Research that Benefits Children and Families-Uplifting Stories
In 2005, I enrolled in a Child Psychology class to finish up my Associates Degree. I had to pick a topic, research it, and if possible, actually conduct the research. I chose to research "The Good Behavior Game" which was invented by Montrose Wolf. The Good Behavior Game is an intervention for reducing disruptive classroom behavior. The Good Behavior Game is not a separate curriculum but a behavioral procedure. It is unique because it is the only practice, at the time it was created, implemented by teachers that is documented to have long term effects. The Good Behaviors Game allows children to work in teams in which the members of each team are responsible to the rest of the group.
Teachers define a disruptive behavior they want to reduce; such as keeping your feet to yourself while sitting in circle time. The teacher clearly defines what she means and even demonstrates an example of the action expected, in this case how to sit without your feet touching or kicking your neighbor. The class is divided up into two teams with a mixture of the well-behaved children and the more "spirited" children. The teams pick names and are posted on a small chart. The teacher will place a check mark by the team when one of the children displays the behavior that is to be corrected. The team that receives the least amount of check marks while the game is being played are rewarded at the end of the game with stickers or candy. The Good Behavior Game should be done for ten minutes a day, three times a week for preschool children and can be extended longer later in the year.
I actually applied the findings of the Good Behavior Game to my pre-k class using the scenario above. I used ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon for three days of one week. Once the children understood what was expected, they took over the "game." Meaning that the well-behaved children would remind the other children on their team about keeping their feet to themselves. Sometimes the children would say to their peers "you can't tell me what to do!" But after the children saw that a reward was given at the end of the game, they worked together on their teams. The children would always ask to play the "game" and even played it while in their centers. The Good Behavior Game did help the children keep their feet to themselves for a few weeks and then we had to start over as a reminder.
All in all it was a positive experience for everyone as sometimes both teams won. I was worried about the rewards of stickers or candy being the focus for the appropriate behavior and that the children would become angry with each other if some did not do the right thing on their team. But, at this age, it did not appear to have any negative psychological effects on anyone. In some studies, the Good Behavior Game is implemented in the first and second grade. Long term results of the research include such statistics as fifty percent lower rate of illicit drug abuse, fifty-nine percent less likely to smoke, thirty-five percent lower rate of alcohol usage, and a sizable increase in high school graduation (Donaldson, Vollmer, & Berard, 2010).
Because of its simplicity and evidence of long-term effects, the GBG has been termed a "behavioral vaccine" (Donaldson, Vollmer, & Berard, 2010).
Donaldson, J. M., Vollmer, T. R., & Berard, K. (2010). An evaluation of the good behavior game in kindergarten classrooms. Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Retrieved from, http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3177341
Friday, March 21, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
My Personal Research Journey
The topic that I chose to research is self-regulation and I had a difficult time narrowing it down to subtopics. My original subtopics were social-emotional self-regulation, cognitive self-regulation, and activities for scaffolding self-regulation skills. Dr. Darragh-Ernst suggested that I narrow my subtopics down even more as my subtopics could each be a stand alone major topic. I wanted to keep self-regulation of preschoolers in my research because it is an important skill young children need to learn in order to be successful in life. Since a self-regulation foundation develops in the first five years of a young child's life, early childhood professionals play a huge part in helping children regulate their though process. So, with Dr. Darragh-Ernst's guidance, I narrowed my subtopic down to strategies that support cognitive self-regulation in preschoolers.
I found many articles on self-regulation for both social-emotional and cognitive development, and also found that self-regulation is not an isolated skill. Because self-regulation involves different domains, regulation of one domain affects other areas of development (Florez, 2011, p. 2). Early childhood professionals must teach children to regulate themselves through different strategies or techniques such as modeling and scaffolding self-regulation during normal activities throughout the day. Children's thinking affects their emotions and these emotions affect their cognitive development. I also found many articles about how pretend play helps to develop cognitive self-regulation.
I felt like I spent hours researching cognitive self-regulation as one article would have a footnote to another article, and so on. Sometimes I got lost in what my original topic was as I dug deeper into the articles. I searched the Walden Library and the Wichita State University Library looking for articles about my topic. With so much information available, I had to decide what was important and what was not, which was not that easy. The research chart helped me a lot as far as terms used and the definition of these terms. I also kept going back to the resources from week one to determine creditable articles. One issue I found in research is that it is time consuming! Has anyone found any easier ways to research their topics? Maybe just using key words?
