The Issue: Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to open preschools for children as young as six weeks old.
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From both educational and developmental perspectives, putting children as young as six weeks into preschool is a ghastly idea (“Bright and Early,” Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang, PostScript, Oct. 7).
Young children belong at home, preferably with their parents or other familial guardians.
As a pediatric nurse practitioner who is employed as a school nurse, I can say with certainty that the best way to promote academic success and beneficial socialization is for parents to get married before they have children.
Educare will merely be another example of taxpayer-funded free baby-sitting.
It will either have no effect or a net negative effect on adult outcomes, just like the Head Start Program, which hasn’t had much impact on the high-school dropout rate.
I often wonder if nanny-staters will ever come up with a program that helps more than it harms its recipients.
Ilene Heller
Manhattan
Perhaps if we brought back Aid to Families with Dependent Children — so mothers could be reading to their babies instead of hustling to find a homeless shelter for the family for the night — the babies could be getting all that stimulation without losing the stimulating warmth of their mothers’ arms, smiles and eyes during schooling hours.
Great idea, Mr. Mayor.
Paula FriedmanMount Hood Parkdale, Ore.