Kirp lauds benefits of investing in preschool

“Learning builds on learning,” he said. “What happens early on becomes a platform for later learning. What’s happening in terms of brain development at age 0 to 4 is enormous, and so it really is a period in which one can [make a difference].”

Kirp, who authored “The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics,” gave a joint lecture with Stanley Katz, the faculty chair of the University’s undergraduate program, to a small group of community members and students.

The talk centered on the politically and historically overlooked importance of preschool education for children’s development.

Increasingly more data support the long-term benefits of better preschool programs, Kirp said. During his research on early educational institutions around the country, he spoke with teachers, parents and young students in an effort to understand what makes preschool effective.

“You want small classes — no larger than 18 or 20 — with a college-degree certified teacher in early education and a teacher’s aide,” Kirp said. “You want something called a curriculum, by which one doesn’t mean an ABC curriculum or a No Child Left Behind curriculum, but what’s sometimes called a purposeful play-based curriculum.”

Advocates for preschool reform, however, face a lack of initiative on the part of politicians to enact any sort of real change in the system, Kirp said. Most political leaders aren’t focused on the betterment of preschools because it’s not seen as an important issue to voters, he added. If any progress is made, Kirp said, it’s usually in the number of kids enrolled rather than in the quality of the education they receive.

“If you’re a politician, you are in the business of acclaiming credit,” Kirp said. “The concern is that what you get are numbers.”

Despite the failures of various childcare programs during the Clinton and Bush presidencies, Kirp said he is hopeful for what the next administration will try to implement.

“The Republicans have been strangely silent,” he said. “[But] Hillary Clinton, as I said, talks about a $10 billion commitment, [and Barack] Obama talks about kids-first politics.”

While Jesse Rothstein, economics and Wilson School assistant professor and a former student of Kirp’s, also believes the topic is an important one, he does not expect preschool education to play as big a role in future politics.

“I think it’s a very impressive topic,” Rothstein said. “It’s an important topic, and it’s one of the hot topics these days. Do I think the candidates are going to talk about it in debates? Probably not. But do I think it’s going to be one of the more important policy questions? Yes.”

The lecture was sponsored by the Wilson School.