Military families shut out of state-funded preschools
Assembly Member Lori Saldaña
April 29, 2007
Access to a quality preschool education has a considerable and lasting impact on any child’s academic career.
According to a 2005 study by the Rand Corporation, children provided with one year of high-quality voluntary preschool are projected to reduce the annual number of children statewide held back a grade by 14,000. The same study estimates that 63,000 fewer children each year will need special education and 10,000 fewer students will drop out of high-school.
And for every $1 spent on universal preschool, the state will save or receive an estimated return of $2.67.
There are approximately 20,000 preschool-age children of active-duty military personnel in California. For years, because of the low salaries paid to many enlisted service members, their dependents qualified for the state’s free preschool program.
But in the last few years, the military has moved to public-private partnerships with development and management companies in an effort to improve the quality of housing for service members and their families. While this change has resulted in better living conditions for military personnel, it also resulted in a change in accounting that has cut off financially distressed military families from access to much-needed free preschool programs.
The basic housing allowance, which was never a component of a service member’s income when the military had sole responsibility for housing, now appears as income. This allowance goes directly to the housing management company. It is never in the hands or bank account of service members or their families. Nevertheless, the state counts the housing allowance as income and, in many cases, sees the dependent as ineligible for state-funded free preschool.
Bay Point Preschool in Point Loma stands about two-thirds empty because the state claims that service members in the adjacent military housing complex make too much money. Silver Strand in Coronado may have to close its preschool for the same reason.
Frustrated parents don’t understand why, when they have to turn to military assistance organizations for help with food and utility bills, California believes they make too much money to qualify for state-funded preschool.
Keep in mind that, as of January 2007, the lowest ranking service members make about $1300.00 per month.
Military families move an average of seven times in the course of their childrens’ K-12 school career, a fact of life in the military which can lead to social and educational setbacks that are difficult and expensive to remedy. The cognitive and social jumpstart provided by preschool can serve as a defense against constant relocation and interruptions in their school experience.
Earlier this year, I introduced AB 170, which would exclude the military housing allowance when considering eligibility for California’s free preschool program. This would allow a greater number of military families to take advantage of the free high-quality preschool programs funded by the state.
Preschool is one of the most effective and cost-efficient policy tools for addressing a number of persistent social problems, including those faced by the children of service men and women.
Many of these children are likely to remain in California and make their lives here. For our sake and for theirs, we need to make this important investment in their success.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this or any other legislation. For more information, please call my District Office at (619) 645-3090 or log onto my website www.assembly.ca.gov/saldana.
According to a 2005 study by the Rand Corporation, children provided with one year of high-quality voluntary preschool are projected to reduce the annual number of children statewide held back a grade by 14,000. The same study estimates that 63,000 fewer children each year will need special education and 10,000 fewer students will drop out of high-school.
And for every $1 spent on universal preschool, the state will save or receive an estimated return of $2.67.
There are approximately 20,000 preschool-age children of active-duty military personnel in California. For years, because of the low salaries paid to many enlisted service members, their dependents qualified for the state’s free preschool program.
But in the last few years, the military has moved to public-private partnerships with development and management companies in an effort to improve the quality of housing for service members and their families. While this change has resulted in better living conditions for military personnel, it also resulted in a change in accounting that has cut off financially distressed military families from access to much-needed free preschool programs.
The basic housing allowance, which was never a component of a service member’s income when the military had sole responsibility for housing, now appears as income. This allowance goes directly to the housing management company. It is never in the hands or bank account of service members or their families. Nevertheless, the state counts the housing allowance as income and, in many cases, sees the dependent as ineligible for state-funded free preschool.
Bay Point Preschool in Point Loma stands about two-thirds empty because the state claims that service members in the adjacent military housing complex make too much money. Silver Strand in Coronado may have to close its preschool for the same reason.
Frustrated parents don’t understand why, when they have to turn to military assistance organizations for help with food and utility bills, California believes they make too much money to qualify for state-funded preschool.
Keep in mind that, as of January 2007, the lowest ranking service members make about $1300.00 per month.
Military families move an average of seven times in the course of their childrens’ K-12 school career, a fact of life in the military which can lead to social and educational setbacks that are difficult and expensive to remedy. The cognitive and social jumpstart provided by preschool can serve as a defense against constant relocation and interruptions in their school experience.
Earlier this year, I introduced AB 170, which would exclude the military housing allowance when considering eligibility for California’s free preschool program. This would allow a greater number of military families to take advantage of the free high-quality preschool programs funded by the state.
Preschool is one of the most effective and cost-efficient policy tools for addressing a number of persistent social problems, including those faced by the children of service men and women.
Many of these children are likely to remain in California and make their lives here. For our sake and for theirs, we need to make this important investment in their success.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this or any other legislation. For more information, please call my District Office at (619) 645-3090 or log onto my website www.assembly.ca.gov/saldana.
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