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Home/ EDF3604 - Social Foundations of Education/ The Shame of the Nation- "Early childhood education key to success for poor children"
Kara Minor

The Shame of the Nation- "Early childhood education key to success for poor children" - 24 views

started by Kara Minor on 02 Oct 12
  • Kara Minor
    #1 Kara Minor on 02 Oct 12
     
    Pg.48: "The governmentally administered diminishment of value in children of the poor begins even before the age of five or six when they begin their years of formal education in the public schools. It starts during their infant years and toddler years when hundreds of thousands of children in low-income neighborhoods are locked out of the opportunity for preschool education for no reason but the accident of birth and budgetary choices of the government..."

    http://www.nj.com/njvoices/index.ssf/2011/11/early_childhood_education_key.html

    This article highlights the need for preschool education for all children, especially those of low-income families and the benefits of receiving this education.
  • theresabru
    #2 theresabru on 08 Oct 12
     
    I am always interested by the information surrounding the importance of early education. Education starts at home. When children are not prepared for school, the disparity only increases as they progress through school. I love the idea of home visits that the Ironbound program provides. This service ensures that the child is in a stimulating environment at school and at home. I think this is incredibly helpful for mothers who need support in overwhelming situations. With the myriad of factors that affect education, programs such as Ironbound and Headstart have a lot to combat. Despite the challenges, I think they provide the foundation that children need in order to be most successful in their futures.
  • lwilliams0227
    #3 lwilliams0227 on 09 Oct 12
     
    Great article Kara. It was very interesting to read about this program. It sounds amazing. I think early education is very important and, although I was never really passionate about teaching kids of that age range, I always appreciated and looked up to those who do. It is a tough job teaching in early education because the children of that age are so vulnerable. This program has really thought of it all. I espaecially like that it counsels the parents and educate them for the sake of their children. Many schools and educational programs neglect to involve parents with the exception of the PTA(which really just addresses issues of the school, not individual students' needs). It gives the parents and the children of poor background opportunities that they would not otherwise have. This isn't just a recent epidemic. This cycle of the poor, being raised in the poor, getting a poor education, eventually dropping out, and having children that go through the same thing has been a cycle for years upon years. This program is hope and should implemented in many poverty stricken environments.
  • K. Allen
    #4 K. Allen on 09 Oct 12
     
    The first five years of a child's life are fundamentally important. They are the foundation that shapes children's future development and leaning achievements in school. The brain is one that is adversely affected in the early years. In preschool children are exposed to shapes, numbers, and letters. More importantly, one learns how to socialize - get along with others, share, and participate as a group. I have a little brother that started kindergarten this year and I had the privilege to sit in on his first day. What I witness were instilled morals of those who came into class with good social and behavior-management skills ready to learn. Kindergarten teachers seem to appreciate preschools more because it usually gives them the opportunity to focus academically while those without preschool tend to struggle to adapt to the classroom settings. Some may disagree, but preschool builds a strong foundation that is needed to be successful in life.
  • kashetamundy
    #5 kashetamundy on 09 Oct 12
     
    I agree with this article that early education is the key to future success. It is unfortunate that children from low socioeconomic status are at disadvantage from the first day of school. Hopefully more early education programs can be implement in low socioeconomic area to avail a brighter future for children born into this status. I liked that there was also a parents groups that gave the parents a voice to speak up to teachers, because a lot of times parents who are uneducated feel that they can not talk to teacher about how there child is doing, because they feel inferior. And this disposition may be construed as the parents not caring about their child's education. I also agree with this quote,"Success in life depends at least as much on character skills, such as self-confidence and the ability to get along with peers, as it does on reading and math skills, experts say." I believe that a child's ability to read and complete math problems along with their classmates propels or hinders the growth of their self confidence and in turn their ability to communicate with others. Volunteering at a elementary school I have seen this first hand with a little boy who had trouble reading. He called himself dumb and gave up before he even start his work, because he knew that he wasn't a good reader. And when other kids would make fun of him he would get angry with them. Early education is key to success.

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