Targeted, Not Universal PreK

Overview & Synopsis

It would be wrong for the United States to provide universal prekindergarten education for three reasons. First, the overwhelming majority of three- and four-year-olds already have access to various forms of preschool. Adding a publicly financed program would be costly and unnecessary. Second, a universal program still would not reach the neediest children. And third, the suggested models don't focus on the skills necessary for effective school-readiness programs. The money that would have been spent on universal prekindergarten should instead be spent on innovation and experimentation to discover what must be done to make preK programs succeed.