Prekindergarten programs state vs. private options

This post will be short because I am very much interested in how our blog-followers feel about this topic. It is a subject that came up at our monthly Directors gathering and sparked strong opinions and feelings.

In our state of Connecticut, we are struggling with the ability to offer quality preschool programming toALL children. For years and multiple administrations, our state and local governments have attempted to improve this issue. It seems as though space, funding, staffing, and adequate management systems have always been the challenges in beginning to improve this situation.

At this particular meeting today, there seemed to be a huge concern over state/local government providing preschool/Pre-K programs in public schools, magnet schools, charter schools etc. that do not have to follow the same state regulatory processes and guidelines and/or national accreditation standards that private programs do.

For some towns, there is a growing number of quality private programs that are loosing families and students to town and state run programs. Some folks feel that these state/town run programs do not offer quality based on large class sizes, less teacher supervision, less quality of instruction, poor curriculum and expectations that are not age-appropriate. What these town/state program can offer is a much lower cost. In our current economic state, many families are looking at cost as a determining factor. The fear from some privately run centers are that their programs are going to begin to dwindle.

What are your thoughts on this issue…would love to hear from both sides…private centers as well as town/state run programs???