Using Pre-K to Advance Education Reform

HIGHLIGHT: Increasingly, pre-kindergarten—which provides a publicly funded, standards-based education for three and four year olds—is recognized as an entry point for public education because of its proven effectiveness in closing achievement gaps and improving school performance



Many states are only now beginning to create strong connections among pre-k, Councils, and education reform. Cultivating such connections makes sense. Within the birth-to-five continuum, pre-k—as an organized, educational program tied to explicit learning standards and teacher qualifications—has a distinct connection to schools and public education systems. Therefore, even though Councils are multi-stakeholder groups with representatives from across the early childhood spectrum, they are well positioned to influence their states’ school improvement activities by strengthening linkages between pre-k programs and education reform agendas.


This idea of pre-k as an educational entry point is proven over and over again by creating highly academic Kindergarten standards.  As kindergarten moves away from early childhood developmental approaches there becomes a new and necessary entry point.  An entry point with play at the center and discovery a necessary.

http://www.pewstates.org/uploadedFiles/PCS_Assets/2011/ECAC_brief_FINAL.pdf



Opportunities for Using Pre-K to Strengthen and Advance State Education Reform Efforts

On a broad policy level, Councils can provide a forum for informing state public education leaders about the array of early learning programs that can undergird reform efforts.

Councils should connect early learning with elementary schools, taking into account children’s learning experiences prior to pre-k, as well as in kindergarten and the primary grades
Connections between early learning and public education can vary from one community to another, and Councils can help communities find the linkages that work best for them.

POLICY REFORM IS KEY:
The ability to position pre-k as a starting point for public education depends on the maturity and effectiveness of a state’s program. States with a well established and successful pre-k should think about how changes in education policy connect to early learning, with pre-k serving not only as an important element of reform but also as a key connection point between kindergarten and programs serving younger children. States with less mature programs may want to focus on how expanding and evaluating the long-term impact of pre-k could support reform efforts.

Early Childhood Care and Education: Worldwide

Challenges and Progresses
Volume 11 / 2009

(rev 11/2009)

ISSN 1523-1615
Available at http://www.tc.edu/cice

"The consensus seems to be that early exposure to learning experiences

in a stimulating environment will lead children to perform better in primary schools. In time

these individuals become more productive, healthier citizens in democratic society. Researchers

have determined that the long-term effect of early learning and education can be observed in all

children with varying abilities, including those with or at risk of developmental delay (CICE, 2009)".

This movement in education has been almost universal.

Many developed countries have begunto turn their attention to “very early” education of children from birth to

pre-primary ages.

"Focused development of early childhood education programs is now in demand. The general

disposition is that the age-scope of early childhood education should be extended from preschool

and pre-primary ages to all young children from birth (Gallagher, Clifford, & Maxwell, 2004)."

While the concern for early childhood development is universal each geographic location may have varying concerns and barriers.  Often these barriers create inequity and possibly a lack of quality.

Many nations mentioned in the article have high poverty rates and experience a lack of funding to have proper and adequate materials and quality staff.  Some classrooms are only partially furnished, often only having some of the text books.  This creates an inequity in service and doesn't place all children on the same level for learning.  Struggles exist for all nations, to address policy change.  While the research is there to support the importance of early development it is crucial that policies are in place to help create a strong system that uses standards as a guide to curriculum and assessments of quality.

Center on the Developing Child: Harvard University

As part of its Global Children’s Initiative, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, its first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with local experts, this project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil

NEW FINDINGS

NEW FINDINGS

The overview is just a taste of what evidence based research that they offer early childhood professionals:

OVERVIEW:

The Pew Center on the States completed its 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds in 2011. Through its successes, Pre-K Now changed the national conversation about pre-k education, and in its final report, challenged the nation’s policy makers to transform public education by moving away from the current K-12 system to pre-K-12.

The article(s) Transforming Public Education  (Pre-k Now challenges our nation's policymakers to transform public education by moving from a K-12 to an evidence-based Pre-K-12 system) offers great information about the importance of good policy surrounding Pre-K.

Unbeknownst to me, “the 2007 Head Start Act reauthoriza­tion required creation of State Advisory Councils (Councils) to facilitate development of improved and comprehensive policies for a birth-to-five early childhood system, including state-funded pre-k.2 Yet many states are only now beginning to create strong connections among pre-k, Councils, and education reform, (Goffin, Regenstein, 2011)”.  The state of Michigan, my home state, started their approach to this mandate in 2006 and I’m thankful to be a part of it.

