Democrats’ bill plans the biggest expansion of public education in a century

Democrats are seeking to provide universal preschool and subsidized child care in one of the largest pieces of the Build Back Better social spending bill. “Democrats want to sweep the first five years of children’s lives into a new set of top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best regulations.” Several Republicans have complained the policy would exclude faith-based preschool or day-care programs. “The way we support families, the way we value families, and the way that we make sure that families are secure in this country is by eliminating barriers that keep from being able to do what they need to care for their families.” The child-care and preschool policies will take time to fully implement and would be in place only through 2027 — a constraint that will make successful and early implementation politically important to Democrats, who will want to ensure a future Congress will feel political pressure to renew it. Under the proposed policy, all 3- and 4-year-old children, including those without legal status, would be guaranteed access to preschool regardless of their parents’ income, the largest expansion of universal and free education since localities established public high school a century ago, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Gavin Newsom said he “looks forward to utilizing federal dollars to build on California’s child-care program.” Earlier this year, California approved a universal program for 4-year-oldsthat relies predominantly on public schools, as opposed to the federal plan, which would rely on a mixed-delivery system of various kinds of schools.