Wednesday, November 02, 2005
From the United Way Success By 6®, the nation’s largest network of early childhood coalitions, focused on improving school readiness through community change:
Research proves that high-quality early learning matters. But why is it more of a priority than other human service needs? Experts say prevention is better than intervention, and starting early works best. Here is a snapshot of what experts are saying on early learning, including source information so you can learn more.
One of the resources provided is a report entitled “Seven Things Policy Makers Need to Know about School Readiness: Revised and Expanded Toolkit” (Jan. 2005). You should read the entire report, but it is summarized below:
1. Learning Begins at Birth (The EarliestYears Count).
- Most of the brain’s growth occurs in the first fewyears of life.
- The foundations for language and learning areestablished early.
- Attachment and bonding in the first several years affect a child’s ability to adjust and relate to the world for his or her whole life.
- Children learn from birth and need constantsupervision and stimulation as they explore the world.
- A stable, nurturing home environment supports all aspects of a child’s growth.
- Language, pre-literacy, and numeric skills are important to school success but represent only one dimension of school readiness.
- Physical, social, and emotional development (paying attention, following instructions and rules, getting along well with others) are also fundamental to learning in school.
- Up to half of school problems and eventual school dropouts start with children entering school developmentally behind.
- The costs to society of children not being ready to start school include health-related costs, extra educational costs to try to catch up (special education), juvenile delinquency, and adult corrections costs.
- Over the past 30 years, changing economic times and public policies have doubled the percentage of mothers in the workforce when children are very young.
- Families where both parents—or the only parent—work(s) now represent the majority of families with young children.
- These changes have increased the country’s workforce by more than five million workers, with commensurate increases in needs for early care and education services.
- Quality services to support parents and parenting can improve school readiness, particularly for low-income children.
- Child care quality matters for all children: good care improves development, while poor care can cause damage.
- Research of high-quality programs for low-income families shows significant positive returns on investment in reduced costs for special education and juvenile and adult services.
- Still, current investments in the early years of life (0-5) remain small in comparison with investments later in life.
Some of the information in this report is disturbing, most is revealing. Especially when discussing the quality of care that children receive. The results of a study in the Midwest of licensed child care centers and registered family day care homes, including centers and homes providing infant care. Less than one-fifth of the care was observed to be of good quality, and over one-fourth was found to be poor. The majority wa simply mediocre. Most of the parents are not aware of what makes a quality care. This will change as the QRS (Quality Rating System) becomes finalized and is presented to the public.
As child care professionals, you need to be informed and aware of these issues. One of the best ways to learn more in Minnesota is to take the class "Not By Chance: Child Care that Supports School Readiness" and learn more about school readiness online at Ready4K's website.
