Hmm, let me see, 49% of those in the program in the 10th %ile at age 14, vs 15% for those not. 36% own a home at age 27 compared to 13%. Half the number of arrests at age 27. Now, granted, that was based on High / Scope, which was a study focussing on underpriveledged black kids in the 60s, so perhaps not directly applicable.

That report does state that middle class kids suffer similar levels of the problems that preschool was found to reduce in underpriveledged kids, but didnt really expand upon that. Studies have found that kids from ALL backgrounds make improvements, although its more marked on those from lower income families, they gain more in other words.

Its only recently that universal preschool programs have begun, allow a wider cross section to be studied. As those kids have not yet grown up its too soon to say for sure what the long term benefits for middle class kids will be, but the overall effects to date mirror the effects seen in the High/Scope project, so there is no reason to think the end results will be all that different.

Here an academic paper I found based on the program in Georgia to provide preschool for all there...
http://aysps.gsu.edu/publications/20...hoodReport.pdf

OK,

Not to going go through and quote every post, EVERYONE currently involved in this debate has made points that I would agree with. I just want to throw out the following:

a) I did not go to preschool. When I went to reception I could sit still, I could make a line, I had basic reading skills, I could count. I had extremely limited pencil control (actually I still have appalling pencil control).

b) through out school (primary and secondary) I consistently achieved grades in the top 10% (I was also a lazy bugger)

c) when I hit A levels I decided to rest on my laurels and scraped into a redbrick university

d) My cousins did go to preschool, they had pencil control, they had basic reading skills, they could count (but not as far as I could), they not sit still or make a line. They consistently scored within the middle of their respective classes, however when they got to A level they knuckled down and one went to Leeds the other to Oxford.

Is there a correlation? maybe, maybe not.

"there is no reason to think the end results will be all that different". Is unproven. *shrug* I need to find that recent study...

I've always believed that a gifted child will exceed in school regardless of whether they attend preschool or not. I never attended school until kindergarten, and I went on to be a top student, went on to university, etc. A gifted child is a gifted child - those that are bright will exceed and pursue advanced education regardless of what school they attended early on. This includes elementary and high schools. They'll rise above, regardless of what school they attend.

And on another note, kudos to Kiwilass for saying that there's no "Canadian schooling". There's no Canadian schooling in the same way that there's no European schooling. It really varies dramatically by province that they may as well be completely separate countries! BC has no pre-kindergarten, and never has. You pay extra money to register your child in preschool (usually at a community centre or an independent school) or you do as many do and let kindergarten be the first taste of formal schooling.

So in order to give relevant advice, we must really know what province you intend to live in, and on top of that, what school board you plan to attend. Even school boards vary policies/curriculums/grades - there is no Canadian universal when it comes to schooling!