Imagine that all children had access to free, high-quality preschool programs that promoted their mental, social, and physical development and prepared them for success in school and in life.

That seemed like a distant dream a few years ago, but several California efforts are now working to make preschool available for all children whose parents choose to send them:

• State and county First Five commissions are developing universal preschool projects.
• A current bill, AB 56 (Steinberg), would create a statewide pre-school system.
• The California Teachers Associ-ation and Rob Reiner are circulating a petition to put a universal preschool plan on the No-vember ballot.
• The nonprofits Preschool Califor-nia and Children Now are hosting discussions of preschool plans around the state.

Meanwhile, people now providing care and education for three- and four-year-olds are wondering where they will fit in. "It's going to affect us," says Tommie Hollis, of the Kern County African American Child Care Association, "but we don't know in what ways."

High hopes

"A lot of children will benefit" from universal preschool says Gayle Kelley, an Auburn family child care provider. "Every child should have [quality preschool], not just the affluent who can afford to pay."

In addition, "it's an opportunity to advance the entire child care and development field," says California First Five Executive Director Jane Henderson. Preschool professionals should be "educated and compensated at levels comparable to teachers in California's K-12 system," says a statement by Preschool California.

Rich resources

"We have a commitment to building on the current child care providers," says Amy Dominguez Arms, acting president of Children Now, "to utilize the rich resources we already have. These are the people interested and experienced in the field."

"The teachers aren't going to come out of nowhere," adds Gary Davis, a Steinberg staffer working on AB 56. "Thirty to 40 percent of the kids are in programs now. There are a lot of good programs out there."

With many ideas being discussed and no decisions yet made, current providers are asking some tough questions:

Who will meet the education requirements?

"The research shows that the better educated the teachers are, the better the program and the success of the children," says Davis. Many preschool advocates agree with Henderson that the "ultimate goal is that preschool teachers have a B.A."

That worries Kelley, who has an associate's degree and "thousands of hours" of classes. "I'm 55 years old," she says. "I've worked hard to get where I am. Where does that leave me?" Pollyanna Ramos, a preschool teacher in Arcata, fears a B.A. requirement would reduce cultural and language diversity.

Preschool planners, though, say high education requirements are necessary. "It's a system that will touch most children in California for generations to come," says Maryann O'Sullivan, executive director of Preschool California. She wants to help current providers meet the requirements with "scholarships, transportation, substitutes, classes at night and in communities, courses online-we have to be very creative."

Some plans, such as AB 56, would phase requirements in over five or 10 years. Still, says San Francisco Family Child Care Association President Rosie Kennedy, a four-year degree is "clearly unobtainable for many providers."

A future preschool system can include teachers with an A.A. and early childhood education credits, says Mich-ael Trujillo, preschool spokesperson for the CTA initiative. And since preschool will probably be a half-day program, he points out, providers would be needed for "wraparound care" at other hours, infant/toddler care, and private alternatives to public preschool.

Will family child care providers participate?

In the L.A. First Five pre-school system, "If family child care meets the standards and follows the curriculum, they would be able to provide this program," says First Five Pro-gram Officer Marci Arnovitz.

Family child care providers say they give children a small, warm environment that's better for some kids. Joann Shal-houb-Mejia of L.A.'s Hispanic Child Care Association points out that home-based providers often "care for children and prepare them for school in their native language" and familiar culture. Hollis adds that she has "ongoing contact" with families, so "they have another grandma/aunt person interested in that child."

On the other hand, Henderson argues, "Learning how to operate in a group setting is what parents want and it's key to K-12 success." Dolores Meade, deputy executive director of Options in L.A. County, agrees that preschoolers "need to develop social skills-raising your hand, waiting in line. Part of the shock of kindergarten is 'I'm part of a group of 20 and the teacher isn't responding to me right away.'"

Will the curriculum be appropriate?

All preschool planning aims for "developmentally appropriate" programs. Still, some early care and education providers are "concerned that standardized testing will trickle down," says Ramos. That could "turn kids off and make school intimidating."

"If a child didn't know their ABCs at three," Shalhoub-Mejia worries, "would we be labeling the child as delayed?"

Will current caregivers have input?

Early childhood professionals have many more questions: How would a half-day preschool program fit with working parents' need for child care? Would a public preschool system include the ethnic, language, and program diversity of current providers? Would it do a good job of including children with special needs? How would contracts with providers work? Would a universal preschool system draw funds away from health, family support, and infant/toddler care programs?

"One thing that needs to happen," says Stephanie Ratto, site supervisor in a Contra Costa child care center, "is that people working in the field right now need to have their voices heard." Both the AB 56 effort and L.A. First Five have included teachers and caregivers in planning groups and public hearings. And the discussions hosted by Preschool Califor-nia and Children Now, says O'Sullivan, "include a lot of participation by providers, parents, and the broader community that will benefit from preschool.

Who would be in charge?

The CTA initiative would provide funds for preschool to local school districts. In the first five years, the districts could either create preschool programs or contract with other providers. After that, all preschool staff would be school district employees and no new contracts would be given.

AB 56 would provide funds to local school districts, and possibly other local agencies, who would choose whether to provide the programs or contract them out.

Los Angeles First Five will contract with providers to deliver the preschool program.

Resources

• Preschool California: 510-271-0075, www.preschoolcalifornia.org
• Children Now: 510-763-2444, www.childrennow.org
• AB 56/Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg: 916-319-2009
• California First Five: 916-323-0056
• Los Angeles First Five: 213-482-5902, www.prop10.org