The Right to Preschool: Once a Wartime Necessity, Now a Fundamental Step Towards Educational Equity

Authors

Alex Raskin

Abstract

The most vital time for cognitive development is the first five years of a child’s life, impacting everything from language skills to social and emotional abilities. This makes access to high-quality universal preschool a necessity, as increasingly more families are without stable childcare in America. Preschool tuition now averages $10,000 annually and without paid parental leave, millions of children are left without formal learning or adequate supervision before kindergarten. This disproportionately impacts Black and brown students and students with disabilities, while continuing cycles of poverty and the gender wage gap. The only time the U.S. government provided high-quality universal preschool was during World War II to encourage mothers to work in factories to support wartime efforts. This Note advocates for policy solutions to provide every child access to free preschool in the United States. The Note argues that investing in universal preschool benefits not only the child, but the entire family and society as a whole. The analysis highlights a feminist lens, a race-conscious lens, a disability centered lens, all under a greater critique of American capitalism. This Note proposes Congress use Title I funding to incentivize states to mandate K-12 public schools expand to include universal preschool in a P-12 system. Alternatively, the Note suggests bringing an equal protection claim on behalf of child-rearing parents against states that refuse to provide universal preschool. This Note also identifies other policy recommendations to incentivize teachers to become early child educators and increase outreach to families to dismantle systemic barriers to accessing preschool.

Recommended Citation

Alex Raskin, The Right to Preschool: Once a Wartime Necessity, Now a Fundamental Step Towards Educational Equity, 32 J. L. & Pol'y 199 (2024).
Available at: https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp/vol32/iss2/6