RE: Question 1: Pre-school support

In relation to this goal, and also the questions about funding that Jan raised, I think this is another area in which the recommendation to shift adult education to the community colleges is very short sighted. Through adult education, we already provide parent education, including programs in which parents and pre-school children participate together, as well as CBET programs in which baby-sitting is provided for parent learners who commit to engage in 'tutoring' and language development with their children. These need to be increased and emphasized, not stripped away for alleged 'administrative streamlining.' In this regard, education of parents and empowering them to guide their own children's education is also a way to deal with some of the objections raised to mandatory kindergarten, academic standards in kindergarten, and they may likely be raised to these proposals. That is, profile of and commitment to adult education -- closely coordinated with K-12 education -- needs to be increased.