Florez, I.R. (2011). Developing young children's self-regulation through everyday experiences. Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/yc/
The topic that I chose to research is self-regulation and I had a difficult time narrowing it down to subtopics. My original subtopics were social-emotional self-regulation, cognitive self-regulation, and activities for scaffolding self-regulation skills. Dr. Darragh-Ernst suggested that I narrow my subtopics down even more as my subtopics could each be a stand alone major topic. I wanted to keep self-regulation of preschoolers in my research because it is an important skill young children need to learn in order to be successful in life. Since a self-regulation foundation develops in the first five years of a young child's life, early childhood professionals play a huge part in helping children regulate their though process. So, with Dr. Darragh-Ernst's guidance, I narrowed my subtopic down to strategies that support cognitive self-regulation in preschoolers.
I found many articles on self-regulation for both social-emotional and cognitive development, and also found that self-regulation is not an isolated skill. Because self-regulation involves different domains, regulation of one domain affects other areas of development (Florez, 2011, p. 2). Early childhood professionals must teach children to regulate themselves through different strategies or techniques such as modeling and scaffolding self-regulation during normal activities throughout the day. Children's thinking affects their emotions and these emotions affect their cognitive development. I also found many articles about how pretend play helps to develop cognitive self-regulation.
I felt like I spent hours researching cognitive self-regulation as one article would have a footnote to another article, and so on. Sometimes I got lost in what my original topic was as I dug deeper into the articles. I searched the Walden Library and the Wichita State University Library looking for articles about my topic. With so much information available, I had to decide what was important and what was not, which was not that easy. The research chart helped me a lot as far as terms used and the definition of these terms. I also kept going back to the resources from week one to determine creditable articles. One issue I found in research is that it is time consuming! Has anyone found any easier ways to research their topics? Maybe just using key words?
Florez, I.R. (2011). Developing young children's self-regulation through everyday experiences. Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/yc/
Friday, February 28, 2014
Strengthening Bonds With Professionals
One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is how other countries are facing the same issues that the United States early childhood field is facing; poverty, training of high quality early childhood teachers, quality early childhood experiences, and language barriers. The Children's Defense Fund website gave me many articles on how advocates can help families in poverty by investing in early childhood.
Another consequence would be culture. With all the different races and languages, quality early learning opportunities are a must for any child. There must be a liaison advocate for parents of immigrants for help with the language barrier and help them secure resources that are available.
A third consequence is the knowledge that I received from my contact in Africa. He wrote a lot about inequity for African children, especially for poor children who usually get less quality nutrition, less appropriate leaning opportunities, and generally less resources for early childhood education.
One of my personal goals is to hopefully stay in touch with my contact in Africa. I will continue with online research learning about the differences, commonalities, and inequities with other countries and the United States. I have enjoyed the discussions with my peers as we all have interpreted these discussions in different ways. Teaching young children is one of the most altruistic professions as we give so others can benefit.
One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is how other countries are facing the same issues that the United States early childhood field is facing; poverty, training of high quality early childhood teachers, quality early childhood experiences, and language barriers. The Children's Defense Fund website gave me many articles on how advocates can help families in poverty by investing in early childhood.
Another consequence would be culture. With all the different races and languages, quality early learning opportunities are a must for any child. There must be a liaison advocate for parents of immigrants for help with the language barrier and help them secure resources that are available.
A third consequence is the knowledge that I received from my contact in Africa. He wrote a lot about inequity for African children, especially for poor children who usually get less quality nutrition, less appropriate leaning opportunities, and generally less resources for early childhood education.
