Having to meet all of their respective needs simultaneously is tremendously stressful for parents.
Today, we understand that parents who are highly stressed, especially chronically, are simply not as likely to do their best job as parents as they would under less stress. Fetuses in-utero are particularly susceptible to physiological effects of hormonal changes that correspond to stress and anxiety. It is probably safe to say that children raised by parents who are perpetually on the verge of physical and emotional burnout and who are continually overwhelmed by their responsibilities do not have the same experiences in childhood as their counterparts raised by parents who are not under high stress for much of their children's formative years. In all likelihood, the amount of money necessary to extend public education to preschool would be substantially less than the many direct and indirect...
It eliminates one source of early differentiation of children based on whether or not their families can afford certain educational opportunities. It would probably benefit society by raising the ultimate academic potential of many individuals. Finally, it would benefit society because of the reduction of stressors in the lives of parents during their most difficult phase of life. That benefit would apply today in terms of the choices and conduct of parents who are less stressed out and it would also be a tremendous benefit to society in the future because many individuals would have had their developmental needs better met by their parents.
