VOA慢速英语2021--拜登提议让儿童免费上学前班

American President Joe Biden is making childcare and education a major concern of his administration.

In his first address to a joint¹ session of Congress on April 29, Biden proposed a $1.8 trillion spending plan to expand government support for children, families and education. The plan, called American Families Plan, includes $200 billion for free pre-school for 3 and 4-year-olds.

The president said, "research shows when a young child goes to school — not daycare — they are far more likely to graduate from high school and go to college or something after high school." He added, "no matter what background they come from, it puts them in the position to be able to compete all the way through 12 years."

Preschool, also known as pre-kindergarten or pre-K, is a program to help children with the beginning steps of learning and socializing. Daycare centers focus more on caring for children than learning.

Rebecca Anguiano teaches preschool at an elementary school in Washington, D.C. The classes are bilingual. They are taught in both English and Spanish. She said students who attend two years of preschool have done better than those who have not.

Anguiano said, "If they miss those two years, it's kind of catch-me-up for them. I definitely feel that starting early—especially at a bilingual school—is key for a lot of success."

Effective preschool programs

The National Institute for Early Education Research says, at this time, only four American states and Washington, D.C., spend enough money to support preschool programs.

The nation's capital spends the most money per preschool student. It also has the highest percentage of students in pre-K classes. Seventy-nine percent of 3 and 4-year-olds attend preschool in Washington, DC. And nationwide, just 20 percent attend.

Washington is one of the most expensive cities to raise a child. A 2018 study says childcare in the city can cost up to $2,000 per month for each child. In some places, parents choose to stay home with their children instead of having a job and paying for care.

In 2018, research from the Center for American Progress showed that about 10 percent more mothers entered the workforce² after the city started its preschool program. Student test scores have also gone up since the change. That year, Washington schools were among the few across the nation to see an increase in math and reading scores.

Josh Axelrod has two children attending preschool in Washington, D.C. He said the program is a "huge benefit" to living in the city. "Our experience... has been great," he added.

Washington's preschool program is not without its problems, however. Many elementary schools in the city do not offer preschool and some programs are better than others. There is also a very high demand for some preschool spots, which means that some children will not be placed into their neighborhood school. Others are not placed at all.

Biden's proposal

Biden's proposal comes at a time when preschool attendance³ has fallen by 25 percent in the past year, largely due to the pandemic.

The administration says free preschool nationwide could save the average American family $13,000 and benefit 5 million children. And it proposes to pay for the plan by raising taxes on wealthy Americans.

Republican⁴ opponents to the idea say it costs too much and that families will be making childcare decisions based on what the government wants. For the plan to pass, the president will need Republican support in an evenly divided Senate.

Senator⁵ Josh Hawley is a Republican from the state of Missouri. He shared his opposition⁶ in an opinion piece on Fox Business.

"No family should be forced into a particular childcare arrangement by the government. And no parent should be treated worse by the tax code for choosing to do the work of raising kids at home," he wrote.

Anguiano, the Washington, D.C. preschool teacher, sees universal preschool as a way to improve education equity⁷. Many families from poorer areas cannot pay for private preschool, she said, keeping children away from school and parents away from working.

"I think expanding this nationwide, you will most definitely see not just an educational benefit for kids, but an economic benefit for families," Anguiano said.

Words in This Story

graduate – v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

background – n. the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a person's past

bilingual –adj. able to speak and understand two languages

key – n. something that is necessary in order to do or achieve something

spot – n. a particular position in a competition, organization, program, etc.

particular – adj. used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others

arrangement – n. the way that things or people are organized for a particular purpose or activity

code – n. a set of laws or regulations

equity – n. fairness or justice in the way people are treated

benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

4 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

5 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。