Educational Leaders And Public Policymakers

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

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

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.

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.

In the midst of discussion of the effectiveness of early childhood education for children prior to entering kindergarten, the question of approach comes in terms of who will benefit from pre-k class time. Kristen Mobbs’s dissertation focuses on the differences between different learning settings and socioeconomic statuses of the students attending state/private/federally funded preschools. An excerpt from Mobbs’s research was deemed quite appropriate toward the reasoning for this study: “Disadvantaged and traditionally marginalized students are at an incrased risk of developing behavior and social problems (Bulosky-Shearer & Fernandez, 2011), and girls demonstrate higher approaches to learning (Dominguez et al., 20100, perform better in school

According to Friedrich Froebel, “Children must master the language of things before they master the language of words.” Author David Elkind wrote an article titled “Much Too Early” about the difficulties children may face when they attend preschool at an early age. His purpose was to inform readers that the idea of children attending preschool would be a bad idea for their academic background in the future. Although children may be very anxious and excited to start school at such an early age, their ability to catch on and develop quickly may be at risk in the end.

Not only is universal preschool necessary for targeting sensitive periods, research showed it develops skills in preparation for future education and sets students up for success. Children enrolled in programs similar to preschool demonstrated higher achievement or IQ test scores, displayed more motivation for learning, and gain success in later education and adulthood (Heckman). In the study by Skibbe et al., an extra year of preschool had a significant impact on decoding and letter knowledge that was highly predictive of later reading success. While self-regulation and vocabulary was associated with maturity and not additional schooling, these results may only be reflective of the group examined. These children were from middle or upper class,

On February 12th, 2012, in his State of the Union address, President Obama discussed the long-term benefits a universal preschool would have on today’s society. “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. We know this works. So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind.” (Obama) Unfortunately, an overwhelming number of children, from low-poverty areas, are unable to access high-quality early childhood programs for their preschool aged children. Consequently,

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

“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

Early years in a child’s life ( when the brain is forming) represents a critically important window to develop a child’s full potential and shape academic, social, and cognitive skills. The Universal Prekindergarten Initiative urges each state to provide access to state funded preschool programs for four year olds. These programs would vary due to teacher qualifications, number of students, staff-child ratio, and operating schedule. Economic analysis ( Bowman) indicates that a better educational investment is in preschool education is in preschool education. To have a successful program states would need to support the prek. President Obama has called upon Congress to expand access to high quality preschool

Child care is incredibly important for the youth because has been proven to improve children's development. Early childhood education has a countless number of benefits, including more equitable long-term outcomes for children of diverse economic backgrounds. Additionally, investing in these benefits early on helps create future workforce, secure long-term

Just think about this one tiny effect. Imagine that you are about to start school at the age of five, and once you arrive you see that kids around you are more prepared, confident, and eager to learn. These young smiley five year old faces don’t make you happy. In fact, this makes you depressed, and saddened. Early education, also known as preschool is of vital importance. Preschool or an early educational establishment is a group of people offering early childhood education, before the age five. They offer enriching courses for children, and help prepare them for the transition into elementary school. Children who use the opportunity of an early education have a huge advantage. On the other hand, children who don’t enter preschools seem to lack in certain areas, and lag behind. Many children in our country do not attend preschool at the age of three or four, and directly enter kindergarten without the early learning opportunity. This issue of a less advantage situation could eventually lead to a bigger disadvantage when it comes to learning. Many parents aren’t willing to send their children to preschool in their early years as it is over expensive and unnecessary for a three year old to enter school. I, on the other hand, disagree with these people. If children learn from early on, there won’t be any need to worry about others who have advantages. I believe that early education should be mandatory, and since many people can’t afford preschools, public school districts should have their own preschool grade for all younger students.

The Heritage Foundation report noted that 45 early childhood education programs already existed, costing an estimated $45 million each year, and that many of the programs are “duplicative and ineffective, failing to serve the needs of children from low-income families” (Burke and Sheffield, 2013). In addition, the evidence showing that the public sector is a good provider of early childhood education is lacking. The 2001 Gilliam study reviewed state-run preschool programs and found that “less than half of the current state-funded preschool programs have, or are currently conducting, impact evaluations of the effectiveness of their programs” and that “of these

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.