Nowadays, parents focus on cramming their infants and toddlers with information in the hopes of making them smarter and more successful later in life. However, this may not always be the best option when it comes to your child’s health.

In fact, many of these kids go on to score very well on standardized testing in elementary and middle school. However, by the time they make it to high school and colleges, many of these students need to take remedial classes in order to meet the standards that the upper level schools expect.

Often, state-wide publicly funded preschools are touted as the answer to education problems, with the idea that getting them enrolled in a stringent program will benefit them overall. However, critics feel that instead of managing an extra year or two in the beginning of their school career, education systems should focus more on what happens closer to the end of it.

There is one significant downside to placing children in school at an earlier age, and this is to their health. Most parents are aware that placing them in a group situation they are increasing their child’s risk of coming down with communicable diseases, ranging from the common cold to super bugs like MRSA.

For instance, giardia, an intestinal pathogen that causes diarrhea, can spread rapidly in a preschool environment. Not only do the children themselves have to be tested with a series of stool samples, but anyone else that comes in contact with them, including teachers, staff, and family members. Meningitis can also spread rapidly, causing severe illness and even death.

Some studies also show an increase in the number of childhood illnesses that come along with a preschool education. A center-based day care on average, increased a child’s number of sick days (sick enough to need to remain in bed) by thirty percent. Smaller, home-based day cares increased the number by nineteen percent. Other studies have shown that children in preschool had 50% more infections in a month, and had a 4.5 times greater risk of being hospitalized.

Some advocates of required preschool would state that more money would solve the problem, since it would allow them to train workers and hire more staff. However, any parent of a preschooler knows how quickly things get stuck in their mouths and how easy it is for one child to pass germs to another.

This can be especially a concern with the number of MRSA cases on the rise. This super bug is no longer confined in hospitals, and is popping up in relatively healthy communities. If a child becomes infected with MRSA, it can quickly lead to serious illness or even death. An outbreak of community-acquired MRSA in a classroom can have devastating results.

All in all, it is up to you the taxpayer to weigh the benefits and risks of state run preschool. Your children may benefit more from state programs geared towards the success of high school education and getting more students into secondary education than putting them at risk of serious health concerns in preschool.