McCauley 1

Silvia R. McCauley

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

English 1202

8 November 2018

An Early Awakening to Leaning

When I signed up my first child for preschool, I did not overthink what she would be

getting from it. I was hoping for a little socialization and a couple of free hours for myself.

Before preschool, she was read to every night and had three or four favorite books. In preschool

she was taught letters, how to deal with her emotions regarding other kids, had music lessons and

physical education, where to my surprise she learned how to skate. Seven years later, I see the

profits of that action. I can see how those two years prepared her to navigate the elementary

school years with an eagerness to learn.

Several studies have probed the differences that those early years can make in children's

education. The emergent literacy skills they get at that age follow them all through their lives,

and can result in finishing high school, going to college, and living a productive life, or end with

an eighth-grade education, low-wage jobs, or prison time. The troubling part of this education

coin toss is that preschool education is not required by law, and this creates an education gap.

From early age, children whose parents can afford and have access to these quality early

education programs are ahead of the ones who can't or don't have access, which is more often

minorities like Hispanics and African Americans.

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Preschool is already being offered throughout the country; however, high-quality

preschool programs should be available free of cost for everyone, especially for high-risk

children; this is the key to a better society, and it should be completely supported by the

government so all youngsters can eventually enhance the economy, improve the country’s

literacy capability, and finally to improve social skills.

The majority of children start receiving formal education in kindergarten. Recent

scientific research has proven that learning and mental development begin immediately after

birth. In the study “The Foundations of Lifelong Health are Built-in Early Childhood” conducted

by the Center on the Developing Child by Harvard University, the authors point how the first

years in the life of a child, is a time of fast development in the brain and the biological systems

that are important for the child's health. Their experiences, environmental conditions, and

developmental biology work collectively in early childhood to form the base of a lifelong of

physical and mental well-being. (5) This data is why many parents start their children education

during these first developmental years.

However, Preschool is still an optional matter for many families, and early learning

programs are not obligatory in the USA. The U.S. Department of Education explains in a 2015

report, the need for better preschool programs in America. About 6 in 10 four-year-old children

are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs and even fewer participate in the highest

quality programs. (A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America, 2). Income, location and parents

education, excludes minorities like African Americans and Hispanics children from these

programs.
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Congress is seeking to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This

law offers real equality of opportunity and calls for investments to give all children high-quality

early education, This would help close the gap where is more needed between disadvantaged

children, and as a result, these children’s would have better possibilities to graduate from high

school, college and have productive lives. Also, studies have shown that increasing the

investment in early learning provides society with a return of $8.60 for every $1 spent.(The

Economics of Early Childhood Investments. 29) These gains represent how early education is

essential not only for the children but a healthy economy.

Early literacy is key to multiple skills later in life; strong reading skills are the basis for

learning in all subjects. For Hispanic children of preschool age, there is an unmet need, because

of the first language of the parents and their educational level. Whereas Latinos are the quickest

and largest growing minority cluster within the US, creating up one quart of the three and four-

year-olds, Latinos display the lowest participation rates in preschool programs from all races

with a forty p.c, compared to fifty p.c for African-American youngsters. (A Matter of Equity:

Preschool in America, 5). There have been several programs to get these at-risk groups an even

start in Kindergarten. In the program “Reach Out and Read”, Dr. Diener ML, Hobson-Rohrer,

& W, Byington CL. suggest that literacy can be stimulated among at-risk children, by

teaching the parents reading techniques; they also they established a system where the

pediatricians will check the number of books the parents read out loud to the children. The

ROR program took disadvantaged children from low-income families and parents who were not

proficient in English and assisted them using their cultural advantages, like family values to help

the children. This study was significant because it was executed by pediatric physicians, who are

figures of authority in children's first years. By monitoring the physical and literacy wellbeing,
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ROR was able to reach almost 4 million children nationally. The sample that we see in this study

is the most substantial sample reporting higher levels of literacy in kindergarten performance for

children participating in ROR since infancy. The results point to the importance of investigating

the factors associated with these issues, and how this social need requires further research.

On the other hand, for African Americans, besides the general issue of the social and

low-income factors, there is the issue of the disciplinary practices used by teachers. These

practices have a long-term impact on the lives of preschool-age Black males. Prison statistics in

the USA reports that 68% of State prison inmates did not receive a high school diploma

(Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni M). These preschool age boys are forced out from early care (day care

and/or preschool), due to an implicit bias in the preschool classrooms. Although Black

preschoolers make up 19% of the overall preschool enrollment, they account for 47% of the

suspension rates (U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, 2016. 23.). Black boys

are targeted not because of repeated improper behavior, but because teachers anticipate this

behavior from the children. There have not been studies reflecting how this bias affects girls, so

there are no numbers to back up the argument for both genders. Wesley and Ellis propose in their

research that to create "Culturally relevant and responsive classrooms inclusive of all children

from a holistic perspective. The teacher considers children’s personal and family backgrounds,

learning styles, and the educational systems, policies and practices that may advantage or

disadvantage them. (26)" An action call to this situation could mean, a different outcome for

these boys, would open the possibility to give better opportunities as they begin their journey

thru education.
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There is a gap in education among the country population. According to the Pew

Research Center, Whites today are more than twice as likely as Hispanics and African

Americans to have a college degree, as was the case in the early 1970s. Addressing the inequality

issue at the beginning of the children’s school life has the opportunity to make the difference

before more significant and more expensive interventions are needed. In her study “The Role of

Out-of-School Factors in the Literacy Problem.” Jane Waldfogel conclude that; While out-of-

school factors add to the literacy gap between students, Schools should try to close those gaps.