One of my personal goals is to hopefully stay in touch with my contact in Africa. I will continue with online research learning about the differences, commonalities, and inequities with other countries and the United States. I have enjoyed the discussions with my peers as we all have interpreted these discussions in different ways. Teaching young children is one of the most altruistic professions as we give so others can benefit.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part 3
My contact in Africa, Eric Atmore, did not respond to my two emails that I sent, so I explored UNESCO's "Early Childcare Care and Education." My goals that I wrote in the Foundations course were:
*To better myself in the field of early childhood education
*To positively impact the quality of life for young children and their families
*To nurture and support my staff so they will continue to have balance with their
personal and professional lives
One article that I read was "Better Monitoring in Sight for the Well-being of Young Children." This article parallels with my goals as I work hard to empower the children, families, and teachers in becoming socially and emotionally well balanced competent adults. Thirty early childhood experts from around the world met in Paris in 2010 to develop a holistic index to improve Member States' ability to track progress towards quality early childhood care and education (ECCE)-the first of the Education for All (EFA) goals (UNESCO, 2014, p. 1). It is a huge challenge to keep pace with the changing world and making sure that all children receive the skills needed in this increasingly knowledge-based economy.
Another article, "Vox Pop: What are the Three Most Important Skills a Child Should Learn?" is also similar to my goals as I want to recognize children and their families as a group, but relate to them as individuals. Children should be thinking critically about who they are and how they relate to their world around them, in a social and political perspective...(Sahni, 2013, p. 2). Children, and sometimes their families, need to learn life skills and core values along with respect for the different cultures. \
One insight I learned when exploring this website is that internationally, countries want to place more emphasis on investing in girl's education. In the United States, we take education for granted. But in poorer countries, education is not readily available to everyone, especial females. Girl's make up half of 140 million children who are out of school (UNESCO, 2011). Education for females results in better health, stronger families and communities, and lower maternal child mortality. UNESCO supports the provision of school meals and encourages parents to send their daughters to school. By the year 2015, one of the six goals set by Education for All is all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities have access to, and complete, free and compulsory early education (UNESCO, 2014, p. 1).
Sahni, U. (2013). Vox pop: What are the three most important skills a child should learn?
Education UNESCO Bangkok. Retrieved from, http://www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/vox-pop
UNESCO. (2011). A winning equation. Retrieved from, http://www.unesco.org
UNESCO. (2014). Better monitoring in sight for the well-being of young children.
Retrieved from, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems
My contact in Africa, Eric Atmore, did not respond to my two emails that I sent, so I explored UNESCO's "Early Childcare Care and Education." My goals that I wrote in the Foundations course were:
*To better myself in the field of early childhood education
*To positively impact the quality of life for young children and their families
*To nurture and support my staff so they will continue to have balance with their
personal and professional lives
One article that I read was "Better Monitoring in Sight for the Well-being of Young Children." This article parallels with my goals as I work hard to empower the children, families, and teachers in becoming socially and emotionally well balanced competent adults. Thirty early childhood experts from around the world met in Paris in 2010 to develop a holistic index to improve Member States' ability to track progress towards quality early childhood care and education (ECCE)-the first of the Education for All (EFA) goals (UNESCO, 2014, p. 1). It is a huge challenge to keep pace with the changing world and making sure that all children receive the skills needed in this increasingly knowledge-based economy.
Another article, "Vox Pop: What are the Three Most Important Skills a Child Should Learn?" is also similar to my goals as I want to recognize children and their families as a group, but relate to them as individuals. Children should be thinking critically about who they are and how they relate to their world around them, in a social and political perspective...(Sahni, 2013, p. 2). Children, and sometimes their families, need to learn life skills and core values along with respect for the different cultures. \
One insight I learned when exploring this website is that internationally, countries want to place more emphasis on investing in girl's education. In the United States, we take education for granted. But in poorer countries, education is not readily available to everyone, especial females. Girl's make up half of 140 million children who are out of school (UNESCO, 2011). Education for females results in better health, stronger families and communities, and lower maternal child mortality. UNESCO supports the provision of school meals and encourages parents to send their daughters to school. By the year 2015, one of the six goals set by Education for All is all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities have access to, and complete, free and compulsory early education (UNESCO, 2014, p. 1).
Sahni, U. (2013). Vox pop: What are the three most important skills a child should learn?
Education UNESCO Bangkok. Retrieved from, http://www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/vox-pop
UNESCO. (2011). A winning equation. Retrieved from, http://www.unesco.org
UNESCO. (2014). Better monitoring in sight for the well-being of young children.
