While it might be easy for some to think that preschool teachers are glorified baby sitters and that they ought to earn less than those administering the MCAS and sifting through the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for standards, the situation is more complex (“Teacher pay at preschools often falls short,’’ Page A1, Feb. 21). We have to think not only about what we want from education but also what we are willing to invest in it.

We live in a capitalistic democracy, where a relatively free market dictates prices, competition, and implicit value. This fact, however, demonstrates that our culture tends to value pets and even fast-food preparation at parity with or higher than investment in early childhood education. Prekindergarten has been shown to have a positive short- and long-term effect on society, but we cannot expect to find qualified, debt-laden college graduates willing to do this crucial work for pay that is commensurate with unskilled labor.

Increasing pre-k teachers’ wages would be beneficial, as much of the cost would be offset by the reduced number of teachers on public assistance. An investment in our children should be expected to return dividends to our society, and our tax base, in the long run.

John R. Stacy

Natick