The most important year
In the United States all children are entitled to a free K-12 education. But what about preK? All children deserve to have the best early childhood educational opportunities. In her book, The Most Important Year, Suzanne Bouffard describes the characteristics of high quality preschool programs. Through these descriptions she illustrates that when children have the right environment in their preK classroom they develop skills and concepts that positively affect all future learning experiences. While we know the importance of good early childhood programs, the progress toward making them available to children who would benefit most, is very slow. At the present rate of implementation it will take the United States 50 years for all children to be served.
Why is the year before kindergarten considered the most important year? Numerous studies have shown that what happens during this year has a huge effect on a child’s future. The brain is growing at a fast rate and as it grows it creates the structures that will be used in future learning. Vocabulary expands quickly if the child is exposed to a variety of stories, poems, songs and rhymes. Social skills are developed and practiced and lay the foundation for cooperation and self-control, which are needed in future learning situations. Simply put, through the experiences a child has in the early years he is better able to learn in the future.
Head Start is a federally funded program for those families who meet strict financial guidelines. In Adams County 207 children are served in 12 Head Start classrooms. However, many families do not apply because they cannot transport their children to the centers. Private pre-school programs must charge tuition to cover the costs of teacher salaries, rent and programming. This tuition can be more than families can afford. Child Care Information Services (CCIS) provides subsidies to families who meet financial criteria, but these funds are being redirected and may not be available in the future.
Pennsylvania has established a program, PreK Counts, for those families that are at 300% of the Federal Poverty levels. Agencies that receive these state funds must meet strict criteria. While there are close to 1200 children in Adams County who would be eligible for this program each year, only 60 can be served because there are only two PreK Counts centers, one in Gardners and one in New Oxford.
It is well documented that children who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to complete high school and receive post secondary training. They are less likely to repeat a grade, be placed in Special Education or … be arrested. These children will be more likely to read on grade level at third grade and more likely to get and maintain a job after graduation. Recent studies have shown multi-generational benefits of attending preschool. These children have better parenting skills as adults and are less likely to live below the poverty level. The benefits continue into communities. When good preschool programs exist in a community, parents can work, jobs are created and the return on the investment is eight dollars for every one dollar spent.
Across the nation 1.5 million children are enrolled in preK programs, representing about 66% of the nation’s four year olds. That means that one third of children have not had this “once in a lifetime” opportunity. This also means that not all children start at the same place on the first day of kindergarten. Some will understand the expectations of the classroom…. taking turns, listening to the teacher, following a schedule… and some will not. Likewise, some children will have the vocabulary to learn math and reading skills, while others will not. Some children will know how to hold a pencil and use scissors, while others will have no such experience. Those who have attended a high quality preschool are likely to be academically a half-year ahead of those who did not…and the others will have to begin a long effort to catch up.
We must advocate for universal preK in our communities. All children should have the best possible education in that most important year when they are four years old. We need more of the state funded PreK Counts programs to be established in Adams County. Even though all taxpayers fund these programs, most of the centers are located in the urban centers of the state. We must also be sure that CCIS money continues to be available here.
It was not that long ago that children in our communities attended private kindergartens. Local school districts began to offer kindergarten in the 1960’s. Now that we know more about brain development, vocabulary, social skills and emotional needs of 4-year-old children, we should find ways for all children in Adams County to get what is best in their most important year!
Kathy Ciolino is a former teacher and elementary school principal. She is co-chair of the Birth to Five committee and a member of the Gettysburg DFA Education Task Force.