In Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Obama called for universal early childhood education, citing a range of studies that show "the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road." And yet, the president continued, "today, fewer than three in ten four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle class parents can’t afford a few hundred bucks a week for a private preschool. And for poor kids, who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives."
Professor James Heckman, Nobel Prize-winning economist at the University of Chicago, likely authored the essays President Obama cited in his speech. Heckman has studied the affects of early childhood education for decades, and finds that preschool and similar early intervention programs make a remarkable difference in children's lives.
Two landmark studies demonstrate Heckman's conclusions. The Perry Preschool Project in Ypsilanti, Michigan and the Abecedarian Project in North Carolina compared low-income children who attended preschool with their peers who did not attend preschool. Researchers studied the groups for decades, and found that the children who enrolled in preschool, as Heckman explains, "scored higher on achievement tests, attained higher levels of education, required less special education, earned higher wages, were more likely to own a home, and were less likely to go on welfare or be incarcerated than controls."
These results prompted Oklahoma educators to advocate for free preschool throughout the state. Though the legislative process was less than straightforward, the state implemented free preschool for all children and quickly noticed students' improvement. Steve Dow, executive director of the Community Action Project of Tulsa, is a longtime advocate for universal preschool in Oklahoma, and his organization now partners with the state to provide preschool and Head Start programs.
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Comments [11]
My mom taught me the alphabet and counting BEFORE I went to pre-school. She believed I needed to be prepared for schooling. I found out later, from an episode of Sesame Street, that what Mom did was was unnecessary because that's what school was for. Now, I realized what was being explained in that episode but my friends watching with me didn't understand what the hostess and Oscar the Grouch were talking about. Thanks Mom!
How important was preschool to MY child's education? Wrong question.
I wouldn't expect preschool to be vital to the children of NPR's listeners, because they are educated, literate, and probably teach their children everything they would learn in preschool before they are 3 years old.
Preschool can be very important to children who don't have educated, literate parents who involve them in conversations, read to them, teach them colors, numbers, shapes, etc.
Kids already have too little quality parenting time. This proposal is yet another that strips parents of their rights and responsibilities.
It's not enough to offer preschool to 4yr olds.
We have a TOTAL CLASS inequality in our country.
It can be fixed with day care (optional, but federally paid) starting at 6 months old.
This would alleviate two or 3 different problems.
1) head start type learning opportunities for the kids.
1a ) would also incorporate some sort of 'harlem childrens zone' type learning/training/pre-natal? for parents
2) would allow women faster job growth, by formal day care needs.
This PLUS a LIVING wage (as well as changing the existing minimum wage to a TRAINING wage) could help our economy a great deal to get us out of our current DEPRESSION 2.0
I was lucky. We could afford for me to stay home with our children when they were young and send them to a cooperative daycare two mornings a week to interact with other kids. But what about parents who can't afford to stay at home? What about parents who don't have a background in child development? We need to fund daycare for those who need it.
L. Engelhard
Some parents use Pre-K as a substitute for properly raising their kids. They treat the school system as if it is a baby sitting program. It all comes down to how parents are raising their kids
My daughter's speech impediment was diagnosed in preschool and treatment begun in the public school system. she was the youngest student to begin speech therapy at that time, at age 3 and a half. she was in speech therapy for 6 years and when she was done her therapist said she was the crowning achievement of her 35 years. My daughter, now a HS Senior, is Governor of the Mid Atlantic States of Junior States of America, and is an experienced and wonderful public speaker and debater. She has been nominated for 2 scholarships for her work in government organizations and interest, and has won the US Senate Youth Program scholarship--and I believe none of this would have been possible without the intervention of her preK principal at Bnai Tikvah Nursery School.
PreK works with qualified teachers who follow up with continued qualified teachers. My private girls' school 10 yrs ago implemented day care 3 mon-PreK. Low income students need help in class and this insruction allows parents of these students to receive guidance in their child's education.
My parents asked me when I was four whether or not I wanted to go to preschool, and naturally I said no. Preschool is obviously not vital as here I am working my way through college and on my way to succuss.
Preschool is vital! It shaped my children and helped them and me, to understand and learn tolerance of others and their culture. We need it! And it should be supported!
Why is it then that the most widely studied program of all, Head Start continues to fail to demonstrate any permanent gains? Joe Klien just write a big piece on this just last year? Why 'yes' he did...http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2081778,00.html
Funny how the producers of this show don't even allude to this
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