Should Ohio Invest in Universal Pre-Schooling?

Ohio has almost 150,000 three-year old children; however, fewer than 41,000 are covered by publicly supported preschooling programs, and the majority of these are in special education or Head Start programs. Preschooling is associated with a plethora of positive outcomes, from higher test scores, graduation rates, and college progression to reductions in special education, grade repetition, and crime. One might wonder why it isn’t made available to every child. At issue is whether the benefits would outweigh the costs of providing pre-school programs to a larger proportion of children. Currently two states, Georgia and Oklahoma, offer universal preschooling, but many others are considering expanding their coverage. Should Ohio make publicly funded preschooling programs available to all children across the state?