By Lisa Fine
As public support and awareness of the importance of preschool grows at the federal, state and local level, there is a debate in the early childhood education world over how to achieve “universal preschool” and what form it should take.
In San Francisco, “universal preschool” means access to free or reduced-cost slots in preschools for 4-year-olds based on family income. In New York City, it’s a new program that aims to give preschool seats to all 4-year-olds regardless of income. In Seattle, voters just approved a measure to raise taxes to subsidize slots for lower income 3- and 4-year-olds…