Submitted by Venetia, Feb 29, 2008 15:02

No one can dispute that the nation's public school systems, for the most part, do a good job educating our elementary thru college children. However, many studies have shown that the public school system does not have the experience, facilities or number of teachers qualified for pre-K and most Kindergarten programs. P-3 (preschool to 3rd grade) teacher certifications and licenses do not necessarily certify or qualify teachers to mold, inspire and teach preschoolers. Children ages three to six years have special needs and very different ways of learning. Private ( either non-profit or corporately-owned) schools do a much better job of holistically educating the preschool child. Their training is focused on this age group; the centers/schools only enroll this age group; most centers provide wrap-around care for young children; most centers provide infant/toddler care as well. Longitudinally based data published by the National Child Care Association (NCCA), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission (NECPA), corroborated by many early childhood state associations, back up this theory as fact. Privately educated preschool and kindergarten children transitioning to either public or private elementary schools do as well, if not better, than their peers promoted from public pre-k classrooms.

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