Does anyone know where exactly the cure for cancer or AIDS lies? Clearly, the answer is no, and that would be acceptable, so long as we were taking advantage of all the resources we have access to in order to find it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These resources, though, are not the most up-to-date computers or advanced biotechnology, but rather the minds of the individuals where the genius necessary to produce such items exists. These individuals, however, are not always as fortunate as others, financially speaking. While they are perfectly able to enroll in public school and receive an education, children who are hovering around or below the poverty line are statistically less likely to achieve a level of educational attainment as high as their wealthier counterparts (Ferguson et al 702). Because public schooling begins at age five, and the critical period for child development takes place within the first few years of life, the most reasonable explanation behind this educational ineptitude must lie within the quality or absence of a preschool experience. Therefore, I believe that providing additional early educational outreach opportunities encompassing all underprivileged youths can allow for a more advantageous development for the individual, and reverse the effects of poverty, in turn having a positive impact on the nation’s job market.
First, one must identify what exactly determines this school readiness. According to Kagan, “[it] sanctions a fixed standard of physical, intellectual, and social development sufficient to enable children to fulfill specific school requirements and to assimilate the curriculum” (49). This standard is often used to determine whether an individual requires a special education or not,...
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The United States faces serious problems that effective early education can help alleviate, most notable high rates of school failure, dropout, crime, and delinquency, as well as far too many youth who are not well prepared for the workforce. From 35 – 45 percent of American children are poorly prepared to succeed in school at kindergarten entry (Barnett & Frede, 2010, p. 22). Children begin learning the day they are born and brain development is vital in their early years. Children gain most of their initial pre-academic skills up to age six; during these crucial years of development it is said that the majority of a child’s brain is developed. So with this said, the area of focus for this research project is to describe the effects of the Early Learning
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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.
Low- income children 's school districts often lack the money to provide these children with resources, and therefore the children will not get these resources any other way. Devarics (2011) stated, "Only 22 percent of local districts reported offering pre-kindergarten or other early learning programs for low-income children" (para.8). Denying this resource affects the many children who reside where that 78 percent of local districts do not offer pre-kindergarten, because many go to kindergarten not knowing minimal skills required. As a consequence, this postpones their education even further. Moreover, Davarics (2011) also stated, "Many schools aren 't educationally where they need to be, which ultimately means many students won 't graduate ready to succeed in a career or in higher education," (para.11). Many low-income schools do not offer activities such as, art, music or sports, because of the lack of money, facilities, or staff. They are not supplied with the right tools and have poor access to computers and Internet. They also do not offer rigorous courses at many of these schools, and have less qualified, trained, and less experienced staff that cannot proficiently teach such courses. Going to school with these disadvantages, can make these children unmotivated to continue an education where there will be little educational progress.
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Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass: Pearson
The modern early childhood curriculum refers to the experiences gathered throughout a child’s infancy and beyond. It incorporates everyday interactions with family members within a wide spectrum of environments. Such interactions can be spontaneous or structured however, it is important that they are established within a supportive, safe and nurturing setting in order for the child to flourish in terms of their mental and physical ability ( O’Hagen,and Smith (1998). We refer to such a curriculum as Child centered as equal emphasis must be made on the child’s learning through out infancy as it is within a formal education setting.
Early education includes all children from birth to age eight. Opting to provide excellent early education comes with many opportunity costs. Opportunity costs are losing potential gains when choosing one option versus the other. Anything other than giving children excellent early education comes with an opportunity cost that does not look forward to maximizing the future of next generations. It is important to include education early on in a child’s life to help secure the positive effects this will have on their development into adulthood. Though the opportunity cost of poor early education is great, the external benefits are greater with positive results. These benefits lead to a lasting success of academic and employment success
Living in poverty exposes children to disadvantages that influence many aspects in their life that are linked to their ability to do well in school. In the United States of America there are an estimated 16.4 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). “The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower the educational attainment” (Kerbo, 2012). Children who are raised in low-income households are at risk of failing out before graduating high school (Black & Engle, 2008). U.S. children living in poverty face obstacles that interfere with their educational achievement. Recognizing the problems of living in poverty can help people reduce the consequences that prevent children from reaching their educational potential.