Retrieved from, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems
Friday, February 14, 2014
Sharing Web Resources
The resource that I have been researching is The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
http://www.nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php
There were several outside links that NIEER took me to: The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, NAEYC, The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), and Rand.
I explored the link to The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) which produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Their belief is that public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence (NEPC, 2014, p.1). This organization has many articles, policy briefs, and think tank reviews. I was intrigued by the think tank reviews which are academically rigorous reviews of the strengths and weaknesses of selected publications. The expert assessments provide the public policymakers, and the press with the information needed to make informed judgments about the value of the conclusions drawn, and recommendations made in the reviewed reports (NEPC, 2014, p. 1). One article in the think tank review explained how Hispanic children have the largest achievement gap at kindergarten entry. Hispanic children have least access to preschool education because of limited access to public programs, inadequate outreach, and few dual language programs (Barnett, 2013, p. 3). A dual language Pre-k is critical to young children as bilingualism has cognitive, economic, and social benefits. The US must increase access to high quality Pre-k, especially Pre-k that meets the needs of young Hispanic children (Barnett, 2013, p. 5).
I also receive Preschool Matters...Today which is the NIEER blog. The blog that I received on February 10, 2014, states that all levels of government will have to increase their support for young children and families, including the federal government which can best lead the way by priming the pump-providing financial support and incentives that encourage and enable state and local governments to develop sustainable quality programs (Barnett, 2014, p. 1). Educational failure and inequality that plaques the country begins in children's experiences before they actually enter kindergarten. The need for quality early education is clearly greater than the funding we receive.
The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, http://www.fpg.unc.edu, is another excellent link to explore issues such as developmental disabilities, diversity, early care and education, physical and social health, international initiative, professional development, and public policy.
Other issues and trends that I found interesting is the debate about universal Pre-k.
Barnett, S. (2013). Young Hispanic children: Early learning needs and opportunities.
National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from,
http://www.nieer.org/resources/mewsletter/index.php
The National Education Policy Center. (2014). Think tank review. Retrieved from,
http://www.nepc.colorado.edu/think-tank-reviews
The resource that I have been researching is The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
http://www.nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php
There were several outside links that NIEER took me to: The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, NAEYC, The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), and Rand.
I explored the link to The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) which produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Their belief is that public education is strengthened when policies are based on sound evidence (NEPC, 2014, p.1). This organization has many articles, policy briefs, and think tank reviews. I was intrigued by the think tank reviews which are academically rigorous reviews of the strengths and weaknesses of selected publications. The expert assessments provide the public policymakers, and the press with the information needed to make informed judgments about the value of the conclusions drawn, and recommendations made in the reviewed reports (NEPC, 2014, p. 1). One article in the think tank review explained how Hispanic children have the largest achievement gap at kindergarten entry. Hispanic children have least access to preschool education because of limited access to public programs, inadequate outreach, and few dual language programs (Barnett, 2013, p. 3). A dual language Pre-k is critical to young children as bilingualism has cognitive, economic, and social benefits. The US must increase access to high quality Pre-k, especially Pre-k that meets the needs of young Hispanic children (Barnett, 2013, p. 5).
I also receive Preschool Matters...Today which is the NIEER blog. The blog that I received on February 10, 2014, states that all levels of government will have to increase their support for young children and families, including the federal government which can best lead the way by priming the pump-providing financial support and incentives that encourage and enable state and local governments to develop sustainable quality programs (Barnett, 2014, p. 1). Educational failure and inequality that plaques the country begins in children's experiences before they actually enter kindergarten. The need for quality early education is clearly greater than the funding we receive.
The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, http://www.fpg.unc.edu, is another excellent link to explore issues such as developmental disabilities, diversity, early care and education, physical and social health, international initiative, professional development, and public policy.
Other issues and trends that I found interesting is the debate about universal Pre-k.
Barnett, S. (2013). Young Hispanic children: Early learning needs and opportunities.
