Whatever It Takes - Early Childhood Education

Recently Jonathan Kozol said this about how the stimulus money should be spent...
"The top priority: three full years of federally funded, culturally rich, developmental preschool education of the same high quality wealthy people purchase privately, made available to every child of low income in the nation. Until we do this, the testing of children in third grade, as demanded under NCLB, will be blatantly unfair, rewarding children of the privileged for having already had twice as many years of education as the children of the poor."

This made me think of what Canada is doing with his early childhood education programs. What do you think?

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Permalink Reply by Janet Steever on July 3, 2009 at 12:13pm

I know on a personal level that this is true. My grandson went to kindergarten this past year and it was his first school experience. Before this he attended a daycare that at times did run-off wksts. My daighter is a single parent renting in a district that is noted for its school system. She wants the best education for her 2 boys, but was not able to send him to a qualified preschool due to the expense. This past year for my grandson was very tramatic. He was so far behind and knew it! He hated school and felt that he was invisible. It wasn't a learning problem, just that he was a kid just starting out, not knowing any letters or how to write his name and most of the class came from families who could afford preschool and knew letters and sounds and were beginning to read and learn sight words. The entire year was a struggle for him and since October, the teacher discussed with my daughter the probability of repeating. The end of the story is that he will be going on to first grade at just slightly below grade level reading and is attending the extended year classes. He excelled in math. So here is a prime example of how the disadvantaged kids come to school already a few steps behind and are always trying to catch up. We are so proud of Logan. Now that he feels he is more like the others, his outlook on school has improved. Just think of how far he had come to achieve "just slightly below grade level" when he was so far behind to start. They do test kindergarteners in Chesapeake, VA.

Permalink Reply by Susan Dugan on July 6, 2009 at 7:49am

Your personal story makes things so much clearer and meaningful. I think we all accept and understand the importance of early childhood education and the powerful effect it can have on a child's life. The money Geoffrey Cananda is proposing for these projects is huge. He initiated Baby College so that he could influence parental behavior even before birth. However, because of the gargantuan efforts made by his staff, such as, early morning tutoring, after school classes, Saturday classes and an extended school day more students were able to perform on grade level. We see on a daily basis the struggles students encounter when they don't "get it". Investing in a child's future at an early stage, though costly, would break the poverty, underachieving cycle.

Permalink Reply by Joan Timmons on July 5, 2009 at 6:39am

It is a good start but didn't Canada find that even by preschool they were already behind? I think Canada's point was there is a lot more than quality of education that children need to close the gap between the "privileged" and "low income".

Permalink Reply by Robin Wolf-Smith on September 9, 2009 at 6:50pm

Nutrionally, breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day. Hmmm, it's in the beginning of the day. Well, if that makes sense physically, than why not prioritize and do the same educationally for a person...the start of their education should be looked at as a priority. Breakfast is to nutrition as early childhood is to education???

Permalink Reply by educacionpopular5 on December 1, 2009 at 6:10pm

I agree, I think there is a significant gap between those who can afford early childhood education and those who cannot afford it. Those families who cannot afford early childhood education, in general do not have access to the same resources that those of higher income neighborhoods have. This in turn affects how well students do throughout all of their educational experiences. Just the other say there was an article that covered a Waldorf school in Saratoga Springs, NY in the NY Times. This school is one of many other Waldorf schools that provides pre-kindergarten education to children, focusing on exploring and learning about nature, collaboration and play. There is no formalized curriculum below 1st grade, as they emphasize the arts and the natural world around them, and their tuition is roughly $6,000 per year.

Access to quality education is an important factor that needs to be addressed within the US. However when we think about the private pre-kinder schools, who can only be afforded by those who have the economic standing, we need to consider what types of skills are being fostered within those programs. Taking Waldorf schools as an example, or many other private institutions, we realize that the children in these schools are not directly being prepared to pass tests, do not get more instruction than other schools, do no get more homework than other students; rather are focusing on their artistic abilities, the ability for them to explore their surroundings, have more play time than other schools and less structured activities. What is it then that needs to be taught within pre-kindergarten education? What are the factors that are contributing to the success of students of higher income brackets compared to their low-income counterparts? Should we be looking more critically at who is not benefiting from NCLB and the educational system and the reasons for this? What is the purpose of Early Childhood Education programs and how will it help children be prepared to enter the educational system?

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