"In this eye-opening book, Bruce Fuller reveals the candid truth about daycare that advocates have desperately tried to keep hidden. With rare honesty, Fuller puts children's interests ahead of political interests and exposes the universal preschool movement's overstated, misused, and sometimes outright fraudulent claims. Parents need to know the truth about day care, and they can trust Dr. Fuller to deliver."--Darcy Olsen, President and CEO, Goldwater Institute "The political push to institutionalize early education into a one-size-fits-all program is the real target of this book--and it hits the target in the bulls-eye. There is solid criticism and analyses here that requires airing, especially at a time when researchers , policy makers, and early educators are drawing public attention to the present status of our youngest children. A must read. --Eugene E.

Garcia, Vice President, Arizona State University " Standardized Childhood is a must-read book for everyone who cares about early education in America today. Bruce Fuller takes on the thorny issues in the field and addresses them head-on. Should pre-K programs be universal? Who should pay for them? And, finally, what will help equalize access to preschool? The result is a refreshing and penetrating look at the condition of preschool in this country." --Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Columbia University "A frank, provocative critique of the pre-K movement. The basic question is not whether we should have a national policy in regards to pre-kindergarten education, but what should that policy look like. No other question in education policy is as timely and has the potential for such a long lasting, transformative impact on public schooling today."--Cynthia García Coll, Brown University "Drawing from both his own team's research and the research of others, as well as from the accounts of teachers, community activists, and political leaders, [Fuller] offers insights into the complex array of concerns that drive [universal pre-kindergarten] proponents as well as those who oppose the movement. Readers from either camp will find the author's research findings enlightening.

"-- Library Journal.