School Funding Brief #2
Early Childhood Education Meets the Needs of All Children
Rebecca Freeman is 4 years old, the youngest of two
children. Her mother is a lawyer, and her father is a professor
at the university. Rebecca’s parents spend their free
time taking her to the conservatory and museums. Rebecca's
babysitter, a college student, read to her as an infant
and by 16 months, Rebecca carried around a picture book
of animals whose noises she imitated. Rebecca began day
care at age 2 in a small center at the university that is
staffed by well-paid, degreed teachers. They combine art
with shape recognition, sand play with conflict resolution,
and puppet shows with stories from literature and history.
Rebecca has a large vocabulary, a wide range of structured
group experiences, and a knowledge of shapes, colors, numbers,
and letters.
Deana Baker is 4 years old, the youngest of four children.
Her parents are separated, and she lives with her mother,
who works as a cashier at the grocery store during the day
and cleans an office building at night. Deana's teenaged
sisters take turns babysitting her because they also have
jobs. When they’re in school, Deana stays with an
elderly neighbor. Deana's mother tried to enroll her in
subsidized child care at age 2, but she was turned away.
Deana can name and describe all the characters on the soap
operas, sing her favorite song from the radio, and find
the best hiding spot on her neighborhood street. But she
can't hold a pencil, and she has no experience in reading
or formal games.
Rebecca and Deana will begin kindergarten together
next year. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, they
will take annual proficiency tests. Deana will score significantly
lower than Rebecca, and she is likely to fall further behind
each year until senior year—unless she drops out before
then. How will the public schools ensure that both Rebecca
and Deana achieve proficiency and have an equal chance at
success?
All children
have the potential to learn and succeed, but they can't do
it on their own. Right from the start, children need the language,
social, and emotional skills that give them a chance to succeed.
That's why early childhood education is critical to future
learning.
"The Most Important Grade"
Children grow and change between birth and age 5 more than
any other time in their life. Most brain development occurs
by age 3. Researchers consider preschool the most important
time because it lays the groundwork for the future. Children
build a foundation of skills that help them adapt to the world.
But development of these skills depends on experience. Children
need adequate resources to support their development. Those
who grow up without a supportive and enriching environment
are often penalized or excluded from future success.
Starting Out Behind
When children enter school for the first time, we expect
them to be ready to learn. We set standards like recognizing
letters and numbers, paying attention in class, and playing
with other children.
Unfortunately, 30% of children enter kindergarten unprepared.
Children in poverty enter kindergarten 1½ years behind
their middle-class peers. This gap in knowledge and skills
is evident from the beginning.
Once children begin behind, it is nearly impossible for them
to catch up. As we retain them or refer them to special education,
the gaps grow, and everyone pays for the long-term consequences.
Investing in Everyone's Future
Early childhood education is the only way to bridge that
gap. Research proves that early intervention through stimulating
educational environments can compensate for the deprivation
faced by poor and fragmented families. This provides long-term
benefits for the child, the parent, and society. It’s
also a good economic investment.
Children in poverty who attend quality preschool programs:
- Are less likely to drop-out, need remedial
help, be held back, be referred to special education, commit
crime, or enter the welfare system;
- Score higher in achievement tests in reading
and math;
- Are more likely to go to college and earn
higher incomes;
- Experience fewer teen pregnancies.
Their parents gain better parenting skills and become more
involved in their children's education. Over time, taxpayers
pay less into:
- The criminal justice system;
- The welfare system;
- Remedial and adult education.
Studies show that for every $1 spent on a quality preschool
program for low-income children, society receives $4 in savings.
For children of all income levels attending preschool, society
saves an average $25,000 per child.
The Existing System
Three-fourths of all 3- to 5-year-olds are in some type of
preschool—public or private. But what children get depends
on what parents can afford. Over 50% of working, educated,
high-income parents put their children in quality preschool
programs. For those families who can’t afford preschool,
less than half gain access to a quality public program.
In an underfunded, haphazard system with a hodgepodge of
early childhood education programs, parents bear the biggest
financial burden.
In Wisconsin, only 40% of districts offer 4-year-old kindergarten.
For most families, 3-year-old preschool is even more inaccessible.
Yet child experts, educators, business people, and politicians
of all walks agree that early childhood education is essential.
Giving All Children an Equal Opportunity
Closing the achievement gap is a federal mandate. It won't
be met until families have the opportunity to enroll their
youngsters in quality early childhood programs—regardless
of family income or where they live.
We can only ensure all students an equal chance at educational
success if they start on equal footing. Early childhood education
meets the needs of all children by providing them with adequate
resources—from the beginning. In the end, investing
in children's education as early as possible is a victory
for everyone.
For more information:
Children’s
Defense Fund
Committee
for Economic Development, Preschool
for All: Investing in a Productive and Just Society.
A Statement by the Research and Policy Committee, 2002.
Economic
Policy Institute, Inequality
at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement
as Children Begin School. Valerie E. Lee & David
T. Burkam, September 2002.
Education
Commission of the StatesFederal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Early
Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public
Return. Art Rolnick & Rob Grunewald, January
24, 2003.
Foundation
for Child Development
National
Association for the Education of Young Children
National
Center for Children in Poverty
National
Institute for Early Education Research
The Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES) is
a statewide coalition of school districts, and teacher, parent,
civic, and faith-based organizations, whose goal is comprehensive
school funding reform using "Adequacy" principles.
The WAES Wisconsin Adequacy Model ensures that resources
are sufficient to guarantee that all children—regardless
of where they live or their special circumstances—have
the opportunity to meet Wisconsin's rigorous academic standards.
Fall 2003
Wisconsin
Alliance for Excellent Schools
1717 S. 12th Street, #203
Milwaukee, WI 53204-3300
Phone 414-384-9094
Fax 414-384-9094
info@excellentschools.org
http:// www.excellentschools.org
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