GOP wants to leave young children behind

Wisconsin Republicans are sharpening their axes to kill off kindergarten for 4-year-olds in the state.

Cory Liebmann thinks a new "task force" named by Speaker John Gard may already know its conclusions before it starts a "study" of 4-K. He certainly offers plenty of evidence that the GOP is out to kill the program, including past votes and even a resolution passed at last weekend's state wingnut convention.

For some reason, there is right-wing resistance to early childhood education, even though both common sense and experience tell us those programs pay both short-term and long-range benefits. The long battle over Head Start, which has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on the lives of children who participate in the program, is an example. "Is our children learning?" the President wants to know, or is they just getting some breakfast?

In Wisconsin, the Dept. of Public Instruction has released a report, cited by Liebmann, which tries to offer a cost-benefit analysis on preschool and early kindergarten programs. But how do you attach a value to the findings that kids who go through the programs are less likely to commit crimes or go on welfare, and more likely to succeed and become taxpaying members of the community?

Gard and Co., in their zeal to squeeze every nickel out of the budget, continue to target education and early childhood programs. If they persist and cut or end those programs, they will truly be leaving many children behind.