Most of the problems with education in America stem from the fact that children are not prepared with the skills they need to enter kindergarten. Public education in America beings at around age five when students enter kindergarten, but the most crucial time for development in a child is birth to age five. The issue of not getting a quality early childhood education continues to grow across New Jersey, and even more so in low income areas. The Obama Administration recognizes the problem and promises to support children in their most crucial period of development. Although the government sees kindergarten readiness as a problem, more needs to be done to help solve the issue.In order to form a basic framework to develop a statewide public preschool program, New Jersey government officials should draft legislation initiating a pilot program. Children that come from low income families would be given the opportunity to go to preschool and not be as behind when they enter kindergarten. New Jersey can start this program in lower income areas such as Newark and Plainfield. If proven successful, this policy can be implemented in more areas, and eventually go statewide.
The impact of this project will be measured by kindergarten readiness skills. After attending these pilot "free preschool" programs, students will be tested to see if they are more ready for kindergarten, compared to students who did not attend preschool. They will also be compared to students who attended private preschools.
