Writers tackled critical topics this week, such as the importance of accurately valuing benefits of early learning, low enrollment among Latino families in pre-kindergarten, bad parents and boosting I.Q.
We even had a little breaking news out of Olympia late yesterday, when Washington state lawmakers gave early learning a boost.
- Washington state Senate votes to make early learning programs part of the definition of basic education: No more waiting lists for ECEAP!
Today the Senate made early learning programs for disadvantaged kids part of the definition of basic education.
What does that mean? Well, for starters, it means the state's program for low-income preschoolers, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), will eventually be funded on a per pupil basis—just like K-12.
Right now, there are more than 2,600 qualified kids on the waiting list for the program. When the law is fully implemented, they should all have ECEAP seats if they want them. – No Kidding, Children’s Alliance Blog, 4/17/09.
- The Trouble with Touting the $10 to $1 Benefit-to-Cost Ratio for Pre-K
Touting a $10-to-$1 return may be helpful when advocating for more emphasis on quality. But if the numbers are used to advocate for simply doing more of what we've been doing, they will become symbols of exaggeration and failed promises. It's time to get serious about exactly what this cost-benefit ratio means, where it comes from and what high-quality preschool programs actually look like.
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What makes for a high-quality program that might achieve these "big" returns? Class sizes of less than 9 children to one adult. Enrollment no later than age 3. Programs that encourage parental involvement. Alignment with and ongoing support through the early elementary years. Competitive salaries for staff. – Early Ed Watch, 4/16/09.
- Little Pre-K Access for Latinos: Kids behind at start of school, advocates say
By using bilingual preschool curriculum and providing financial assistance, the Casa Infantil Head Start program is confronting one of the most debated issues in early childhood education: how to raise academic levels of low-income, Latino children. Latino families with young children constitute a significant portion of the nation's population and future workforce, but several studies show those children are less likely to enroll in early education programs because of various barriers including language, cost, transportation and a shortage of pre-kindergarten spots in poor neighborhoods. For those and other reasons, Latino children lag well behind white children in reading and math skills when they start kindergarten. – Chicago Tribune, 4/15/09.
- Bad Parents and Proud of It: Moms and a Dad Confess: Toddlers as Pushovers, Dogs Doing Cleanup And Other Tales in the New Tell-All Genre
Critiquing other people's parenting has become a sport for many mothers and fathers, aided by the Internet and the sheer volume of available expert advice. Now some parents, hoping to quiet the chorus of opinions, judgments and criticism, are defiantly confessing to their own "bad parenting" moments. They say that sharing their foibles helps relieve the pressure to be a perfect parent — and pokes fun at a culture where arguments over sleep-training methods and organic baby foods rage on. Critics say it's the latest form of oversharing online — the equivalent of posting your every move on Twitter or Facebook — and only reinforces parents' worst habits. – Wall Street Journal, 4/13/09.
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