National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from,
http://www.nieer.org/resources/mewsletter/index.php
The National Education Policy Center. (2014). Think tank review. Retrieved from,
http://www.nepc.colorado.edu/think-tank-reviews
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 2
I emailed Eric Atmore who is an Associate Professor of The National Early Childhood Development Alliance in Africa and asked if he had any thoughts with regards to issues that are related to excellence and equity in the early childhood field, and this is his response:
Eric Atmore wrote, (personal communication, January 7, 2014), on excellence there is a global tendency that "poor children" must make do with "whatever they get" which is most often second class. Every child irrespective of socio-economic status deserves the best, so whilst excellence is relative, poor children also deserve excellence. On equity in the ECD field in Africa, our experience is that ECD opportunities, facilities and programs are not equitable (I doubt that they are anywhere in the world). African children generally get poorer quality nutrition, less appropriate learning opportunities and certainly less resources for education in general and ECD specifically.
"The majority of young children in South Africa have been negatively impacted by a range of social and economic inequalities" (Atmore, 2012, p. 1). As Mr. Atmore stated in his reply above, because of the inequalities and lack of excellence for early childhood education, health care, nutrition, and social resources, all of this has undermined the development of the youngest children. In 1995, South Africa signed the Convention of the Rights of the Child, established a Directorate for Early Childhood Development within the national Education Department, and also established the Children's Act all which deals with early childhood development programs and trying to develop excellence. In the Children's Act, it states that no child should be without the basic necessities of life. "There are 23,482 ECD sites in South Africa" (Atmore, 2012, p. 10). South Africa is in the process of developing a framework for ensuring the best interests of children. The Government has identified the need to increase access to ECD as well as enhance the quality of ECD programs and services. A lot has been done to impose access and quality of early learning programs but there is a long way to go to the enhancement of the service delivery.
We have the same issues in the states with regards to excellence and equity in the early childhood field. Issues such as poor teacher-child ratio, poorly trained staff, minimal salaries, remoteness from funding sources, and poor nutrition. We are fortunate to have Head Start as a resource for families and children who need help.
Atmore, E. (2012). Challenges facing early childhood development sector in South Africa.
National Development Agency. Retrieved from, cecd@iafrica.com
I emailed Eric Atmore who is an Associate Professor of The National Early Childhood Development Alliance in Africa and asked if he had any thoughts with regards to issues that are related to excellence and equity in the early childhood field, and this is his response:
Eric Atmore wrote, (personal communication, January 7, 2014), on excellence there is a global tendency that "poor children" must make do with "whatever they get" which is most often second class. Every child irrespective of socio-economic status deserves the best, so whilst excellence is relative, poor children also deserve excellence. On equity in the ECD field in Africa, our experience is that ECD opportunities, facilities and programs are not equitable (I doubt that they are anywhere in the world). African children generally get poorer quality nutrition, less appropriate learning opportunities and certainly less resources for education in general and ECD specifically.
"The majority of young children in South Africa have been negatively impacted by a range of social and economic inequalities" (Atmore, 2012, p. 1). As Mr. Atmore stated in his reply above, because of the inequalities and lack of excellence for early childhood education, health care, nutrition, and social resources, all of this has undermined the development of the youngest children. In 1995, South Africa signed the Convention of the Rights of the Child, established a Directorate for Early Childhood Development within the national Education Department, and also established the Children's Act all which deals with early childhood development programs and trying to develop excellence. In the Children's Act, it states that no child should be without the basic necessities of life. "There are 23,482 ECD sites in South Africa" (Atmore, 2012, p. 10). South Africa is in the process of developing a framework for ensuring the best interests of children. The Government has identified the need to increase access to ECD as well as enhance the quality of ECD programs and services. A lot has been done to impose access and quality of early learning programs but there is a long way to go to the enhancement of the service delivery.
We have the same issues in the states with regards to excellence and equity in the early childhood field. Issues such as poor teacher-child ratio, poorly trained staff, minimal salaries, remoteness from funding sources, and poor nutrition. We are fortunate to have Head Start as a resource for families and children who need help.
Atmore, E. (2012). Challenges facing early childhood development sector in South Africa.
National Development Agency. Retrieved from, cecd@iafrica.com
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Sharing Web Resources
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) provides me with many links to articles for research, assessment, the annual state Pre-K reports, and the blog, Preschool Matters. The blog, Preschool Matters, is sent to my email and always has pertinent information regarding high-quality early education. The research section is also informative with articles such as "Is Early Education Worth the Cost" or "There Is A Lot Of Talk About Early Childhood Education But Not Much Action."
