GUILDERLAND — Jenn O’Connor has won a national award for her work advocating pre-kindergarten schooling.
"We would love to see universal pre-K," she said on Friday.
O’Connor, who recently moved to Guilderland from Washington, D.C., works as a senior policy associate for the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy in Albany. The not-for-profit organization, she said, is dedicated to improving the economics and health of low- to moderate-income people and is one of four conveners of "Winning Beginning New York," a statewide coalition that has proposed legislation to improve early education.
Winning Beginning New York was given the national "Pre-K Champion" award for successfully advocating expansion of state-funded pre-kindergarten programs.

The award was presented by Pre-K Now, a national group, in the Capitol Building.
"We secured $146 million in the governor’s budget for universal pre-K," said O’Connor.
"There are 700-odd school districts in the state. Any that want to start a pre-K program are eligible for that money," she said, explaining it will be awarded on a per-child basis, according to a formula that takes into account a school district’s wealth. "We would like to see every school district offer this," said O’Connor.

Right now, she said, the allocation is for a two-and-a-half-hour day, which makes it hard for parents, especially working parents, to arrange.
"We would like to see full-day [programs] for 4-year-olds and phase in the 3-year-olds as well," said O’Connor.
She went on, "Sixty percent of New York State pre-kindergarten takes place in child-care centers. We believe in ramping those up to be sure they’re providing quality environments."

Ready to Learn Act

While in Washington, O’Connor spoke briefly with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and at length with Clinton’s staff. Two weeks ago, Clinton, with Senator Kit Bond, a Republican from Missouri, introduced the Ready to Learn Act, which would create a grant program under the Department of Education that would fund early childhood programs to promote school readiness.

While some business lobbies and teachers’ unions have backed pre-K education, social conservatives have opposed the movement, stating children are best cared for at home. Others have balked at the expense, and last year, a universal pre-school initiative in California was defeated at the polls.
"Investing in voluntary universal pre-kindergarten education allows our children to arrive at school ready to learn and saves money in the long run," said Clinton in a statement. "For every one dollar we spend on early childhood education, we reap seven dollars as a society," said Clinton, adding such support should be a top national priority.

O’Connor said Clinton’s reference to one dollar now saving seven later is a well-accepted formulation.

She cited a report prepared by Clive R. Belfield of Columbia University’s Teachers College for the Center for Early Care and Education, a collaboration of the Schuyler Center and Child Care, Inc.
Belfield estimates conservatively that "medium-term benefits" of early childhood education — reducing the incidence of special education, preventing grade repetition, improving educational productivity, and enhancing children’s well being — save the state from $2,591 to $9,547 per child.
"For each age cohort," he writes, "there will be present value cost-savings of between $555 million and $828 million over the period K-12."

Long-term benefits for the child include a higher likelihood of high-school graduation and college enrollment, higher wages and employment probability, and lower rates of teen pregnancy and delinquency, Belfield states.

The long-term benefits for the society and the economy, Belfield writes, include increased income-tax revenues, lower welfare dependence, and reductions in crime.
"Broadly, we can think of these benefits as ones that should be created by equipping citizens with a ‘sound basic education,’ " writes Belfield, referring to a phrase New York’s highest court used in interpreting what the state’s constitution requires. "Such an education not only improves the economic well-being of the individual child, but it has broader impacts for citizens across the state.
"Individuals may participate more in civic and social activities (e.g. voting or joining volunteer groups); and these may enhance the quality of life in the community."
"An efficient way"

O’Connor, who was raised in Syracuse, attended nursery school 30 years ago at age 4.
"Much of brain development takes place before age 5," she said. "So the sooner you can get kids into quality programs, the better."
Asked if a home environment couldn’t be equally beneficial for young children, O’Connor said, "We certainly believe nothing replaces the family, and education begins at home."

But, she went on to say, so many parents work outside the home now that quality pre-kindergarten programs are needed. She said an ideal program would be like New York’s kindergarten is now, where schools offer it but parents have a choice about whether or not their children attend.
"We believe very strongly in parental choice," she said.
"We’ll be cautious this year," she concluded. "We’ll be talking to the governor’s office and the legislature...We want to make sure it’s implemented in an efficient way."