Support declines to expand transitional kindergarten
By Sharon Noguchisnoguchi, San Jose Mercury News
Though support for expanding elementary education to all 4-year-olds has fallen dramatically since the spring, a majority of Californians still believe in sending young children to preschool, a poll released Tuesday shows.
A Field Poll shows that 58 percent of voters think it is very important for the state to spend more so that all low-income 4-year-olds have access to state-supported preschool.
But only 39 percent of voters said California should spend $1.4 billion to expand the state’s newest elementary-school grade, known as transitional kindergarten, to all 4-year-olds.
That compares with 57 percent advocating expansion in a similar poll in April.
The latest poll, taken in October with the not-for-profit Oakland-based group EdSource, was conducted in English and Spanish by phone with 1,010 registered voters in the state.