As school becomes increasingly demanding, many people believe that preschool should be mandatory for all children. In order for students to be ready for first grade after kindergarten, there is a laundry list of standards they must meet. Children must be able to write letters, learn to rhyme, use words to convey feelings and thoughts, recognize sight words, add and subtract numbers one through ten, divide objects into even numbered groups, and much more (Morin). While all of these things may seem simple to most people, kindergarteners struggle with learning and doing these things. With one teacher and an average of 20 students in a classroom, it can be hard to give students the one-on-one attention that they need (Fitzgerald). The student-teacher ratio according to Fitzgerald is “3.5 students over the maximum necessary for a quality education”. If the students are not able to get the personal help in kindergarten that they need than they may not be ready for first grade by the end of the year. As kindergarten continues to require more of students, preschool becomes a necessary prerequisite. However, since preschool is not currently required or funded by the government in all places, many students don’t have access to this valuable resource. Preschool or a kindergarten readiness program should become mandatory for …show more content…
State preschools have been shown to be the most reliable sources of early childhood education. In order for preschool education to be effective it needs to be balanced, have high standards and well-trained staff, and have strong monitoring (Nores). One of the best ways to do this is to have preschool be state funded and mandatory. This way, education is as equal as it can be for everyone throughout the state and country. Without state run preschools, there would be many private preschools that would all have different educational standards hence not being as
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
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.... ...
While it may grant access to millions of children, this will only hurt them and our economy more due to insufficient funding of these schools. The children will get low quality education that will end up widening the Education Gap at the Top that Friedman addresses instead of closing it. UP will extinguish Friedman’s idea of CQ+PQ>IQ, by taking advantage of the children and shaping their minds the way they seem fit instead of allowing children to shape it themselves. Along with this, the new preschools will be created more as a drilling form of education, rather than a nourishing one. Sending children to school to be put under constant pressure of tests and cognitive learning that they are not yet mature enough for will have longer lasting effects on them than the actual schooling will. Alan Blinder was quoted in the World is Flat by saying, “How we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them” (Friedman 309). Universal preschool is focusing more on the numbers rather than the quality of education, going against Thomas L. Friedman’s ideas of how to save our economy. UP is only going to hurt America, dragging us down instead of helping us get back
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
Children need preschool in its most basic essence: to define motor skills, achieve basic socialization skills, and to learn the alphanumeric system that will undoubtedly help improve their understanding in the grades to come, allowing for the advances in education that America desires and certainly needs. Making preschool mandatory as part of the education reforms that America so desperately requires will combat the lack of educational programming that exists and allow children to receive education at a younger age than they would have in a home where education is not a main family focus.
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).
...have health concerns as well. Perhaps an upgrade with some of the standards of the Perry Preschool Project would be a sound investment in the lives of children. This investment would serve to better achieve a reduction in crime and delinquency. This upgrade would be relatively simple since the current policy is similar to the Perry Project. Another very important reminder, and something that I became aware of through this project, is to always consider the individuals who will be impacted by this policy. The investment in their lives is extremely important because at the ages that early intervention deals with, they may not have anyone else to fight for them. The policy that is implemented should really have the best possible outcomes for children associated with it. Head Start and other early childhood interventions are important for the children that they impact.
Children who participate in quality early learning programs tend to be more successful later in school. They are also most socially and emotionally competent. In addition those children show higher verbal and intellectual development during early childhood than children who do not participate in early learning programs (A Parent’s Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care). In order for a child care center to be a quality center they must have an educated staff, a program accreditation, and good health and safety practices. Parents choose high quality child care for many reasons. These programs prepare children for school in which they gain intellectual and social skills. Also the programs are a good opportunity for children because they receive age-appropriate learning materials and activities to let the children learn and grow.
Preschool isn't just a place for parents to drop off their children while they are at work for the day. It is in preschool where children learn the necessary skills needed to succeed in school and in life. With high-quality preschools and qualified teachers the possibilities are endless. It's not only the children who reap the benefits of Early Childhood Education; their parents, fellow peers, and even society feel the positive effects of quality preschool programs. Children enrolled in quality preschool programs are more likely to succeed academically and socially when they are older.
It’s been noted that recent studies specify that “more than half of all 3-5-year-old children in the United States attend child-care centers prior to kindergarten” and “Given these high usage rates, the quality of these early child-care experiences has become an important public policy issue” (Peisner-Feinberg 2001). It is believed that part of the issue is a result of parents not knowing what the primary purpose of daycare/child care facilities are and what high quality daycares consist of in considering a their child should attend.
Babies don’t stay babies forever. Eventually, they turn four and parents have to make the difficult decision of putting them in preschool or keeping them to themselves for an extra year. This decision could be life changing for a child, however, it could also be too much for a four year old. The history of preschool becoming an everyday thing for any child has greatly evolved over the years. Preschool gives young children a head start on school so when they attend kindergarten they already have an understand of some school related things. The price of sending a child to preschool is also a factor a lot of parents look at before sending their kids. These are all reasons that parents either decide it is good for their child to attend preschool or to keep them at home for another year.
There are many aspects to early childhood education including what all it contains and is being taught. People willing to teach in an early childhood center are vitally important for learning and have overwhelming benefits for the children (Teufel). Children are expected to know much more information at an early age, so it benefits children to have the opportunity to take part in a program before kindergarten.
“Universal preschool” is a need for American’s because the cost of sending a child to a preschool is too much for most families (Wolfe and Scrivner 113). Roughly 49.3% of children of the ages three and four in America are enrolled in preschool (Percent of Population Ages 3 and 4 who are Enrolled in School: Census 2000 para 1). To send a child into daycare the cost of it is around $150 per week, and for three children in a preschool program is around $350 per week. Parents should not have to pay this much for their children to go to preschool. Children who go to preschool have a greater chance to become successful in the future, and missing out on the opportunity to become more successful can ultimately hurt the child in the...
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).