Good preschools welcome things that improve the quality of care for their students.

We think they should welcome SB26 as one of those improvements.

SB26 would create standards and accountability for pre-kindergarten programs that receive state funds.

Every dollar invested in high quality pre-kindergarten programs for children of poverty saves seven dollars in public funds later on, according to Susan Randall, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Children. Numerous studies document Randall's contention that an up-front investment in early education for poor children reduces special education costs and averts some of the social costs of crime and welfare by increasing high school graduation rates and employment later in life.

South Dakota's 2010 Education Goals targets those at-risk children with pre-school programs. But unlike the two-thirds of states that already have quality standards for pre-K programs, South Dakota has none.

SB26 would give the state Board of Education the authority to adopt standards for things such as teacher-child ratios, group size, health and safety matters and developmentally appropriate materials for play and learning.

According to a January poll released by Voices for Children, 73 percent of likely South Dakota voters voiced support for establishing pre-school standards. That support crossed all gender, political and geographical lines, and was even higher in western South Dakota - at 78 percent - and among all women, at 77 percent.

Not everyone, including some private daycare businesses, think government should be involved in regulating pre-schools. The standards that would be implemented under SB26, however, do not apply to private providers, unless those providers access school district funds by offering pre-K services to eligible children.

SB26 is a good law that keeps participation in pre-kindergarten programs voluntary and does not intrude on private providers who don't access public funds. But for those that do, public funding brings with it public accountability and written standards that assure parents of a quality education for their children.

Count us among the supporters of SB26 and appropriate standards for pre-kindergartens.