In the Preschool Matters blog, the information about the success of the Perry Preschool project and the Abecedarian Project was interesting. I was surprised to read that in recent years, however, evaluations of the effects of some early childhood programs, most notably the Head Start Impact Study, have disappointed (Barnett, 2014, p. 1). Because of alternative early childhood experiences that have improved, comparison to Head Start gives the appearance of smaller effects for this program. This tells me that other daycare/preschools are now understanding how important it is to become a high-quality program.
NIEER projects that in 2030 all but 1 state would spend less on education from Pre-K though grade 12 under federal proposals that incentivize states to raise Pre-K quality standards, offer a full school day, and serve all children under 200 percent of the federal poverty level (Barnett, 2013, p. 1). Every dollar spent on a quality preschool program yields seven dollars to society. One article I read said that preschool access maybe a national security issue. Without enough skilled men and women available to serve in tomorrow's armed services, we endanger the future strength of our military. According to (Chandler, 2014), 75 percent of people from ages of 17-24 are ineligible to join armed services because they are poorly educated, have a criminal record, overweight, or otherwise unhealthy. Our biggest investment is early childhood education so children will grow up to be healthy, educated, and able to make important decisions about their own future. How wonderful that retired military officers are concerning themselves with early education. One retired General stated that early childhood education is not being funded as it should be.
Play and playful learning have a critical role in children's development and should not be lost to instructive teaching in preschools. Academic activities are embedded in playful learning and children learn socialization techniques, enhance language and problem solving skills, and cognitive skills. I understand that curriculum matters more when teachers are trained to implement it. My state needs more funding for the training of teachers.
Barnett, S. (2013). Expanding access to quality pre-k is sound public policy. National
Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from, http://www.nieer.org
Barnett, S. (2014). When it comes to preschool, modest results may be meaningful.
National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from,
http://www.nieer.org
Chandler, M. (2014). Is preschool access a national security issue? National
Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from, http://www.nieer.org
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) provides me with many links to articles for research, assessment, the annual state Pre-K reports, and the blog, Preschool Matters. The blog, Preschool Matters, is sent to my email and always has pertinent information regarding high-quality early education. The research section is also informative with articles such as "Is Early Education Worth the Cost" or "There Is A Lot Of Talk About Early Childhood Education But Not Much Action."
In the Preschool Matters blog, the information about the success of the Perry Preschool project and the Abecedarian Project was interesting. I was surprised to read that in recent years, however, evaluations of the effects of some early childhood programs, most notably the Head Start Impact Study, have disappointed (Barnett, 2014, p. 1). Because of alternative early childhood experiences that have improved, comparison to Head Start gives the appearance of smaller effects for this program. This tells me that other daycare/preschools are now understanding how important it is to become a high-quality program.
NIEER projects that in 2030 all but 1 state would spend less on education from Pre-K though grade 12 under federal proposals that incentivize states to raise Pre-K quality standards, offer a full school day, and serve all children under 200 percent of the federal poverty level (Barnett, 2013, p. 1). Every dollar spent on a quality preschool program yields seven dollars to society. One article I read said that preschool access maybe a national security issue. Without enough skilled men and women available to serve in tomorrow's armed services, we endanger the future strength of our military. According to (Chandler, 2014), 75 percent of people from ages of 17-24 are ineligible to join armed services because they are poorly educated, have a criminal record, overweight, or otherwise unhealthy. Our biggest investment is early childhood education so children will grow up to be healthy, educated, and able to make important decisions about their own future. How wonderful that retired military officers are concerning themselves with early education. One retired General stated that early childhood education is not being funded as it should be.
Play and playful learning have a critical role in children's development and should not be lost to instructive teaching in preschools. Academic activities are embedded in playful learning and children learn socialization techniques, enhance language and problem solving skills, and cognitive skills. I understand that curriculum matters more when teachers are trained to implement it. My state needs more funding for the training of teachers.
Barnett, S. (2013). Expanding access to quality pre-k is sound public policy. National
Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from, http://www.nieer.org
Barnett, S. (2014). When it comes to preschool, modest results may be meaningful.
National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from,
http://www.nieer.org
Chandler, M. (2014). Is preschool access a national security issue? National
Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from, http://www.nieer.org
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