Morgan Riggins
EDUC 2110
Prof. Goodale
July 15, 2012
Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education is important for a child to succeed in life. Early Childhood programs
are what some like to call preschool or Pre-K, first school, or care center. These programs usually start
taking children at the age of three and end at the age of five. Recent studies show, “…children who
attend center care or preschool programs enter school more ready to learn” (Magnuson & Waldfogel,
2005). Programs of this such help prepare and start teaching children the basics for K-12. Currie says
“…31 percent of America’s three year-olds, 61 percent of four year-olds, and 90 percent of five year-olds
received some form of center-based care or attended kindergarten” (p. 213, 2001). Although most
children attend pre-k, some children are not as fortunate due to the limited availability or the cost. One
can see the challenges of accessing early childhood education through the different programs available,
the disadvantages of children going to early childhood programs and the advantages of children going to
early childhood programs.
There are many different types of early education programs for a parent to choose from.
Magnuson and Waldfogel say there are:
….three broad types: parental care, informal care (by a relative, nanny, or babysitter in the child's
own home or in a babysitter's or family day care provider's home), and center care or preschool
(day care center, nursery school, preschool, Head Start program, or prekindergarten).
Some parents choose to keep their children at home with them because they believe that their children are
not ready to go to school. Some have to depend on family to take care of their children because they
cannot afford the cost of the programs. And other parents have to work and cannot stay at home with their
children, send them to daycare or preschool. According to NEA, Georgia is moving to a universal pre-
kindergarten. NEA states, “Optional free, publicly funded, quality "universal" pre-kindergarten programs
for all three- and four-year-old children whose parents choose to enroll them.” This will help the parents
who cannot afford to send their children to private preschools. Another type of early education is a
program called, Head Start. Currie says, “Head Start is a preschool program for disadvantaged children
which aims to improve their skills so that they can begin schooling on an equal footing with their more
advantaged peers” (p. 213, 2001). Some programs such as, Head Start, are publicly and federally funded
but there are some programs by independents that can be costly. When preschools are not government
funded it makes it difficult for low-income families to send their children to these programs. As stated
above money can be an issue for getting a child a proper early education, because there are no public
preschools or center-base care facilities for children to attend. But funding is not the only disadvantage of
early childhood education.
There are many disadvantages of not allowing your children to attend early childhood education.
The biggest disadvantage is they will not be ready for kindergarten. Magnuson & Waldfogel states,”
Most find that, on average, informal care does not influence children's cognitive development or
academic skills, though, as noted, it may be linked to increases in problem behavior” (2005). This tells
one that when the child does not receive an early education, the child could have difficulties adjusting to
other peers, academically, and cognitively. They could also lack personality traits, as well as socialization
skills. This may lead up to higher rates involving the law, more violence at school, as well as higher
dropout rates. Another disadvantage is the child has not learned to be away from its’ safe zone. With a
parent or relative, the child feels safe and knows its surrounding. Going from home to kindergarten does
not allow the child to transition easily. They may become afraid of going to school. The children who do
go to early education programs, tend to transition easily.
The advantage of sending your child to preschool is that they are more prepared for kindergarten,
than those who do not. One critic states, “Research indicates that children who master early academic
skills in preschool years are more likely to learn to read, write, and calculate earlier and more proficiently
than those who have not, according to Entering Kindergarten: Findings from the Condition of Education
2000. They learn socialization skills, their ABC’s, how to count, etc. Learning this makes children ready
to move to kindergarten. Not only will they do well in kindergarten but, according to NEA,” Children in
quality preschool programs are less likely to repeat grades, need special education, or get into future
trouble with the law.”
The reader can see that early education is important for a child to further succeed into higher
grades. One critic states:
Further, early gains in school readiness due to early childhood education have been shown to
have enormous positive economic and social impacts lasting well into adulthood, from higher
educational attainment and less chance of involvement in criminal activity, to higher status
employment and higher earnings (Schweinhart 2007; Sparling, Ramey and Ramey 2007).
Parents that do not chose to send their children are making it harder for the child to adjust to school. Some
parents have trouble getting their children into preschools because of the cost. In opening up “universal
schools” all children will be able to have an early education. With more children in early education
programs, one can see a higher percentage of graduation, lower rates of drop outs, and less behavioral
problems. From the evidence one can see the difficulties in choosing from the many programs offered,
one can see the disadvantages of early education and one can see the advantages of having an early
education. Learning early will help children succeed in life and mature at an earlier age.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Currie, Janet. "Early Childhood Education Programs." JSTOR. American Economic Association, 2001.
Web. 14 July 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2696599>.
"Early Childhood Education." NEA -. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2012.
<http://www.nea.org/home/18163.htm>.
Magnuson, Katherine A., and Jane Waldofogel. "Journal Issue: School Readiness: Closing Racial and
Ethnic Gaps Volume 15 Number 1 Spring 2005." The Future of Children Princeton-Brookings. N.p., 17
May 2011. Web. 14 July 2012.
<https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=38>.
Saluja, Gitanjali. "Abstract." ECRP Vol. 4 No. 1. Demographic Characteristics of Early Childhood
Teachers and Structural Elements of Early Care and Education in the United States. N.p., 2002. Web. 14
July 2012. <http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/saluja.html>.
Sparling, J., C. T. Ramey and S. L. Ramey. 2007. "The Abecedarian Experience" in Early Child
Development From Measurement to Action: A Priority for Growth and Equity, Ed. M. E. Young,
International Bank for Reconstruction/World Bank, Washington, DC.