Here’s an illustration of why preschool education is better when carried out in the private sector:

With the district reorganizing its staff and resources to round up children 3 to 5 into universal pre-K, parents worry that the Parents as Teachers program may get slighted.

FitzGerald’s 4-year-old son, and now her 2-year-old daughter, both benefited from the insight of their parent educator, “Ms. Cindy,” she said.

“Ms. Cindy knows my kids. They’re excited to see her,” FitzGerald said. “Will she still be coming?”

It’s disturbing that we have a program to send government workers into people’s homes to patrol their parenting. It’s also unfortunate for the disadvantaged parents who would benefit from help with their kids. When districts restructure programs like this, it disrupts the trust and relationships families have formed with the teachers. It might be a better idea to give parents vouchers for private parenting classes and preschool programs, which wouldn’t be subject to the whims of public school administrators.