NIEER

Within the NIEER’s newsletter this was one of the issues addressed; This article discusses and reinforces  much of what we have been talking about this week, as well as what Dr. Grace discussing in relationship to America's early childhood programs compared to those in Finland and other Nordic Countries. I will just highlight a part of it....T Retrieved from: http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/news/sw_report.pdf

WHERE DOES YOUR COUNTRY RANK IN EARLY EDUCATION?

The data are really incontrovertible,” explains Sharon Kagan, a professor of early childhood and family policy at Columbia University in the US. “Three strands of research combine to support the importance of the early years. From neuro-scientific research, we understand the criticality of early brain development; from social science research, we know that high quality programmes improve children’s readiness for school and life; and from econometric research, we know that high quality programs save society significant amounts of money over time. Early childhood contributes to creating the kinds of workforces that are going to be needed in the twenty-first century.” 

There are also broader reasons to invest in preschool. At one level, it helps facilitate greater female participation in the workforce, which bolsters economic growth. Early childhood development is also a major force in helping overcome issues relating to child poverty and educational disadvantage.2 “It is about those very young children who are going to grow up as successful lifelong learners and citizens making an economic contribution to society,” says Christine Pascal, director of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC), an independent research organization. “This is especially so in very unequal societies where you get generational and cyclical repetition of poverty and low achievement.” 

The report goes onto to state that Nordic countries perform best at preschool and European countries dominate the rankings.

In general the leading countries in this Index have the following elements in place for their preschool systems.

·      A comprehensive early childhood development and promotion strategy, backed up with a legal right to such education.

·      Universal enrollment of children in at least a year of preschool at ages five or six, with nearly universal enrolment between the ages of three and five.

·      Subsidies to ensure access for underprivileged families.

·      A well-defined preschool curriculum, along with clear health and safety standards.

·      Clear parental involvement and outreach.

·      A broad socioeconomic environment that ensures that children are healthy and well nourished when they enter preschool.

·      Where provision is privatized, the cost of such care is affordable relative to average wages

·      A high bar for preschool educators, with specific qualification requirements. This is often backed up with commensurate wages, as well as low student-teacher ratios.

       

Another interesting article I found expressed an important issue in regard to current thinking; looking at policies related to early childhood education teachers. There is a serious mismatch between the expectations we place on early childhood teachers, and the quality and relevance of available preparation, supports for learning on the job, and compensation and benefits, (Whitebrook, & Ryan, 2011). Within the policy brief it expresses concern that there is not enough research to determine the content and quality of teacher preparation programs. One of the recommendations is to revamp the content and structure of teacher higher education and professional development to include more practice-based opportunities and integrate a focus on area related to brain research language acquisition and diversity.

I thought the policy fact sheet highlighted many important issues as far as the need to have teachers who are well trained and prepared and knowledgeable. It brings about the importance of compensation.

Again another article .....
One Economist brought about another good point about why it is important to invest in quality early childhood programs. Beyond the positive effects we have been discussing, it brought up the point that having, excellent early childhood programs locally is good for business. People who are looking to move into new areas to live are looking and evaluating the early childhood programs within the locality.

The NIEER website shares continued research information in regard to current funding, programs and state initiatives to provide quality preschool programs. The website is comprehensive and reports current research, trends, programs, policies in regard to implications to early childhood programs, and the children and families they serve.

I read an interesting article; Holding back to get ahead. More parents are redshirting' their kids. A growing number of parents sending their children, particularly their boys, to kindergarten at 6 years old instead of the traditional age of 5.

It’s a practice known as “redshirting” — a term culled from the practice of postponing college athletes’ participation in competitive games. Experts say it’s becoming increasingly popular among parents of boys, as girls mature and develop more quickly in their younger years.

I found the coined term red shirting interesting. I sent three of my own children to kindergarten all girls when they were six. Each of them had August September birthdays. I understand the importance of parents feeling like their children need to be emotionally as mature and “ready,” for kindergarten as their peers. Interestingly enough I am not sure it is or was the best decision. There were definite pros to having my own children start school when they were six. But there were also draw-backs. I think it is often hard to look to the future and think about what your child’s maturity level will be like when they are sixteen years old. The drawbacks for each of my girls was that once they reach their junior senior year of high school they were totally bored with school. I believe this was partially because they were older. It was almost like they became as or more mature then their peers. So knowing what I do now, I am not always sure I would of held the girls back.

Resources:

Starting well: Benchmarking early education across the world (2009). A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Lein Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/news/sw_report.pdf

Whitebrook, M. Ryan, S. (2012) Preschool Policy Facts. Degrees in Context:

Asking the Right Questions about Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers of Young Children.

A Boyd, (2012). Holding back to get ahead. More parents are redshirting their kids. Ashbury Park Press. Retrieved using the NIEER Web site to this link:

http://www.app.com/article/20120719/NJNEWS15/307190113/Holding-back-to-get-ahead-More-parents-are-redshirting-their-kids-in-early-grades.