The conversation about education reform in America often takes place in the realm of 4th-grade reading aptitude, middle school math and science achievement and SAT scores. Last week, on Capitol Hill, we expanded the conversation to the place where all of a child's potential hinges: the first five years.
The science on early childhood education is unequivocal. If the United States were to make a deep investment in this overlooked part of the education spectrum, we'd diminish many social ills, including juvenile crime and teenage pregnancy; we'd increase high school graduation rates and family incomes; and, according to the Brookings Institute, we'd add $2 trillion to the gross domestic product within a generation.
Science also says that early education is crucial not because toddlers are necessarily learning to read and write, but because they acquire vital skills that set them up for learning to read and write. The fundamental experience of being taught to sit still, work with other kids and develop strong and positive relationships with adults sets kids on the path for their K-12 education.
Still, our nation's leaders and our national policy are, once again, lagging far behind science.
Only 60 percent of toddlers are enrolled in some kind of pre-school, including Head Start, Early Head Start, a private pre-school or proven programs like the ones Save the Children's U.S. Programs runs across 14 states.
That means two out of five kids in America walk into kindergarten not fully prepared for school. They're already behind. And so is America. This year, America will graduate a small fraction of the number of engineers -- a key to our economic future -- than China and India will.
In Hollywood, it's all about the story: the beginning, the middle and the end.
Here's the early education story so far:
So it's not a very happy story so far. But there's hope.
Last month, President Obama delivered on $500 million for innovative early learning programs, which both of us, alongside our partners at organizations like the First Five Years Fund and First Focus, have been fighting to secure.
It's a fabulous accomplishment, but it's only a down payment. It's still not enough to ensure that every toddler is prepared for a lifetime of success.
That's why we were thrilled to join Senators Robert Casey and Barbara Mikulski last week to launch a new effort to ensure that every toddler in America gets access to a quality early childhood education.
They introduced legislation that would make universal pre-school a reality by increasing child care funding and providing grants to states so that every toddler in the United States gets at least one year of pre-school.
We know the first question about this initiative may be: Why now? The budget wars are as hot as ever, dollars are scarce and, most of all, the American people are anxious about the future.
Well, it's the future that this effort is all about.
Simply put, these bills are perhaps one of the best ways to make America an even stronger, competitive and more just nation.
To us, that is is one of the most effective and patriotic actions any of us can undertake and the time to make it happen is now.
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Susan Ochshorn: Prioritizing Early Childhood Education: We Can't Afford to Wait
The truth is that many families, mostly not middle and upper-income families, do a *great* job of raising their kids with no preschool.
So, the need for preschool is strong only for low income families, and among those, it's most important in cases in which parents, for whatever reason, aren't doing things that prepare their kids for preschool.
So if we now require preschool (age 4) will Head Start have to begin at 3? If we don't, then that gap goes back to the preHead Start level. How early do we start? At what point are we pushing kids before they are ready to learn?
Children have critical periods for learning. If we target learning to these critical periods, learning comes easily. If we push kids too early/wait too late, learning becomes more difficult. We know Language learning is best before the age of 7-10. Yet we wait to until HS to teach foreign language.
Preschool for all is not the answer. The education system is already too stretched. If we are struggling to adequately fund K-12, where do we think the money will come for ages 3&4?
Get class sizes manageable so that teachers can individualize assignments as needed. Teach CRITICAL THINKING, and get away from bubble tests. Target learning to critical periods in development. This is how we reach the top in education again.
Sean Taylor M.Ed.
http://reading-sage.blogspot.com/
On a more serious note, since there isn't enough support for funding education during the traditional years of schooling, and the differences from pre-school tend to diminish during elementary school, in our current climate, the focus should be on K-12.
I believe parents are the problem. They have become lazy when it comes to their kids, whether it's teaching them to read or disciplining them when they do something inappropriate. Most of the teachers all 3 of my kids had were good teachers. When they came home from school, it was up to the adults to make sure they did their homework and studied. Studying and learning was the top priority and still is.
It's time for PARENTS to make the investment in their children.
Parents are the biggest problem.
Not all, but far too many.
People reading this will mistakenly think that they need to put their three year old in preschool or they are depriving their child. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Unless you are poor and your home is disfunctional in some way and you are putting your child in the best preschool in town, there is no benefit and there could be a significant detriment to this.
My daughter is 13 and has never been to school of any kind. She consistently scores at the 99th percentile in standardized tests, she is one of the top violinists her age in the state and she was accepted and will enroll in the best college prep school in our city in the fall. People often comment about what a great kid she is and she is popular with her peers.
You don't need to put your child in any preschool. If you are poor and your home is disfunctional, then yes. If not, your child will do great at home.
Yes, the molding of young minds into dutiful working citizens must begin early.
Sean Taylor M.Ed.
http://reading-sage.blogspot.com