More states around the country are boosting funding for preschool programs, Stateline.org reports. California and Illinois are even considering universal preschool, following the footsteps of Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. At first glance, this seems like a good thing. Others, including California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, say the money would be better targeted at “high-risk” preschoolers or spent improving K-12 education.

Without knowing the tradeoffs for each state, and the exact way the money will be spent (teacher salaries, facilities, etc.) it’s hard to say categorically whether such proposals are good or bad. In general, I tend to believe more money spent on education is a good thing. I’ll caution, though, that we shouldn’t simply throw money at a problem without also having a strategy for using it wisely. Stateline.org’s article is a good overview of the current state of affairs, with links to other sites for and against additional preschool funds. Worth reading if this is of interest to you.