Funding

The State of California should not mandate conditions and programs it does not intend to pay for that impact private non and for profit preschools and childcare.

Regarding encouraging businesses to invest in education, can we please make sure that their investments are not simply a tidy advertisement.  I abhor the practice of video in the schools and coke machines on campus.  Save our children from the media blitz at least in our public elementary schools (more on this subject at www.allianceforchildhood.com).

I am very concerned about the compensation issue with regard to private preschool teachers.  Parents cannot afford an increase in tuition that would be required to bring caregiver salaries to parity with credentialed elementary school teachers.  I wince as I type this, as I have been a strong advocate in the Early Childhood Community for worthy wage and feel it is criminal that these professionals rarely break $10.00 an hour.  But the fact remains that parents cannot afford the tuitions that would be required to pay teachers more $$$ and yet the state and federal governments will not fund parity.  How can this be fixed?