Universal Preschool: “Investing” Versus “Spending”

Among the pieces of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion package of social programs is a big “investment” in preschool education.  I think preschool education is really important.¹  When our children were little, we sent them to a local Montessori school starting when they were three years old.  We kept our daughter there until first grade, even though there was a public kindergarten, and we kept our son there until third grade.  We were more than happy to use our own money for our kids’ education, whether you call it “investment” or not.

What I am concerned about, however, when it comes to the Democrats’ plan for universal preschool is whether it is going to be “investment” in children or “spending” for more public education bureaucracy and staffing, etc.

Good preschool education is fantastic.  That is why we spent so much time figuring out where to send our children.  We researched the alternatives and picked what we thought was the best Montessori school in our area.  Then we “invested” in it.

Many of the preschool options available back then were little more than a place to send your kids; day care, in effect, for three- and four-year olds.  That is still true today.  This is not to denigrate day care.  Day care serves an important function for many parents.

The key, however, is to understand the difference between “spending” on child care and “investing” in education.  Which is what I worry about when I see Democrats proposing a massive program of universal preschool.  While the intention may be good, we must be careful to get the “investment” we are promised, not the mere “spending” we see too much of in schooling today.
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¹ See here and here.