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Actually, davebarry is correct. Universal kindergarten, like virtually all preschool programs (e.g. Head Start), sounds good and feels good when you say it fast. However, research has demonstrated time and again that any positive outcomes from universal K wash out by third grade, and the child who attended universal K is indistinguishable from the child who did not, when children are matched for intelligence. If taxpayers wish to implement universal K or other forms of preschool as an alternative to a public baby sitting service, so be it. Universal K should not, however, be camouflaged as a program with positive long-term educational outcomes.