Early Childhood Education Grows Up

(Originally posted as the 568-word document resulting from editing by "The Mad Slasher" - 2008 March 10)

 

            In 1958, I attended kindergarten at Holy Child Jesus School in New York City. Each morning, Sister Carol corralled her 80 five-year-olds and helped them learn to read and write, to get along, and to grow in faith. From day one, Sister Carol knew each name of her kindergartners.  My parents paid no tuition; Sister Carol, in the order of St. Joseph, received little salary. We sat at desks, played only at recess, and went home at lunchtime. Parents were involved and stayed abreast of their children’s accomplishments.

            Fast forward fifty years and the picture in a typical kindergarten or early childhood classroom is quite different. Fifteen to twenty children, usually with two adults, work and play in an environment rich in literacy and hands-on materials. In a developmentally appropriate classroom, following guidelines of the National Association for Young Children, children and adults engage in high-quality interaction developing the whole child – in thought and language, social relations and emotional expression, and in physical and motor growth. Children learn through play. In public kindergarten, development of reading and writing trumps everything, as mandatory testing of third graders casts its huge shadow backwards to earlier grades.

            How has the face of Early Childhood Education changed in fifty years? More children are enrolled and a greater percentage of children served. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1964, 10% of three- and four-year-olds were enrolled in programs. By 2000, that percentage mushroomed to 54%. Today, in the U.S., 5.4 million children attend center-based child care, a $55 billion market. In North Carolina, 56% of three-to-five-year-olds attend a school; 274, 026 children are enrolled in regulated child care facilities.

            Our state has made great strides in providing access to Early Childhood Education for children and families. In 1971, the General Assembly passed the first law which regulated child day care. Since then, regulation has focused on child safety and on creating high-quality environments for children; the current star-rated license is an example of this. Also in the ‘70s, North Carolina committed to the importance of the early years by appropriating funds for universal public kindergarten. In 1978, all eligible children could attend free public kindergarten.

            In addition to regulated child care, the significance of the early years’ development has grown. Nationally, President Johnson’s War on Poverty spotlighted these years. In 1968, the Head Start program debuted. Its focus was simple --- provide appropriate experiences for three and four-year-old children better equipping them to be successful in school. That focus continues today. Other programs, including Michigan’s High Scope, have demonstrated the value of this intervention. Researchers have shown that high quality Early Childhood Education is cost effective in the long run. Dollars are saved and lives enriched, thus averting costly social problems like  juvenile delinquency and dropping out of high school.

            In 2008, my Early Childhood Education students at GTCC would cringe at Sister Carol’s 80:1 adult/child ratio and at her low salary. While wages in the field are still low, steps have been taken in N.C. to reward teacher education and longevity, as these impact the quality of child care. However, certain basics have remained: the value of play in children’s development and the emphasis on parents as partners. As Early Childhood Education and my students continue to grow up, I hope is these basics – and knowing and caring for each child personally, as Sister Carol did – will reach into the future.