Should everyone be able to go preschool?

Summary of Article: This week, in President Obama's State of the Union address, he proposed to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America.” Click here for Article on how he wants to do this.

Discussion Outline:

• When do most kids start going to preschool for the first time in our neighborhood? What do they do at school? (Art projects, songs, playing, etc.)
• While it may seem like this is just playing all day long, actually even kids as young as 2 or 3 in preschool are observing and absorbing information. Studies have found that these kids end up doing better in school when they are older than kids who didn't get to go to school. 
• Right now, only 28% of kids age 4, who come from poor families in America, go to preschool. It is because preschool is not free in most states. President Obama wants to change that and make preschool available for all kids. 
• What are some things that will make this hard? (Need money, good teachers--both hard to get).
• Why is this a good idea for those 4 year old kids? (Give them a leg up, many come from homes where no one reads them books or sings ABCs to them. They will become stronger learners this way). 
• What is the most important thing you learn/learned in school when you are/were 4 years old?