One of my favorite things about this website is that you can check updates based on State.

I was unaware of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign which promotes cost-effective policies to expand access to dental care and ensure that more children receive the basic care they need to grow, learn, and lead healthy lives.

India & Poverty

With an estimated 1.03 billion citizens in 2001, India's population is second only to China's. With 260.2 million people living in poverty as of 1999-2000

Over the last five decades India has made systematic efforts to alleviate poverty through measures to increase economic growth

An estimated 400 million of the population are between 0-18 years.  Life for many of India's children is very hard. Almost half of all children (about 62 million) under the age of five are malnourished and 34 percent of new-borns are significantly underweight.  Important achievements have been made in health and education.  But India still accounts for 20 per cent of the world's out-of-school children. It has the largest numbers of working children in the world, with nearly a third of children below 16 years working

India's anti poverty programmes are mainly run by the central government.
There are three main types -
1) rural employment creation and infrastructure development programmes
2) self-employment
3) food subsidy programs.
 All three have been subject to reform in recent years to ensure better targeting and coverage


(Information provided by Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre)

PEW Center

I have received the PEW Center quarterly magazine for the last 2 years, it continues to be a source of inovation when it comes to the private and public sector funding, early childhood programs and their link to economic development. 

http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

Sending Email…

Overview

The Pew Center on the States completed its 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds in 2011. Through its successes, Pre-K Now changed the national conversation about pre-k education, and in its final report, challenged the nation’s policy makers to transform public education by moving away from the current K-12 system to pre-K-12.



Visit the Pew Home Visiting and Children's Dental Campaigns and the Families and Health issue sections of this website to learn more about critical programs for young children.

Current Information:

Early Childhood Contacts and Resources

I have sent personal emails to both the Global Alliance, South America and UNICEF, Mexico to establish early childhood contacts.  I have asked for a mentor or named contact to provide information and resource support over the next 8 weeks.  Thus far noone has responded to the requests.  My hope is to hear something over the next few days, before determining another route.

I chose the PEW Center as the organization to study.  I have been receiving materials from the PEW center over this last year, related to early childhood programs and building our economy.  I wanted to spend some to looking at other resources they offered.  What I found was, research based and supported projects that address the needs of families and children.  The PEW center's mission, "People expect government to work. At the Pew Center on the States, we develop policy solutions that make government more effective and deliver results for states and the public good."

While developing policy doesn't exactly get the average early childhood educator excited it is exactly what needs to happen to bring the validity and focus to our work.  Policy that is in favor of universal access to early childhood services, for all families, will move us forward.  The Pew center creates project based focus on research that not only supports families, but our communities.  They have centered on areas that show great return, such as homevisiting and dental initiatives.  They have worked to educate the business community on their role in turning the economy through a future, educated work force.  They have taken the work of individual State policy and programs and highlighted them, showing their benefit, in hopes to have others adopt similar ideas and plans. 

My Supports

My supports consist of my husband, my children, my parents, my girlfriends, my coworkers, my children's teachers, the bussing system.....
My husband not only is my partner in parenting, but my best friend.  He provides the emotional support that I need to be a wife, a mom to 5 kids, a daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, a full time employee and a student.  He makes life fun, funny and full of perspective.  He helps to care for our family, our children, our physical property, and my emotional needs.  cate my children, p
My children help me enjoy the life i've been given.  They are a piece of me and live along side me.  They continue our legacy and we are privelidged to be a part of a life that keeps moving. 
My parents continue to support me and my family.  They provide the help that I need to be the person(s) that I am.  Not only would it be difficult to physically 'do it' without them, it would be less satisfying.  They are a great part of my kid's lives.  They provide emotional support to my children and offer their wisdom to a younger generation. 
My girlfriends, there's nothing like girlfriends.... They offer a female perspective, listen to my concerns and support my parenting.  When I want a pep-talk I call a friend, life wouldn't be nearly as exciting without them.  My friends give me a sense of belonging, a sense of unity and of sisterhood.
Coworkers help to support my work, encourage me, and create a larger vision for my work. 
Teachers and bussing systems educate my children and provide access to greater things.  Without these supports my daily routine would look different.  Educators provide new perspective, instruction, and opportunities.  Bussing allows my family the freedom to participate in other activities.
Considering the importance of relationships and connections is necessary,  you realize the truth behind the statement, "it takes a community to raise a childe".