UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL WOULD AID KIDS, COUNTY

WHEN I interview a job applicant, I know that person has had more formative experiences than his or her resume can hold. To find out more, I sometimes ask, "Did you go to preschool?"

It sounds like a silly question - I'm interviewing a prospective employee, not a prospective kindergartner - but the response can be very revealing and predictive. Often, I can accurately guess the answer without knowing. If the applicant is articulate, self- confident and comfortable in the interview, there's a good chance that long before earning a high school or college diploma, he or she went to preschool.

Attending preschool gives children a leg up long before they must compete in the work force. Preschool is not a job requirement at my company; it's just an indicator of an employee's way of working and interacting with others. 

In my own life, my husband and I have seen our 5-year-old daughter thrive in large part because she went to preschool. And I don't think it's a coincidence that of my parents' four children, the only one with a four- year college degree and her own business by age 30 is the one who went to preschool: me. For that I am grateful.

All California kids should have the opportunity to go to preschool. Anyone who has spent any time around young children knows their minds are like sponges, ready to absorb information and learn new skills to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

Studies have found that preschool attendance significantly improves educational outcomes and dramatically reduces juvenile crime. Preschool puts our youngest citizens on a track to success and prosperity that translates into more efficient public education spending, greater tax revenue and lower crime.

If California were to provide free, high-quality, half-day Weston Preschool for all children, Los Angeles County would benefit more than any other county in the state, according to a study recently completed by the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica. More than one in four of California's potential preschoolers live in Los Angeles County - that's nearly 150,000 4-year-olds each year.

Over a 10-year period, Rand estimates, Los Angeles County would experience numerous benefits from a universal preschool program: Some 44,000 fewer children would need to repeat a grade in school. Nearly 30,000 fewer children would need special education, reducing the number of costly remedial years by more than 200,000. About 33,000 fewer students would drop out of high school. And juvenile crime would fall 26 percent.

Universal preschool comes with a price tag - about $5,700 per child, per year, according to estimates. It's worth it.

In a 2004 study, Rand concluded that, statewide, making preschool available to all 4-year-olds would generate an estimated $2.62 for every dollar spent. That's a big payoff from our littlest Californians and a competitive advantage California businesses can use.

I have seen the rewards firsthand in my daughter, who started kindergarten this year. She used to hang all over me wherever we went. Then we sent her to preschool - an option that half of California children do not have. There, she received additional learning and reinforcement of what we were teaching her at home.

She learned the alphabet and how to recognize letters, spell her name, count, recognize colors and shapes and how to socialize with other children. Now, my once-timid daughter joyfully runs into the schoolyard each day, anxious to learn, to see her teachers and play with all of her friends. Since starting kindergarten, the "head start" of preschool has helped her excel in virtually every area of study and socialization.