Disadvantages Of Preschool

The article by Erika Christakis, informs future teachers and parents how preschool today may not be benefiting their children as much as they thought. She talks about how preschool has changed drastically over the years as well as kindergarten. She states that “kindergarten may be the new first grade”. Her statement shows how children today are expected more then they were years ago in all grades, especially preschool and at such a young age. Many think this is helping our children or will benefit them in the future if they know more as a child but this may not be the case. The article talks about multiple studies done throughout America to children are learning and how school curriculum changing affects children. A studied showed that children

Preschool is the period of time before a child enters elementary school. The importance of preschool and whether or not it is necessary before starting kindergarten has been debated. From firsthand experience I have been able to see students who have attended preschool, and who have not. The differences between these two types of students are astonishing. Preschool can give a child a number of benefits, such as social skills with peers, academic advantages, cognitive skills and more.

When local property taxes were the primary source of school funding, districts were financially stable and were able to allocate funds for appropriate spendings. With the limitations set on property taxes, school budgets became dependent on the state’s fluctuating economy and tax collections. Fortunately, in 1988, Proposition 98 was passed, which set a minimum base funding for public schools. This proposition guaranteed funding that would grow each year with the changing economy along with student enrollment. This funding, though managed by the state was a combination of state General Fund and local property tax revenues.

Research for Head Start has found many lasting benefits for learning and educational achievement for its attendees. Including school progress and educational attainment, social behavior, and reduction of delinquency and crime that is usually found within disadvantaged families. Head Start addresses all the guidelines within the Family Impact checklist on providing all adequate services to low income families. As mentioned above, under Family Support and Responsibilities, Head Start is a federally funded program, which also receives donations and grants. Therefore, the federal government must increase funding to the Head Start program so children from low-income families, get early education services to help them succeed in school. Since Head Start programs have minimal funding there are not enough spots available to include every child in need of the services provided by this program, especially within certain regions.

Imagine two parents who have a child getting ready to go to kindergarten. They are very smart and seem completely prepared for this big milestone. There is only one problem, her child’s birthday does not meet the cutoff date. Now she is faced with the decision of where to educate her child. Does she put her child back in preschool? Should she homeschool her child until the next school year? This is an obstacle faced by many parents all over the country whose children do not meet the cutoff age for enrollment. The answer to the issue is transitional kindergarten. Already implemented in California schools, it is a state-funded, two-year program that allows children to get an extra year of schooling before kindergarten if their fifth

Healy, C. (2015). Who benefits most from head start programs? Chicago Policy Review (Online), Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.durhamtech.idm.oclc.org/

Statement of Issue: Many minority children and children from low-income families enter kindergarten without the academic skills they need to succeed. Math and reading abilities at kindergarten entry are powerful predictors of later school success. Research shows kids who start school already behind are unlikely to ever get caught up to standards. Hispanic and African American children are anywhere from 7 to 12 months behind in reading and 9 to 10 months behind on math when they enter kindergarten. Access remains extremely low to high-quality early education do to a couple of problems. First, rates of access to early education vary widely as a function of children’s socioeconomic backgrounds. Secondly, the quality of most early education programs is not high enough to substantially improve academic readiness. Considering the tremendous potential for high-quality preschool to improve children’s outcomes, this policy brief will consider how a universal publicly funded pre-kindergarten program in the United States could decrease both disparities in access to early learning and achievement gaps at kindergarten entry.

Oftentimes, children who are not introduced to the guidelines and principles of their kindergarten classroom spend much of their first year trying to catch up to their peers. By implementing a universal preschool, early childhood educators are able to apply kindergarten policies to their classroom procedures in an effort to prepare students for the transition. For instance, when the educators from various grades are able to communicate with one another, health records, learning disabilities and classroom procedures are discussed and teachers are able to employ solutions before the school year starts. As many as half of all children entering kindergarten display difficulties in the transition. Moreover, teachers expect children to have certain skills sets upon entering the classroom that they may not possess. Finally, kindergarten teachers identified weaknesses in academic and social kills, including the inability to follow directions, working independently or perform adequately in a formal school setting (Stormont, 213). By introducing children to these basic skill sets in preschool, they are able to transition smoothly to kindergarten and succeed among their

