Protecting South Carolina's Promise: Why Keeping the Income Cap on 4K Education is Non-Negotiable

The very foundation of South Carolina's vital 4K early childhood education program is currently under threat. While the concept of universally accessible 4K might sound enticing, the Post and Courier editorial board firmly believes that stripping away the crucial income cap would be a profoundly misguided and costly error.

Our state's 4K initiative was meticulously crafted with a specific, noble purpose: to uplift children 'at risk' due to factors like low income, having teen parents, or parents with lower education levels. This program is, and must remain, a lifeline for those who need an essential head start before entering school.

Alarmingly, legislation identified as H.

3726 is currently making its way through the General Assembly, proposing the complete removal of this fundamental income cap. We unequivocally urge the state to resist this dangerous path. As we highlighted in a previous editorial, the notion of expanding our 4K program to all students is premature and irresponsible, particularly when the state already falls short in fully funding the program for all children who currently meet the stringent qualification criteria.

Astoundingly, South Carolina's current funding only covers approximately three-quarters of the children who are already eligible for this free and life-changing program.

The stark reality is that 42 out of our 46 counties already grapple with insufficient funding to enroll all eligible 4-year-olds.

Before any discussion of broader expansion can even begin, South Carolina has an absolute moral imperative to guarantee that every single child who qualifies for 4K actually receives it. Furthermore, we must learn from the lessons of other states that have ventured into universal 4K. A sobering study from the Brookings Institution underscores this point, observing that 'Universal preschool programs can be difficult to sustain and costly, and often morph into child care for middle- and upper-income children, rather than focusing on the children who need it most.' This is precisely the pitfall our program must avoid.

The core, undeniable priority of South Carolina’s 4K program has always been, and must remain, the empowerment of at-risk children, equipping them with the foundational readiness for school.

Extensive studies consistently demonstrate that these targeted programs are instrumental in narrowing the persistent achievement gap. As we’ve emphasized before, 'The focus should be on getting disadvantaged children into a quality 4K program. Universal 4K programs are extremely expensive and could divert attention and resources from where they are most needed.' Diluting this focus would be a disservice to the very children the program was designed to serve.

The threat to our targeted 4K program isn't isolated to H.

3726 alone. Another concerning piece of legislation, the so-called “Education freedom” bill (H. 3976), proposes an entirely new system. This bill would establish a program offering “vouchers” or “scholarships” for children to attend private schools, and critically, it too would allow 4-year-olds to receive these “scholarships” without any income cap whatsoever.

We have consistently argued that 'Lawmakers should reject legislation that diverts taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools through a voucher program. Such efforts could weaken public education while increasing segregation by income and race.' Furthermore, this legislation extends its reach to children with disabilities, creating yet another conduit for siphoning vital funds away from our public education system and into private institutions.

While 'Education freedom' may sound like an attractive slogan, our lawmakers bear a profound responsibility to look beyond the rhetoric.

Their paramount objective must always be to guarantee that all children in South Carolina, especially our most vulnerable, have equitable access to a high-quality education. This includes a solemn commitment to ensuring that taxpayer dollars are allocated both wisely and effectively. South Carolina must prioritize robust investment in the 4K program as it was originally conceived: a meticulously designed, targeted intervention for at-risk children.

The income cap is not merely an arbitrary rule; it is absolutely fundamental to that design. To remove it would be to fundamentally misinterpret, and ultimately sabotage, the very core mission that makes this program so impactful.