A new report from the Society for Research in Child Development, Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education makes a strong case for the value of early childhood education. Key findings:
* Large-scale public preschool programs can have substantial impacts on children’s early learning.
* Quality preschool education is a profitable investment.
* The most important aspects of quality in preschool education are stimulating and supportive interactions between teachers and children and effective use of curricula.
* Supporting teachers in their implementation of instructional approaches through coaching or mentoring can yield important benefits for children.
* Quality preschool education can benefit middle-class children as well as disadvantaged children; typically developing children as well as children with special needs; and dual language learners as well as native speakers.
* There are important benefits of comprehensive services when these added services are carefully chosen and targeted.
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Comments (6)
Displaying All 6 Commentsupper holland, PA, United States
I have owned a rather large private preschool for over 36 years. The private sector in various buildings from, owned country estates, rented store fronts, and churches, has created unique, quality preschools with wonderful staff which serve the population of the United States very well. The staff have been well educated and enriched by our own training programs and need nothing from our government. I am sick and tired of hearing how bad our preschool education is. It is not! Our teachers are paid fairly for a job they love. It may not be enough to raise a family on, but it is a nice supplement to it. We know children who attend preschool have a head start. We gave it to them! Their parents paid a fair, competitive wage for several years for it. We do not need our public schools to run preschools or full day kindergartens. Who can compete with "free"? Not me. Our government has plenty to do ruining our health care in the US without getting entrenched in running preschools and full day kindergarten in our public schools. We should celebrate the Private Preschools of this nation and stop allowing government to interfere.
upper holland, PA, United States
I have owned a rather large private preschool for over 36 years. The private sector in various buildings from, owned country estates, rented store fronts, and churches, has created unique, quality preschools with wonderful staff which serve the population of the United States very well. The staff have been well educated and enriched by our own training programs and need nothing from our government. I am sick and tired of hearing how bad our preschool education is. It is not! Our teachers are paid fairly for a job they love. It may not be enough to raise a family on, but it is a nice supplement to it. We know children who attend preschool have a head start. We gave it to them! Their parents paid a fair, competitive wage for several years for it. We do not need our public schools to run preschools or full day kindergartens. Who can compete with "free"? Not me. Our government has plenty to do ruining our health care in the US without getting entrenched in running preschools and full day kindergarten in our public schools. We should celebrate the Private Preschools of this nation and stop allowing government to interfere.
ece consultant
Dallas, TX, United States
Read the Perry Preschool Project longitudinal research study at high/scope.org
It is just about the best piece of evidence ever, supporting quality preschool education!
Advantage Learning Center
Lakewood, CO, United States
Dear editors of Exchange Every Day,
Most of us in the early childhood field would readily agree with all
of these findings except the first.: “Large-scale public preschool programs can have substantial impacts on children’s early learning.”
Why does it have to take place in large-scale public preschool programs? Our country has a dynamic, mixed delivery system which
gives parents choice of where their child is going to receive care and early education in the important early, preschool years. Support
of all quality preschool providers will provide the same benefits to all of our children.
You recently ran an article about the wonderful benefits of large-scale public preschool programs in France. What we see as a result
of such large scale public programs is a country reeling under the cost of providing public programs which have turned out to be unaffordable.
Those of us who provide quality care and education in private community centers would like to see Child Care Exchange support all programs,
not just programs housed in public schools.
Beverly Maxwell
Advantage Learning Center
303-932-7682
www.advantagelc.net
Hebrew Academy preschool
Huntington Beach, California, United States
This report says:
* Large-scale public preschool programs can have substantial impacts on children’s early learning.
Are we saying that small private preschools are lacking? Quality preschool education can be found in private preschools. The public school system is having a hard enough time keeping up with K-12 - let's let preschools continue to provide quality care that will reflect high standards and educational goals. Private preschools have smaller class sizes which has proven to benefit social emotional as well as cognitive development in young children. Having a voucher system would give parents the ability to choose the best program for their child.
CSBC
Denver, United States
It's interesting to note that this report states, "The most important aspects of quality in preschool education are stimulating and supportive interactions between teachers and children, and effective use of curricula". Thus the focus of quality preschool education is the teacher, which means we must provide teachers of young children adequate salaries and benefits (at least equal to k-12 teachers). Until this issue is faced, we will not see quality programs this report advocates.
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