-to-the-editor page. The students are well-versed in their topics, have carefully researched all angles, and are ready to present their opinions to the community. Thank you to the WMS Social Studies teachers for organizing this community-based project.
To the editor:
Is spending more money for your kid to get babysat in the basement of a church than on groceries a good idea? We don’t think so. Pre-K can cost up to $1k a month per child. This can be a lot of money for families who want their kids, or kids, to get an early education. Pre-K has always had a significant barrier because of this dilemma—pre-K can cost more than going to an in-state college. Pre-K is a great place for kids ages 4-5 to make friends and learn numerous cognitive skills, but it is unfair that so many kids never get this opportunity. We know that some people don’t want to spend a lot of their income on pre-K, so we suggest a sliding scale payment system, which means that parents who make less than a certain amount pay less. Parents who make more than a certain amount of money pay more. This method is used for college tuition at Notre Dame, for example. This allows more people to attend school and get a good education, while not being blocked off by high prices that may have otherwise prevented them from attending. We think that this is a fair way for kids to get an opportunity to learn in pre-K that won’t break the bank.
Pre-K is integral to a child’s development and helps children learn to socialize, interact, and communicate with others, among other valuable skills. According to New York City public schools, the five key parts of a child’s development are learned in the preschool classroom. This includes early social and emotional skills, such as sharing, solving social problems, and expressing and managing feelings. Learning skills such as imaginative thinking and persistence, pre-reading and writing skills, such as understanding that letters have meaning and can be combined to form words, and that reading and writing can be used to share information and ideas. Early math skills, such as learning about numbers, shapes, sorting, and patterns. Physical strength and coordination skills, such as running and using paint brushes and crayons are all skills taught and nurtured in a pre-K environment. Universal free pre-K would mean that any child could benefit from the positive effects of pre-K without being constrained by price or accessibility. Who doesn’t want their child to have an early start at social and emotional skills?
Preschool is inaccessible to many people who cannot bear the financial burden. With a shocking average cost of $15,362 per year, only about 6.7% of our youth attend a pre-K education system according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In a personal interview with a Wellesley Middle School English teacher, the teacher said they pay $5,718 monthly, with an additional cost of diapers, for her child to attend pre-K.
Our society’s youngest children deserve an early education. They are our future, and it is baffling how Massachusetts, often ranked #1 in education, has such low percentages of children attending preschool, and yet such high costs for an early education.
Children who attend preschool are much more likely to attend college, graduate from high school, take the SAT, and have fewer behavioral issues later on, fewer suspensions, fewer absences, and fewer legal-system problems, for example. According to a 2021 study by the National Institute for Early Education Research, children without access to high-quality early childhood education programs are 25% more likely to drop out of school and 60% more likely to not go to college. The ripple effects of this lost potential extend far beyond the individual, impacting society as a whole. The implementation of a universal pre-K program could allow for long-term benefits for any child who could attend, according to the Parent Institute For Quality Education.
Having an early education for our youngest children is essential and exceedingly important. It should not cost an arm and a leg to simply give your child a head start to education. Preschool shapes a child’s future and should be accessible to all.
Brendan Manning
