Defining My Civic Issue

I will be researching preschool education in California and how low-income minority children benefit from preschool programs. I will tie in the preschool reform bill package (Senate Bill 1629 and Assembly Bill2759) that Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed and evaluate whether low-income minority children will benefit from these bills. Supporters of these bills claim that the bill package lays the groundwork so that future low-income children will have access to high quality preschool. This legislation was passed with the aim of closing the achievement gap in California. I believe that preschool is the 1st step that all children should take toward academic success, but I feel it is of greater importance for minority children belonging to low-income families. This is because children from these backgrounds need to be in stimulating environments that will help their cognitive, social, and emotional development. I will have to define exactly what preschool is because it seems that those who doubt the positive effects of preschool confuse the difference between preschool and daycare. I feel this important because education is important, but currently preschool is not mandatory, whereas, kindergarten through eighth grade is.