Gail Collins' column "Power to the Preschoolers", published last Thursday, emphasized the importance of investing in prekindergarten while noting the challenges that the President's Early Learning Initiative may face moving forward. Collins alluded to the previous day's "Tweetchat" generating support for prekindergarten, which was organized by National Women's Law Center.
Gail Collins' column "Power to the Preschoolers", published last Thursday, emphasized the importance of investing in prekindergarten while noting the challenges that the President's Early Learning Initiative may face moving forward. Collins alluded to the previous day's "Tweetchat" generating support for prekindergarten, which was organized by National Women's Law Center. She was not the only one following the Tweetchat — it successfully placed "#PreKForAll" on the computer screens of 40 million Twitter users. The hashtag (#PreKForAll) trended nationally for almost an hour, garnering tweets from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a number of members of Congress, and President Obama.
Collins' column prompted an overwhelmingly supportive response among her readers on the issue of early education. The feedback in the Times comments section was largely positive, with commenters citing the benefits that early learning opportunities grant children and society. Commenters fondly recalled their own experiences with early education, suggested strategies to fund the investment, and struggled to make sense of the opposition’s concerns.
"Why is it such a struggle for kids to be fed and educated in the richest country in the world?" asked reader Janice Badger Nelson.
"To deny poor children an education is to lessen the chances of new Einsteins, authors, doctors or other great minds," wrote commenter "Eddie."
While the ages, hometowns, and backgrounds of those weighing in varied, the majority of commenters reflected similar viewpoints concerning education: all children deserve access to the high-quality early learning programs that will allow them to thrive in the classroom and beyond.
Collins stressed the significance of taking the next step to ensure that prekindergarten becomes a reality for the millions of children who could benefit from a high-quality early learning experience. She called for an "enormous groundswell of public demand" to provide Congress the push it needs to finally grant America's youngest children the strong start they deserve. It is up to us to make that happen.