Early Childhood Education: Annotated Bibliography

Preschools offer a variety of services including social skills, health, nutrition, and aids in developing basic cognitive skills for toddlers up to the age of four years. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), advocates excellence in early childhood education. According to the NAEYC, extensive research has proven that “a high quality developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short-and-long term positive effects on children’s cognitive and social development.”

The classroom sites that were studies were state preschools, Head Start, Title 1, Tuition-based programs, full-day programs, and half-day programs. Eighty-one percent of the children were 4-year old, 19% were 5-year-olds. “The gender was balanced, and included 36% African American, 31% White, 20% Hispanic/Latino, 10% multi-race, and 3% Asian. Approximately 23% of the children were ELLs. The mean percentage of children eligible for early childhood special education (with IEPs) was 11%. This also varied across program types with 15% of children in Head Start programs having IEPs and 3% of children in Tuition-Based programs. Regarding parent/caregiver educational attainment in the overall sample, 22% of parents reported having less than high school, 23% had high school diplomas or general education development (GED),

Recent studies on early childhood education have shown that children who have access to quality pre-kindergarten education tend to have higher educational attainment than those who do not have the opportunity. While the literature is by no means uniform on this, the bulk of current evidence suggests that such policies will likely be helpful, especially for students in low - income and minority school districts. Only time will tell, of course, if such programs can help to make inroads into the seemly intractable achievement gaps, but based on current evidence, it is a policy worth

In the best of cases, the returns on a preschool education compared to the cost of enrollment is nearly seventeen times, an enormous benefit for a relatively low cost. (Schweinhart) This number comes from the results of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, a 40 year long, completely comprehensive look into how the addition of a preschool education positively impacts students from low income, urban families. The findings included, among other things, a 14 percent employment rate increase and $5,000 average annual wage increase in children who were able to attend a preschool compared to their less educated peers. Other benefits included included an 11 percent increase in homeownership, 17 percent increase in the ability to own two or more automobiles, 26 percent higher likelihood to own a savings account, 35 percent decrease in violent crime, and a 27 percent increase in likelihood to have the custody of children. (Schweinhart) These numbers would seem to indicate that preschool enrollment is an incredible value for the health and stability of a community, however all of these benefits may take decades to fully

Despite the evidence advocating for the effectiveness of these programs, some people still have some misgivings of the benefits. In “Pre-K’s Promise vs. the Actual Evidence” by David J. Armor, it is said that early education is unimpactful

As mentioned earlier, approximately eighty-five to ninety percent of the brain has been formed by the age of five (“Early Childhood Education Needs More Attention” 1). It seems as though the education of children should be a top priority during children’s first years of life considering how much they grow and develop. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that children who are able to attend preschool experience many long term benefits later in life . Kids who received a preschool education were found to “repeat fewer grades, be more literate, be more likely to achieve a higher level of education, and [be] more positive...toward their children’s education” (Wilson 2). Preschool helps children to be successful throughout their years in school. It makes sense to spend the time and money on children in preschool, instead of trying to play catch-up once they are already behind. Some of the benefits of preschool are evident, even throughout adulthood. Adults who attended preschool “had lower unemployment rates, earned significantly more money in their lifetimes, had significantly more stable dwelling arrangements, and were involved in less crime” (Wilson 2). Preschool sets children up for success throughout their lives. The increase in income and lowered crime rates stemming from preschool attendance actually lessen the amount of government money that is later spent on public assistance and correctional facilities (Abdul-Alim

The Abbott Preschool Program is administered through New Jersey’s Department of Education and the Department of Human Services. It was designed to provide all of New Jersey’s children an opportunity to succeed. The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effect Study (APPLES), published in 2013, investigated the impact of the Abbott program on children’s learning through the end of kindergarten. The findings of this study demonstrated that children who attend the Abbott Preschool Program, whether in public schools, private settings or Head Start, improve in language, literacy, and math at least through the end of their kindergarten year.

The Abecedarian Project researchers extended the research done with the Perry Preschool Project, the Early Training Project, and Head Start school outcomes. Although extensive research had been done in the areas of early childhood education and benefits later in life, none had been done when children were in an intensive classroom setting for an entire day, five days per week, as opposed to half days or even a few days per week in prior studies.

They stated, “Quality preschool provides not only significant benefits for children in both school and life, but tremendous benefits for society” (Cooper, Dukakis). This article also reveals that there are impressive educational, social, and emotional benefits for children who attend quality preschools. This substantial research allows teachers and school administrators to understand that children who have built a strong learning foundation in preschool have a better chance of success in school. Business leaders also realize that preschool helps meet their needs for a well-educated workforce. Law enforcement officials also notice that the implementation of a quality early education which leads to success in school is a vital tool to keep crime low and improve public safety (Cooper, Dukakis).

“Research shows that young children’s earliest learning experiences can have powerful long-term effects on their cognitive and emotional development, school achievement, and later life outcomes” (Mead, 2012). The literature reveals that a strong collection of research exists that indicates children who attend high-quality preschool programs have better health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes than those who do not

A primary purpose of preschool intervention programs is generally to assist at-risk students before they experience academic challenges, through enhancing foundation skills necessary for subsequent academic success. Basic literacy skills, pro social behaviors, and socio emotional development are often emphasized in pre-school programs. By enhancing skills for academic success through preschool programs, retention maybe prevented (p.52)

The purpose of this research design is to compare and analyse data that gives reasons for and against pre-kindergarten programs; the benefits, supporters and opposers.

In conclusion after this research I am well aware of how one issue that the child is no way in control of can affect them in the classroom and as well later in life. That Elementary Education is the foundation of a student’s future and can make or break a student. We as educators need to make sure that everything we do is for the children. Programs are created to make sure every child has an education no matter what circumstances or the background children come from. In America

The developmental years before children reach the age of kindergarten are very critical in affecting lasting cognitive and social-emotional growth. The occurrences the children have during this time period help structure their futures and have lasting effects on the contributions they make to society later in life. Many children during this time period do not experience quality cognitive and social- emotional occurrences due to poverty or other conditions detrimental to healthy development. Since high quality early child development programs have shown that they can and do make a difference in how children learn and are able to prepare for and proceed in school, it is essential that children in high-risk groups for failure participate in these programs. In this paper, I will discuss the characteristics that make up a high quality early educational program, the benefits of early childhood and a federally funded program called Head Start.

According to Lawrence J. Schweinhart of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, an access to a quality preschool starting at the age of three years can increase the average graduation rate from high school by up to thirty percent. Why then, are only twenty five percent of three year old children enrolled in preschools, and fewer still in schools that meet government criteria for “acceptable” school standards? (Karoly) From 2001 to 2011, preschool funding has increased from $3.47 billion to $5.12 billion, but this increase in funding has not matched the growth of the attending population, resulting in a drop in spending per capita of around twenty three percent. (Lu) The effects of attending preschool have been comprehensively studied, with attendance to a quality preschool being linked with reduced crime rates and an increase in median annual income. These benefits affect everyone in a community, but the largest problem arises when it is considered that the demographic that is least likely to attend a preschool or have a pre-elementary education is those of low annual income. (Cheng) When children who already come from low income families are unable to attend a quality preschool, their average wage drops by around $5,000 annually, which is a large amount of money by any standards, and is especially lost in low-income areas. (Schweinhart) The main factors that cause the inequality in preschool accessibility are the quality of the instruction received, followed in