Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Packard Foundation Considers Universal Preschool

Oct 28, 2002

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
( http://www.packard.org/ ) is looking into ways to
build public support for universal preschool in California
-- an expensive and controversial idea that could cost the
state an estimated $5 billion, or between $6,000 and
$12,000 a year per child, the San Jose Mercury News
reports.

The Los Altos-based Packard Foundation, which has seen its
endowment shrink from $13 billion to $3.8 billion over the
last three years, wouldn't finance such a system itself,
but instead would would work with the Philadelphia-based
Pew Charitable Trusts ( http://www.pewtrusts.com/ ), which
a year ago committed to fund research and advocacy projects
related to universal preschool, to build public support for
such a system. Packard is also considering efforts to build
statewide leadership around the issue, and would work with
existing initiatives in Los Angeles and in San Mateo County,
where it has already funded a universal preschool feasibil-
ity study.

"We would be providing financial support to key organiza-
tions that want to move this agenda forward," said Lois
Salisbury, director of the foundation's Children, Families,
and Communities Program. "We will look at what needs to be
done and look at who the players are."

There are an estimated 1.5 million children of preschool
age in California, a number that's expected to increase
gradually over the next twenty years. Studies show that
quality preschool helps children build the academic,
social, and emotional skills needed to succeed in school,
and can prevent learning problems and delinquent behavior
in older children, particularly those from low-income
families. Still, some experts question a strategy that
requires significant amounts of public money for three-
and four-year-olds, when brain development research shows
that children need support and nurturing from infancy in
order to develop good academic and social skills.

Packard's Salisbury sees it differently. "We don't believe
this is a decision to rob Peter to pay Paul," she said.
"The public is much more ready to think about supporting
the early education of three- and four-year-olds in
preschool than they are to think about what it takes to
support infants and toddlers. The strategic thinking is:
The way to get to the whole challenge is to start with
three- and four-year-olds."

Corcoran, Katherine. "A Push for Preschool for All."
San Jose Mercury News 10/11/02.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/4260501.htm