“Children from immigrant families are the fastest growing group of children in the United States. High-quality child care and early education opportunities will be critical to these children’s success in school and in life. Yet, the early experiences of children in immigrant families are as diverse and varied as immigrant families themselves. While many immigrant families face numerous barriers to accessing high-quality child care and early education for their young children, these barriers are not insurmountable. “
Harvard University economist John Friedman explains in this video the impact of increasing kindergarten teacher experience looks really big for students long-term success. He says the study should highlight for policymakers the importance of kindergarten classes for students in all demographics.
Credit: National Science Foundation
Taking into account all variation across kindergarten classes, including class size, individuals who learn more–as measured by an above-average score on the Stanford Achievement Test–and are in smaller classes earn about $2,000 more per year at age 27.
Moreover, students who learn more in kindergarten are more likely to go to college than students with similar backgrounds. Those who learn more in kindergarten are also less likely to become single parents, more likely to own a home by age 28 and more likely to save for retirement earlier in their work lives.
Early care and education can prepare children for school, but while some preschool and child care programs do an excellent job, others are inadequate and some may even harm healthy development. This study focuses on child care center directors to better understand why there is so much variation, and how public initiatives can better help poor-quality programs improve. Using data from in-depth interviews and classroom observations, the research considers how various factors—including director and program characteristics, market forces, and federal state and local policies—are associated with each other, director decision making, and program quality.
What does research tell us about effective professional development of early childhood educators? According to a literature review prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, not as much as we would like. The authors of the report found that “that the research on early childhood professional development is at an early stage.”
While significant questions remain, the review identified several criteria that can serve as a starting point.
The evidence suggests that professional development for early childhood educators may be more effective when:
There are specific and articulated objectives for professional development.
Practice is an explicit focus of the professional development, and attention is given to linking the focus on early educator knowledge and practice.
There is collective participation of teachers from the same classrooms or schools in professional development.
The intensity and duration of the professional development is matched to the content being conveyed.
Educators are prepared to conduct child assessments and interpret their results as a tool for ongoing monitoring of the effects of professional development.
It is appropriate for the organizational context and is aligned with standards for practice.
RALEIGH, N.C. – As thousands of children across North Carolina start kindergarten this month and more children are attending pre-school every year, will some kids be too smart for kindergarten, already know too much and be bored?
That’s not possible, says Stephanie Fanjul, director of the North Carolina Partnership for Children. Her organization runs Smart Start, which offers enrichment opportunities for parents and children.
“What we believe is that positive early education experiences can only help children succeed in school. That is what the science shows us and it’s why Smart Start works to provide these opportunities.”
Part of the early childhood education curriculum includes training on how to work with children at a variety of skill levels.
The bigger concern for experts like Dr. Richard Clifford of the FPG Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill is the number of children who are retained every year. Statewide, about six percent of children are held back from advancing to the next grade, costing the state almost $165 million in 2007 alone for students in grades kindergarten through third.
“Rates that are reasonable rates are more in the one to two percent range than they are in the six or seven or higher percent range.”
Experts say the best way to prepare a child for school is to engage in activities that make learning a fun family activity.
