Biden set to announce $200 billion for universal pre-K in sweeping new proposal
President Joe Biden is set to announce $200 billion in education funding as part of his sweeping spending package he will unveil prior to his prime-time address to a joint session of Congress, according to a White House official.
The proposal will direct the funds toward universal pre-school for all three- and four-year-olds through a national partnership with states, the official said. The White House estimates it will benefit 5 million children and save the average family $13,000 when the plan is fully implemented.
The proposal marks a key plank of Biden’s roughly $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, the second prong of his sweeping $4 trillion in spending on physical infrastructure, research and development, home care, child care, paid family and medical leave and extensions of key anti-poverty tax credits.
While the initial, $2.25 trillion infrastructure proposal — the American Jobs Plan — was centered on boosting employment and US innovation, the second proposal is designed to zero-in on shortcomings administration officials believe are faced by children and families.
In full, the two proposals mark a potentially transformative shift in the federal government’s role in the US economy, with Biden’s top economic officials repeatedly pointing to fragilities exacerbated by the pandemic as a driving force for their proposals. The package will include a particular focus on reconnecting women, who have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, to the workforce, officials say.
Administration officials have for months pointed to studies that show high quality pre-school programs not only contribute significantly the development of students, but also increase labor force participation among parents.
Biden’s pre-K proposal, a key promise during his presidential campaign, will be constructed to prioritize high-need areas, and will carry the pledge that it will ensure publicly funded pre-school will include lower student-to-teacher ratios and “developmentally appropriate curriculum,” according to the official.
The proposal will include investments to incentivize individuals who seek to become teachers and early-childhood educators, leveraging a separate proposal to fund tuition free community college, as well as teacher scholarships. It includes a pledge that all employees participating in pre-K programs and head start will earn at least $15 an hour, the official said.
