I am finding the more I learn about the different programs the more fascinating they become. My daughter just finished a VPK program that is offered to all children in Florida the year before the begin kindergarten. This is voluntary preschool and is under the universal preschool umbrella. This is a half day program, I quickly realized she was doing more in preschool than I did when I was in kindergarten and working in a kindergarten classroom the lessons she was learning and the lessons I was currently teaching often overlapped. When I started reading about Head Start and the Universal Preschool programs I wanted to take in as much as I could about each program and find out what the advantages and disadvantages are to each program.
I found
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Some argue that Universal Preschool is a bad idea. Most states, alongside the central government, do not have the cash to reserve preschool for all youngsters. When endeavors concentrate on making in all cases pre-k frameworks, the youngsters who may be taking the greatest hit are the ones who might most profit by a quality prekindergarten experience: the individuals who are poor, communicate in English as a second dialect, or are generally hindered. Most states do store pre-k to some degree, as do neighborhood school areas. A bit over 50% of the state-financed projects have wage prerequisites. Amid the 2012-13 school year, about a quarter of the nation 's 4-year-olds—28 percent—were enlisted in state-supported pre-k projects, as indicated by information from the National Institute for Early Education Research, or NIEER. (This intelligent New York Times realistic offers a decent breakdown of how state-financed pre-k fluctuates the nation over, however the information is somewhat obsolete.) State-subsidized pre-k is, obviously, one of an interwoven of ahead of schedule instruction administrations accessible to families. There are the Head Start habitats for low-salary youngsters, which are ordinarily worked by regional standards by private philanthropies and for-benefits and subsidized to a great extent by a blend of government and state dollars, and private preschools and childcare focuses, among different …show more content…
If it had not of been for this program. I would not have been able to return to work this past year we would not have been able to have afforded the cost of day care. I also think it was the best thing for her. I had no idea she would need to know sight words, be able to count to 100, know her 3D shapes, her letter sounds, and how to add numbers, before entering kindergarten. My son just finished fifth grade and things have changed since he was in kindergarten, I think parents that did not have their children participate in a preschool program are going to be in shock when they see the amount of homework that will come home with their children the first week of school. The students that had the benefit of head start or universal preschool the parents will be prepared as well as the students and having a kindergarten be prepared is worth all the money we can invest in them. We need to invest in the children and we will have a better, brighter,
Universal Preschool exists as a program intended to allow free universal Preschool to all four-year-old children, regardless of their family’s financial situation. The particular video explores both sides of the argument, clearly showing that the program has its pros and cons. One concept against Universal Preschool I found interesting is the impact it would have on licensed home care providers. By requiring them to have credentials to teach preschool aged children, many individuals, woman in particular, would be left without a reliable income. I selected this concept because I have not decided if I would like to use my Associates in Early Childhood Education to become an assistant preschool school teacher or if opening a licensed home care facility would be a wiser decision. In other words, by requiring credentials to teach all ages 4 and up, I would be forced to further my education before being allowed to work with preschool children, which, consequently, would limit my income for several more
...hould serve as a guideline not only for teachers but also for parents. I also believe parents should be held accountable for their children’s successes. As with most government funded programs, in order to be eligible parents must meet a financial criteria to participate in head start, I believe there should also be a required class or number of classes that parents must also participate in if their child is in the head start program. This serves as a reinforcement for the child, and helps the parents become active in their child’s development in and outside of the classroom. Often children struggle because they don’t have access to constant support and education. I feel as though if parents know better they can do better, and because often these cycles tend to repeat themselves, I do feel as If educating parents is also a step towards ending the cycle of poverty.
Barnett, W.S. & Hustedt, J.T. (2003). Head Start’s lasting benefits. Infants and Young Children, 18(1), 16-24.
This legislation “provided federal money to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool-aged children” (Wasniewski) by creating a positive learning space. Over time, “Head Start has served over 32 million children since 1965, growing from an eight-week demonstration project to include full day/year services and many program options” (“History of Head Start”). Mink stated, “We could establish a program for working mothers who do not fall into the poverty level. These mothers deserve the concern of the Nation as well” (Rose). Even though Mink helped those who weren’t as fortunate, she also thought about equal opportunities and rights of families who could benefit from Head Start. This is important to me because this provides my family with an opportunity to begin their education early and excel in school by the start of
The Head Start program is extremely beneficial to communities across the United States of America. The program set goals, continues to accomplish them, remedies educational setbacks for low-income families and children and raises debates about the success of such programs which only pushes them to strive harder to reach their goals.