The investments in early literacy made by the government are necessary. The Analysis of the

out-of-school sources that contribute to the education problems can aid practitioners and

policymakers to distinguish which children are inclined to find challenges in literacy and why.

When it comes to education, investing in literacy and development of the human capital of a

country, is one of the most critical parts of progress. The following visual indicates where in the

country, the need for government funded programs is more prominent.

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Figure 1 Fig1. Percentage of children in preschool age by state, not attending public funded preschool programs.

The evidence is clear that quality preschool programs can be a predictor of a child

success in school; in addition the same programs can also contribute to the child’s physical

wellbeing. Thus, supporting high-quality preschool programs possibly helps the fitness problem

amongst the US population. In the research, "Preschool Motor Development Predicting High

School Health-Related Physical Fitness: A Prospective Study." Vlahov provides strong support

to predict how fine and gross motor skills learned in preschool, could predict future fitness habits

for boys and girls. Promoting physical activity during childhood should focus on the

development of fundamental motor skills necessary for success in sports. Doing so provides the

child with more opportunities to exercise, and leads to further physiological, psychological, and

behavioral benefits (288, 2010).

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There is a moderate opposition to the trend of obligatory preschool under the flag of

“unnecessary”. Darcy Olsen, an authority on trends in education reforms, and government

reform in Arizona, states that early education programs can be detrimental to children's

development, due to a child’s age. She believes that preschool education can permanently

damage the child's self-esteem, and reduce and the child's natural eagerness to learn. While this

argument can be valid in some cases, because not all children are the same, a reform in preschool

education in-pro of high-quality programs, will benefit the majority of children.

The skills that a child learns through the first part of its life set the path for their future.

Friedrich Froebel creator of kindergarten understood that by playing games and sensory

experiences, a child could learn to create language. Moreover, he found that between the time

from three to six years old, was the most appropriate age for that phase of learning. Kindergarten

officially starts at five years old; this leaves two years where just a privilege part of children join

early education programs and get ahead of their peers. Preschool should be a place for all

children to grow and learn from their social Interaction with other children and to get prepared

for a bright future. However, legislative intervention is necessary to fund programs that can

fulfill the different needs of the children and make sure that all of them get the same opportunity.

As for my family, I have another little one in preschool this year, and as it happens in all

families, he is entirely different from his sister. While his sister was interested in crafts and

physical education activities, he has shown interest in music. I’m convinced that quality

preschool programs would benefit my children, but I also hope that this advantages could be

available for all children.

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Works Cited

Department of Education (ED). “A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America.” US Department of

Education, US Department of Education, 1 Apr. 2015. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=eric&AN=ED555741&site=eds-live.

Diener ML, Hobson-Rohrer, & W, Byington CL. (2012). “Kindergarten Readiness and

Performance of Latino Children Participating in Reach out and Read. “J Community Med

Health Edu 2:133. doi:10.4172/jcmhe.1000133

Duncan Greg Ph.D., Shonkoff Jack,MD, Yoshikawa Hirokazu Ph.D et al “The Foundations of

Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood.” Center on the Developing Child (2010).

Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu. Accessed Nov 13

Ellis Addie Lucille and Wesley, LaWanda, LaWanda.Wesley@acgov.or. “Exclusionary

Discipline in Preschool: Young Black Boys’ Lives Matter.” Journal of African American

Males in Education, vol. 8, no. 2, Fall 2017, pp. 22–29. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=eft&AN=127494196&site=eds-live.

Krogstad, Jens Manuel and Radford, Jynnah. “Education levels of U.S. immigrants are on the

Moore, Mary Ruth. “An American’s Journey to Kindergarten’s Birthplace.” Childhood

Education, no. 1, 2002, p. 15.

Olsen, Darcy. "Preschool Attendance by Young Children Is Unnecessary." Family, edited by

Karen Miller, Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010136225/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid
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=497316b0. Accessed 14 Nov. 2018. Originally published in Policy Report #201:

Assessing Proposals for Preschool and Kindergarten: Essential Information for Parents,

Taxpayers and Policymakers, Goldwater Institute, 2005.

rise.” The Pew Research Center, 2018, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-

tank/2018/09/14/education-levels-of-u-s-immigrants-are-on-the-rise/./Accessed 30 Oct

2018.

The Economics of Early Childhood Investments / Council of Economic Advisers. 2014.

(Heckman et al. 2010b

EBSCOhost,sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?di

rect=true&db=edsgpr&AN=edsgpr.ocn898039750&site=eds-live.

Vlahov, A., et al. “The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Diet Quality in Preschool

Children with Obesity.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2018.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.jand.2018.08.108.

Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni M., et al. “Altering the Pipeline to Prison and Pathways to

Postsecondary Education. Feature on Research and Leadership. Vol. 1, No. 1.” Office of

Community College Research and Leadership, Office of Community College Research

and Leadership, 1 May 2016.