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Via San Jose Mercury News | By San Mateo Police Chief Susan E. Manheimer
Tucked inside one of last year’s budget trailer bills lies one of the smartest commitments to crime prevention a governor and legislature have ever made, and it doesn’t have a thing to do with prisons or police. What it does is “ensure a fair start to all low-income children by providing quality preschool opportunities for all low-income children.”
Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Legislature coupled that promise with a solid down payment this budget year by restoring thousands of slots to the State Preschool Program.
But it is critical that they build upon that foundation, starting with this week’s budget proposal, and take steps to cover the more than 30,000 low-income 4-year olds are still not receiving the early education they need.