In i of the virtually sweeping policy proposals in his Country of the Marriage address, President Barack Obama called for admission to high-quality preschool programs for "every child in America."

The touch the new proposal will accept on California and other states is far from clear. Obama said he wanted to piece of work with states to implement his preschool plan, but offered few details. Instead, he focused on studies that have shown the benefits provided by stiff early on childhood programs.

PK_crayons"Every dollar nosotros invest in high-quality early didactics can save more than 7 dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing tearing criminal offense," Obama said.

In a fact sheet released to accompany the speech, the White House explained that the president's plan would be focused on "all low- and moderate-income iv-year-old children." The fact sheet also said the administration would work "to incentivize" states to provide "total 24-hour interval kindergarten" rather than half day kindergarten, which is the norm in many states and districts.

What is not yet known is how many federal dollars will be bachelor for new preschool programs, where those dollars will come up from, and what states will demand to exercise to access them. It'due south non clear from the president's speech, for case, if states will have to compete for funding like they do in the administration's Race To The Top plan, the signature educational activity initiative of Obama'due south presidency.

"Really, the devil is in the details," said Camille Maben, executive manager of First v California, the statewide, voter-initiated commission to ameliorate programs for low-income children ages 0 to 5 years old. "If we have an opportunity to participate that would be corking."

Until more is known most the program, Maben said, information technology is hard to predict how California might accept function.

6 years ago, an effort to implement a universal preschool program in California failed when voters rejected Suggestion 82. The initiative would have provided preschool for all 4-year-olds, much as Obama chosen for on Tuesday.

In a statement released moments after Obama'due south address, State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson said the California Section of Pedagogy was gear up to cooperate.

"Nosotros look forrad to this new opportunity to partner with the Administration to give more children the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early teaching programs," Torlakson said.

Torlakson has pushed for restoring funding cutting from early childhood educational activity programs in nearly every statement he's released this twelvemonth in reaction to Gov. Jerry Dark-brown's education funding proposals. Brown's proposed upkeep for 2013-14 does not endeavour to undo deep funding cuts to early child intendance and teaching programs since the commencement of the Smashing Recession 5 years ago.

Responding to President Obama's speech communication, Long Beach Unified Schoolhouse Superintendent Chris Steinhauser said no matter how funding for the federal program is distributed, he will go after information technology, should information technology become available. A longtime champion of universal preschool, Steinhauser has led efforts to provide preschool to most students in his district. He said he was eager to see how the program might do good his district.

"We will be watching this develop very closely," he said in an interview.

Rather than accept the program dictated past Washington or Sacramento, Steinhauser would like to maintain the autonomy his commune has enjoyed thus far.

"Nosotros believe in local command," he said.

Obama called out ii states – Oklahoma and Georgia – that he considered exemplars for their investments in near-universal preschool for 4-year-olds.

Oklahoma served 74 percent of its four-twelvemonth-olds in land-funded preschool programs in 2011, and another 15 per centum in federally funded (and state-supplemented) Head Offset programs, according to the National Institute of Early Pedagogy Enquiry.

In contrast, California served 19 percent of its iv-year-olds in state-funded preschool programs and another 12 percent in federally funded Head Start programs in the same year. Approximately another third of California 4-twelvemonth-olds attend private preschools, according to an earlier RAND survey.

However, preschool abet Catherine Atkin of Preschool California said the state should be able to demonstrate that it is ready to movement forrad with a universal preschool plan. She pointed to the state's Race To The Top: Early Learning Challenge grant and the contempo implementation of transitional kindergarten as examples of steps California has taken in the right direction.

"We're well positioned to accept additional dollars and motion them in the correct manner towards early learning and outcomes in school," said Atkin.

The president also appear a new initiative to help high schools partner with colleges and employers and focus on science, technology, engineering and math programs. He rounded out the education policy portion of his speech with the announcement of a new college scorecard that is meant to measure "where yous tin can become the near blindside for your educational buck."

Kickoff 5 California's Maben said hearing the president talk virtually early on childhood education in such a high-profile speech was a win no thing what the specifics of the new program might be.

"Being mentioned is incredible and really practiced, most of all for children," Maben said. "It's bringing attention to what is a critical component of a child'due south life."

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