In the 1980s, child care was back on the national agenda due to the education reform movement (Tejada, 2010). Tejada further disclosed that several states even launched pre-kindergarten programs for disadvantaged children. Why the Need for Universal Preschool Two-thirds of 4-year-old children in the United States attend preschool, as well as 40% of 3-year-olds (Tejada, 2010). Half of those are enrolled in a public program, such as state prekindergarten (preK), Head Start, or special education, and the other half are in a private program (Adams, 2009). Despite such a large enrollment of children in these programs, there is still a handful of children who are missing out on obtaining a head start in obtaining a good quality education.... ...
Seventeen to nineteen percent of the fifty percent of children who are in early education programs are in head start. Head start was created in 1965 and is the largest financed early education in the United States. Although many say that head start is a great tool to get students ready for school there are some mixed evidence on both of it. Head start has not shown any improvement on the math skills. There is only a limited research on the impact of making a teacher and student relationship. It has shown that it helped with the students who have special needs on their attention abilities. Children who went to head start did have a more positive school readiness then the one who did not go to Head
Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age five, pregnant woman and their extended families. They are child-focused programs that have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. . These programs try to prepare young children intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically for their future educational and social endeavors. ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002).. The programs prepare the parent(s) to be supportive in the endeavor. Head Start has the philosophy that parents are a child's first and most influential teacher. The Head Start program is beneficial to early learning.
Childcare or “daycare” is one of the most commonly used resources among Americans in the United States. There are many options for childcare that parents could choose from. They have many choices for childcare, ranging from: in-home care, childcare facilities, after school or government-funded Head Start programs. . “Head Start is a federally funded governmental program with the explicit goal of preparing underprivileged children for primary education” (Conley). This program is another option for the pre-k program. The cost of childcare has risen dramatically over the past year, and no one really knows whom to blame for it. The government offers families subsidies for childcare, but that is only if your income is low. But, what about the hard working, middle class families, that are still struggling to pay the high cost of childcare without government assistant? How will they provide childcare for their kids?
The idea of universal preschool (UP) has recently exploded across America. Who wouldn’t want cheap or free early education for their children? From a distance the whole idea looks as if there’s nothing wrong with it, but close up it’s a different story. While parents will be saving money, the schools are going to be losing it, with funds being spread even thinner than before. In conjunction to this, the government would be the ones providing the money, and therefore, the curriculum. The trouble is that they would then take the “cookie-cutter” approach, shaping kids’ minds the way they see fit. This tactic could ideally lead to the cure of our economic gaps that Thomas L. Friedman explains in his renowned book, The World is Flat, but will only
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said:“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” Mr. Roosevelt was indicating that education is key to ensuring a positive future for our country. Years have passed since his presidency, and many can argue that America’s educational system has improved, but that still remains to be seen. While it is true that education has gotten more focus in recent years, as highlighted by the “No Child Left Behind Act,” it does not mean that the system is fully developed enough to aid all of America’s children. Now, the average American is just that: average. Children generally receive B’s and C’s, average grades, in school if they are lucky enough to be in a good school system. Literacy rates are lower than they seem, and not enough people are properly motivated to do well in school. Forms of entertainment and parental influence, which also play a large role in the development of children into successful, productive adults, are not where they should be with respects to education. Much more needs to be done to improve the educational system of the entire country. Preschool should be made mandatory to help individuals reach their full potential and achieve what only a minority of today’s society is currently capable of.
Another factor parents may not look into when finding a preschool is the curriculum that will be taught. “Despite decades of federal, state, and local programs intended to support young children’s preparation for schooling, children from low-income families continue to begin formal schooling at a disadvant...
There are a few types of preschool programs. First there are structured preschool programs that focus on emphasizing an actual school setting and classroom activities in order to prepare the child for kindergarten or first grade. There are also day care centers, which are not as structured as preschool centers. Daycare’s focus mainly on child’s development through social interaction with children and caregivers. Then there are head start programs that are geared to give children a foot in the right direction in order to be ready for preschool or kindergarten. The right kind of childcare can be a wonderful opportunity to promote the profound learning children experience from birth through age five (Selecting child care, 2002).
The results of quality preschool programs can be seen early after they begin. Children learn many important life le...
Early childhood education plays a key role in a child’s academic development because he or she learns soft skills, job skills, and develop positive traits. Preschool is not like kindergarten, but instead a stepping-stone that prepares young students for the years of schooling they will have later in life. As more schools began to open families wanted to be able to verify that programs would benefit and protect their children. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was made to help families find the best care for their children, by providing the early childhood educators with training and ensuring the quality of children’s daily experiences. (“NAEYC”5).