My most recent newsletter comes from NIEER.org. It tugged at me to read the article in part because there is great progress made in Idaho however, there is still much to be done for children in pre-k.
Where as child development is concern, every aspect is relevant to my professional development. The most recent article I read however in NIEER Weekly highlighted a matter of funding in Idaho that floored me but also made me proud that educators found a way around insufficient funding. The governor in that state is for whatever reason mentioned "undecided" about all day pre-k.
I found his indecisiveness to be a bit confusing to me because his state is clearly in need of funding in the area of pre-k and obviously the funding is being redistributed to them so why not push to give children a learning advantage as early as possibly with funds by whatever means available or necessary. "Little convinced lawmakers to put $26 million into early reading programs, with few strings attached" (Richert, 2020). He has made a great strides in his state with literacy in education so my confusion comes to why NOT just rip the band aid off and start building children in pre-k skills as to when they have leveled up to kindergarten they will have some foundation to go off of."Many schools are using their share of the money to provide all-day kindergarten to some or all of their students. Schools can’t use state literacy money for pre-K, but if state funding helps schools move money around and launch a preschool, Little is fine with it" (Richert, 2020).
The e-newsletter contain additional information on how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support positive social change through the early childhood field but also causes me to question are we really doing enough based off the continued struggle to fund. "While schools struggle to find ways to fund and maintain pre-K, advocates face another challenge: selling a skeptical Legislature on the value of early education. Pre-K is a values debate and a policy debate. Critics say the state should focus on K-12 spending, assert that young children are best taught at home, and dismiss research on the lasting value of pre-K" (Richert, 2020).
The benefits of all day pre-k would outweigh the skeptics with proof of the children growth in literacy if given the opportunity. As it stands now Only one in five kindergartners show up in the fall with the skills they need to learn to read — the lowest numbers among Idaho’s large districts" (Richert, 2020).
Reference
All-day
kindergarten takes off in Idaho. Is pre-K next? (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://nieer.org/news/all-day-kindergarten-takes-off-in-idaho-is-pre-k-next
Richert,
K. (2020, January 1). All-day kindergarten takes off in Idaho. Is pre-K
next? Retrieved from
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/01/all-day-kindergarten-takes-off-in-idaho-is-pre-k-next/
5 comments:
Preschool programs have the potential to help equalize what children have the chance to learn, preparing all children for success in the classroom and beyond and having a particularly powerful impact on children from low-income households. Preschool programs demonstrating the strongest and most persistent positive effects in terms of achievement, school progress, and educational attainment invest in the essential building blocks of high-quality early childhood education, including teacher preparation, thoughtful curriculum, meaningful family engagement, and support for English learners and students with special needs.
http://nieer.org/2019/01/31/research-shows-high-quality-pre-k-pays-off-now-lets-deliver-it
Hello Violanda, great blog post. I think you have done a great job with your research this week and I see how the article can be related to your professional development. I also don't agree with the issues of the funds not being available for the pre-k programs. I don't think people see the importance of having early childhood education in place. I totally agree with what all you have stated. Thanks for sharing with us!
Hello Violanda,
I too enjoyed your blog immensely! As stated in the article, Mobilizing Science to revitalize early childhood policy we must; “close the gap between what we know and what we can do right now to promote better developmental outcomes. First, the nation would benefit from a more enlightened view of public expenditures for high-quality early care and education programs in the first five years of life as an investment in building a strong foundation for later academic achievement, economic productivity, and responsible citizenship, and not as a burdensome subsidy for places to watch over children of working parents at the lowest possible cost”. (Shonkoff, 2009).
Reference
Shonkoff, 2009. Mobilizing science to revitalize early childhood policy. Issues in Science & Technology, 26(1), 79-85.
Violanda,
I enjoyed your blog post this week. You included awesome resources. I love that everything you researched helps you to grow professionally. Thank you for sharing.
Violanda, that article sounds very interesting. It is great that teachers in that state have found a way around insufficient funding. Funding for early childhood programs is critical. Early childhood programs are important for development and preparing children for school readiness.
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