Why is the solution in D.C. always “give it more money”?

Despite having massive, growing national debt and running a huge fiscal deficit, President Obama has stated that he intends to expand the Head Start program by $55 billion (yes, that’s with a B) to spend a total of $75 billion in order to make preschool free for all four year olds.

Uh… why?

Let’s look at the facts.  Despite shoveling money at Head Start, HHS itself has admitted that its effects are largely temporary on a child’s education.  By the end of third grade, there is no measurable difference between a child who went through Head Start and one who didn’t.  (The HHS study links are here – in order to view them, you must have Adobe installed, since they are in spreadsheet form.  If you don’t have Adobe, the Heritage Foundation has a very good summary, complete with reference footnotes from the study.)

So, what was the point of this government spending, if the government itself can’t even prove that preschool makes a difference?

I think there are two.  One is that people love “free” stuff.  With the economy in the doldrums, many families are constantly searching for child care.  Free preschool is just a glorified form of free child care.  What better way to keep people happy than giving them something for free?

The other point of having free early preschool is to get the children of America into the school system as early as possible.  As soon as you have a child in the public school system (as I do), the government knows where you live, what you qualify for, and how best to appeal to you in order for you to support ever-expanding government spending – it’s for the children!

Now, I have to talk about where Head Start and early preschool actually does make a huge difference.  That is in the area of special education.  When my son was initially diagnosed with a severe speech delay, we were referred to Early Intervention services (which, in my state, receives DSHS funding for each child that they serve, and is divided up by county).  Early Intervention ends at age 3, and then the school district takes over.  At that point, DSHS funding is only given depending on the child’s actual disability – and if the parents apply for it, which means that you divulge your income to the state, and they get to determine if you qualify for the funding.  Naturally, many parents don’t qualify, or decline to apply, which is why preschools have fundraisers.

Special education preschool was one of the best things to ever happen to my family.  For my son, it meant that he was getting solid, helpful support in a structured and stable setting.  For me, it meant that everything we were working on at home was being reinforced at school.  Experts keep telling parents how crucial early intervention is, especially when the child is so young and the brain is beginning to process concepts.  We found that to be true.  When we finally had an autism diagnosis for my son, he was almost five and had just finished his second year of preschool.  Even though it had taken a long time to get to the point of a diagnosis, I felt reasonably assured that we had done all we could have for him as far as early intervention and special education preschool were concerned.  This is a preschool system that works and makes a huge difference, because it is tailored to the needs of the kids it serves.

One of the most interesting things about preschool is the choice available.  Since one does not need to be a certified teacher, or join a union, or jump through massive government hoops in order to open and run a preschool, there is a wide open field of choice.  Parents have options.  They can choose a church-based or religious preschool.  They can choose one that follows certain teaching methods.  They can pick a co-op that has high parental involvement (often for a reduced tuition).  The choices are endless, and so are the tuition prices.  I would argue that paying tuition for preschool makes parents more savvy consumers when it comes to picking the school that will be best for their child.  It certainly has for me.

There is no desperate, driving “need” for universal, mandatory, free preschool at age 4.  So, why bother with throwing more money at it?  Because it’s “for the children,” it looks good and compassionate, and it gives the government the added bonus of access to children at earlier and earlier ages.

President Obama, if you truly wish to help out parents of young children, I’ve got a long (and I mean LONG) list of things that you can do.  Universal free preschool isn’t one of them.