090673 To the Herald Statesman re:pre-kindergarten classes

Does the reason that Dr. Atioto offers for instituting pre-kindergarten programs for four-Year-olds (H. S., 9/5/73 p 34) have sufficient societal value to warrant their establishment?

Is the reason he gives the real reason? or is the phrasing designed to conceal some ulterior motives from the unwary? since, ".. at no other tine in human life to mental growth an rapid as it is during the first five years of life.", he recommend* that these inquisitive, pliable, absorbent minds be handed over to the public schools "..* to prepare [these] children for learning readiness and help build a positive attitude towards school and staff." Have not most mothers been doing this well on a one-to-one basis for years?

Are not most mothers, lacking perhaps an M.A. but gifted with common sense, more interested, concerned, and competent in educating their child than are not a few teachers? Taking the children from their mothers will make difficult the preservation and transmission of many valuable customs and traditions, possessed by each race, color, creed and nationality. These programs will reduce the opportunities for parents to experience some of life's greatest joys. Some parents tempted to go to work to provide more "things" will neglect to take a real interest in the spiritual, intellectual, moral and attitudinal development of their offspring, obviously all references to the rather through whom we become brothers are meticulously filtered from the program. Better suffer a devastating earthquake than have the children express thanks to their creator before they eat their cookies.

Is the interest in establishing the pre-kindergarten classes a response to pressures from groups interested in scuttling the influence of the family in rearing children so that "Big Brother" may take over to implant in their minds the great favor that is done to the unwanted, the handicapped, the retarded, the poor, the senile by killing them.

Might not the interest stem from the decreased birth rate and the resultant smaller enrolments? A smaller system means Lower salaries especially for the upper echelon of administrators