Pre-K Education For All: The Right Investment?

In Gov. Deval Patrick's State of the Commonwealth address last month, he declared that we must "ensure that every child in Massachusetts has access to high-quality early education." President Barack Obama echoed that effort in his State of the Union speech last week, claiming that "every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime."

The proposals have some wondering where these investment dollars going to come from and whether or not early childhood education is the right investment for the country during this time of economic uneasiness. Others are concerned about the very definition of "high-quality" and the divide that this proposal might create within the preschool community itself.

Amy O'Leary, Director of the "Early Education for All" campaign at Strategies for Children

Jim Stergios, Executive Director for The Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based public policy think tank

Barbara Beatty, Professor of Education at Wellesley College and author of the book, "Preschool Education in America"