Obama touts plan for universal preschool DECATUR, Ga. - President Obama visited a preschool here Thursday to tout his proposal to expand early childhood education for children from low- and modest-income families, part of a three-day, campaign-style promotion of ideas outlined in his State of the Union address. Reprising a theme from his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama told an audience of teachers and parents that "education has to start at the earliest possible age, and that's what you have realized here in Decatur." Obama wants to guarantee preschool at age 4 for all poor children and provide better support to even younger children, including new funding for communities that expand the availability of education and child-care programs for infants and toddlers. A senior Obama administration official said the programs were based on extensive economic research into the importance of early childhood education and a growing realization that the United States is falling behind in providing an adequate education to its youngest citizens. "In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children . . . studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own," Obama said in his State of the Union. So let's do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. A lack of early education "can have an impact on their entire lives," he said Thursday in Decatur. This is not speculation. Study after study shows the achievement gap starts very young. Obama added: If you're looking for a good bang for your educational buck, this is it. Right here. Describing his visit to the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center, Obama quipped that "playing well with others ... is a trait we could use in Washington." He added with a laugh: Every once in a while have some quiet time. Time out. Obama made the remarks after visiting a classroom of 16 children ages 4 and 5 years old."Can I help?" he asked a group of kids who were playing with blocks. One boy asked, "Are you our teacher?" Another said, "Welcome, Mr. President." The White House said that the new federal-state program to guarantee preschool would assist 4-year-olds from families at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. For a family of four, that would be $47,100 and below, and for a single parent with two children, that would be $39,060 and below. Officials did not specify out how much the program would cost, saying that information would come in several weeks with the release of the president's budget. A somewhat similar proposal from a think tank associated with the White House suggested the cost could be between $10 billion and $25 billion a year. It is not at all clear whether the proposal has any chance of gaining congressional support in Obama's second term. Under the White House plan, the Education Department would allocate money to states based on their share of the population of 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. The funds would then be distributed to local school districts and other providers of preschool education. Additional funds could be made available to expand preschool options for middle-class families.