County-Level Estimates of the Effects of a Universal Preschool Program in California
Thanks to Rob Reiner, Californians will be voting this June on an initiative to bump up taxes on the rich to pay for universal pre-school. Judging by a new report from RAND, it sounds like a pretty good idea. Researchers estimate that pre-school for all would create lots of benefits down the road, including fewer kids who flunk a grade or end up in special education, more teenagers completing high school, and even fewer juvenile court cases. The study also breaks down the numbers by county, and finds that the liberal Bay Area (where a lot of the yes votes will probably come from) would benefit the least, mostly because kids already have high pre-school attendance rates. Ironically, the more conservative Central Valley (which may be less receptive to higher taxes) would benefit the most.
County-Level Estimates of the Effects of a Universal Preschool Program in California