Pre-kindergarten also known, as pre-k is a program designed for children who range from ages 3 and 4 years old. They are programs put in place to get young children ready for kindergarten and successful enough to pass on to the third grade. Private pre-kindergarten programs can cost anywhere from 3,000-18,000 for full-time center based care. Pre-kindergarten can help children’s development in many ways: school readiness, academic achievement, social/emotional development, and social progress (Jyoti, 2013). “Children need to develop a healthy and strong brain architecture,” says Todd Grindal, an education expert at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “The experiences kids have in the early years have profound effects on their futures,” he says. There has been support from the public for states to increase the availability for pre-kindergarten programs in the United States for 4 year olds. And …show more content…
There are many different types and funding sources for pre-kindergarten with varying regulations, including Title 1 pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start, subsidized community child care programs and state funded universal pre-kindergarten programs (Abbot-Shim et al 2003; Bassok et al. 2008; Burger 2010; Howes et al. 2008; Winslet et al. 2008). And since President Obama proposed making high-quality preschool education available to every American four year old in his 2013 State of the Union address, the debate over the benefits of preschool has been thrown into the national spotlight (Jyoti, 2013). Causing every parent to know that preschool must be purchased for a well-built price. In different cities those prices may vary from private and public schools. According to a recent report by Child Care Aware America, parents, on average, are paying anywhere between $3,900 (Mississippi) to nearly $11,700 (Massachusetts) for full-time, center-based care for a four-year-old (Jyoti,
I am a firm believer that the quality of the child care directly affects the child’s development in the classroom. By eliminating the need for competing preschools to continue to improve their curriculum and to remain relevant in the field of early childhood education, we risk falling into the same trap K-12 education has fallen into. In other words, individual classroom freedom will be lost when teachers are forced to follow the governments blanket and mandatory regulations. I choose this concept because I feel it is important to allow a wide variety of options to families in order for them the find the right fit for their
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
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.... ...
As high school students begin to look into getting a higher education, certain factors determine what college they may look into: locations, academic profile, graduation rate, school size, and, to some the most important, the cost of the university. The cost of a university can play one of the biggest deciding factors in furthering one’s education. Many students do not have hundreds of thousands of dollars for college. There are many poor people in this world who want to attend college and earn a degree to support themselves and their family and be able to live a more comfortable life. Everyone should have the opportunity to go to college. Every year, college prices are increasing, causing it to be less affordable. This will discourage people
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
The cost of college is becoming an issue for most college students. It is no secret that a college education is expensive, and it just keeps rising. With the cost of college becoming outrageous and students are leaving college students with high amounts of debt. Some students can’t even afford college. That’s something that shouldn’t be happening. Colleges need to lower their tuition for college students. One college in mind is Lourdes University. Lourdes University is a small private institution, with a little over 1,500 students who are currently enrolled in the 2015 fall semester. My topic is about trying to lower the cost of college tuition. I am interested in this topic, because college tuition is a big deal, and affects every college
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...
And I was getting my work done. Six years later, I’ve sent three kids through both the crèche and France’s free universal public preschool and come out converted.” A national child care study found, a single mother with one infant who lives in Iowa earning a state median, spent over 38 percent
Have pennies become useless in modern times? In the articles “Penny Anti” by John fund, a magazine article, “The Many Faces of the Penny” by J. Wendell Shelton, from a coin collectors’ website,”The Cost of a Penny’ by David R Carroll, which is a letter to an editor, and “Save the Penny-Save the Day!” which is an article from Washington Middle School Chronicle, a student newspaper, the authors try to substantiate whether or not the penny needs to be preserved. Whether or not the penny should be preserved has been a big controversy. The penny, all in all,should not be preserved because it costs more than it’s worth to produce, it could lead to lower prices, and people just don’t use them as often.
Anne M. Mulcahy, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Xerox Corporation, states, “Investing in early childhood nutrition is a surefire strategy. The returns are incredibly high” (“Anne M. Mulcahy Quotes,” n.d.). Excellent early education is the key to success in the future; however, some children do not get the proper amount and/or kind of teaching, creating huge difficulties in later life. Success of an excellent early education can be measured by reaching the three goals of macroeconomics, which are lower unemployment rates, lower inflation rates, and raising the future gross domestic product (GDP). The opportunity cost of not providing excellent early education to the youth creates a different path of future choices and actions lacking the educational opportunities needed for the growth of our economy.
The first national goal focuses directly on the early childhood years: "By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn." We believe that from the time of birth, all children are ready to learn. However, what we do or don't do as individuals, educators, and collectively as society can impede a child's success in learning. For example, if we do not provide adequate health care and nutrition for our youngsters, those children entering the public schools will already be behind their healthier, properly fed peers. The current educational practices of testing children for kindergarten entry and placement, raising the entrance age to kindergarten, adding an extra "transitional" year between kindergarten and first grade, and retaining children in preschool, kindergarten, or first grade are attempts to obtain an older, more capable cohort of children at each grade level. These educational strategies suggest that current curriculum expectations do not match the developmental level of the children for whom the grade is intended. In effect, these strategies blame the victims, the children, rather than confronting the real problem--an inappropriate curriculum.
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).