These moms fought for universal preschool in their Oregon county — and won

According to Abbie Lieberman, a senior policy analyst on early and elementary education policy at the think tank New America, universal preschool policies have benefits for both children and parents. For children, she said, research has shown that high-quality preschool access leads to long-term development boosts for children, including increasing later high school graduation rates.

“And there’s also evidence that children benefit from economically integrated pre-K classrooms,” she said. “Universal access won’t guarantee economic integration, but it’s one step in the right direction.” For parents, it’s another year or two of free child care, which Lieberman calls workforce support. It’s proved even more crucial now, she says, as more and more parents, especially mothers, leave the workforce to care for their children during the pandemic.

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