“Where a battle is brewing over the mayor’s 3 cents-per-ounce tax plan that would be used to fund citywide Pre-K” (pbs newshour page 1). He wants to use the money from this tax to add to the funding for universal pre-k. Hari Srenivasan says, “Philadelphia is considering a new, but controversial way of funding early education” (pbs newshour page 1). He also states, “In Philadelphia, buying soda has bubbled into a political controversy. The Mayor wants to make Pre-K available to all 3 –and 4- year-olds”. (pbs newshour page1)The mayor only wants to help the children receive free pre- school, so the funding can help all our 3-5 year old students. They all should be able to receive a quality education, so they can have all the materials they need. The Narrator says, “Philadelphia’s chance to help lift our children with citywide pre-K is now” (pbs newshour page 2). We have a chance to help our children receive an equal chance, and equal funding to be used in all the per- k programs. Hari Sreenivasan stated, “The mayor hopes to raise $95 million every year with the new tax” (pbs newshour page 2). That money will pull the head start and other programs into equally distributing funds to each program. We will be able to see one pre-K program then separate entities in the same center. Now we have to find out what is the purpose of the tax, so people can understand why we need

To start off, many students aren’t ready yet for the basis of kindergarten as they never finished, or even attended preschool. Attending a preschool gives children an early advantage, and stimulates an early mind. When a child starts their educational journey at the age of three, they get a two year “Head Start,” for themselves, compared to kids who have not attended preschool. This early advantage is a physical and significant benefit for them as it helps strengthen the child from early on. According to greatschools.org, “To sustain children’s excitement and motivation for learning, high-quality preschool and child care programs introduce early literacy and math skills

The answers to academic success for disadvantaged children may not be smaller class sizes, better-prepared teachers, tougher standards, more accountability, or greater choice as admirable as these goals may be. They may instead center on a single factor: preschool. Lyndon Johnson in 1965 wanted to “break the cycle of poverty” by raising poor children’s levels of competence with the Head Start program. Since it began, the Head Start program has been the most widely applied and most heavily researched prevention effort in the US.

Niños Barrio Inc.five year plans include developing the strategies and actions to accomplish measurable achievements in kindergarten readiness. The strategies that are presented are grounded in evidence-based practices, and are exclusively intended to be used as a guide for policymakers, legislators, caregivers, early care and education providers, healthcare providers, and other concerned community members to expand on our ideas and concepts to make access to this beneficent nuance program available in every Hispanic and low-income community around the United States.

The achievement gap is a serious issue that schools everywhere face. Poor and impoverished students do not have access to the same educational amenities that more privileged students do, which puts them at a disadvantage in school. Since the achievement gap is created early on in a child’s life, Alberto Ochoa believes that preschool is the best way to stop the gap before it has the chance to form (1). It makes more sense to try stop the gap from happening, rather than doing damage control once the gap has already had time to form. Preventing the gap from forming means sending children to preschool so that they are both cognitively and emotionally prepared to succeed in kindergarten and throughout the rest of their educational careers. Unfortunately, not every parent is able to send their child to preschool. Taking inflation into account, the average cost to raise a child born in 2013 is estimated to be approximately $304,480 (Garth 1). This large figure only covers necessities: food, clothing, shelter. It is not surprising that many parents cannot spare the extra cost of sending their children to preschool. Universal preschool would allow children to attend preschool, even if their parents cannot afford it or they do not qualify for the government funded Head Start program (Greene 1). The numerous benefits of

Early experiences are critical for a child’s development. According to the U.S Department of Education “there are 2.5 million children here in the U.S that does not have access to preschool.” Not everyone can afford

Early childhood education has many benefits and there is the potential for many significant outcomes if universal preschools were put into place. Some feel that children who start kindergarten without previously attended preschool sometimes lack certain skills such as social and communication skills and an inability to follow routines. There were also studies done that found attending preschool could help to close the achievement gap in the grade school years. A child’s first few years of life are most important, and they absorb the most during those years. By providing universal preschool, all children would be benefiting, especially those who are in at-risk families or part of the lower class. As a society, we have a responsibility to help the children in our communities and provide them with the education they need in order to help them succeed in life.