CA: Penalty of Law
In lock-step with the California Teachers Association, and marching to the beat of the do-it-for-the-global-economy-and-new-world-order drum, California Assembly Member Gene Mullin (Democrat, South San Francisco) introduced the heinous Assembly Bill 1236: Kindergarten Readiness Act that will be heard on Wednesday, April 25th before the Assembly Committee on Education.
AB 1236: The bill…
- Makes full-time Kindergarten mandatory under penalty of law for children who turn 5 years of age by September 1st of any given school year beginning in 2011. The state is going to force parents of little, tiny kids to put them in school. When did we all agree that the state should have the responsibility for educating our babies? How can anyone in a free nation go along with the idea of forced government schooling of defenseless and vulnerable children? Where’s the freedom and liberty in that?
- In direct opposition to the will of the people of California who voted against Prop 82 – The Universal Preschool Initiative in June of 2006, AB 1236 Requires school districts to offer Kindergarten Readiness classes (also known as universal preschool) for all children one year before they are enrolled in kindergarten. While these preschool classes will be offered as voluntary at first, mandatory preschool is the next specious step.
The minimum school day for 4- and 5- year-olds in kindergarten readiness classes and kindergartens will be 3-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week! This time is to be filled with state-concocted, developmentally inappropriate, rigorous academic content standards for both kindergarten and preschool programs in math and literacy. The bill requires assessment (also known as testing) of tots!
The push to detain young children in preschool and kindergarten is driven by imprudent and corrupt political and social agendas that advance the globalized future. How could there be any other explanation when policy makers ignore early childhood education experts such as the signers of the declaration of The Call To Action On The Education of Young Children who warn against too early and too highly structured education in preschool and kindergarten saying:
If such practices were effective for five-year-olds, we would have seen better long-term results by now. We call for a reversal of the pushing down of the curriculum that has transformed kindergarten into de facto first grade.
Current trends in early education policy and practice heighten pressure and stress in children’s lives, which can contribute to behavioral and learning problems.
This well-intentioned but misguided policy may actually put children at increased risk of school failure.
While the monolithic, corporatized school system may be a formidable opponent, I call on all parents to protect California’s (and every state’s) 4- and 5-year olds from politicians who mindlessly and robotically introduce and pass legislation that is not in the best interests of young children. Their hearts and minds have been assimilated by what I can only think to refer to as “school borgs.” They care more about money than they do about kids. Let’s stop them in their tracks.
Your Help is Needed
Please compose a letter of oppostion to AB 1236 and send it to the Education Committee (see their contact info below). Here are some points you may want to include:
- Mandatory Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K programs will jeopardize funding for public schools.
- A state-run voluntary preschool monopoly will put many private preschools that are owned and operated by women and minorities out of business.
- Kindergarten and Kindergarten Readiness Programs, particularly those with rigid academic structures as outlined in AB 1236, have no proven long-term benefits and may actually harm children.
- AB 1236 creates mandatory full time kindergarten and establishes voluntary full time preschool programs that open the door to make preschool attendance mandatory as well.
- AB 1236 describes the minimum definition of “full time” as 180 minutes a day and for kindergarten students that translates to mandatory attendance 3-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week! Individual schools can opt to increase that time and the intention is to do exactly that! For preschoolers who attend voluntary pre-k readiness classes – it’s 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, providing schools with the ability to increase the time.
- Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for kindergarten and preschool programs that will jeopardize funding of public schools, destroy small businesses, and harm little kids.
- AB 1236 restricts our liberty as citizens. It increases government intervention, establishes mandatory K, and establishes voluntary universal preschool which will lead to mandatory preschool. We don’t need more government regulation.
- Establishing mandatory full-time Kindergarten and voluntary full time preschool creates welfare for daycare. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for costly programs that increase dependency on the government and reinforce entitlement thinking.
- 94% of California’s 5-year-olds already attend voluntary private and public K programs. The other 6% are either taught at home (some through gov’t home study programs via school districts and charter schools), or simply don’t go to school. It is unlikely that the costs associated with this legislation will result in significant changes in those numbers.
You can FAX or send your letter of oppostion to “AB 1236: The Kindergarten Readiness Act” to the members of the Education Committee. (If you want to email them, click on their names, go to their websites, and fill out the email contact form there.) Or telephone their offices and let them know you are opposed to AB 1236. Here is the contact info for each member:
- Mike Eng
FAX: (626) 450-6117
Phone: (626) 450-6116
Address: 9420 Telstar Avenue, Suite 103, El Monte, CA 91731 - Lori Hancock
FAX (510) 559-1478
Phone: (510) 559-1406
Address: 712 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito, CA 94530 - Bob Huff
FAX (909) 860-5664
Phone: (909) 860-5560
Address: 23355 E. Golden Springs Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765 - Betty Karnette
Phone: (310) 548-6420 or (562) 997-0794
Address: 3711 Long Beach Boulevard, Suite 801, Long Beach, CA 90807 - Alan Nakanishi
FAX (209) 333-5333
Phone: (209) 333-5330
Address: 218 W. Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240 - Jose Solorio
FAX (714) 939-8986
Phone: (714) 939-8469
Address: 2400 E. Katella Avenue, Suite 640, Anaheim, CA 92806
Courtesy of Diane Flynn Keith and Universal Preschool.com