Wow. When I saw the topic for this week, I could not help but think how wonderful the research created in option two could achieve so much and help so many.
If I could research any topic it would be researching equitable access for all children to attend preschool programs. With this research I could find the issues affecting parents lack of ability or knowledge to send their children to preschool programs through various means. The following ideas would apply to private preschool programs or those children unable to attend public preschool programs due to small class sizes. Either coordinating pick up for children either through a transportation service or car pool or on the other hand I could create a program where children receive attention from a preschool teacher in the home setting where they are the most comfortable. This could happen one on one or with a few children from the local area in the neighborhood. This way both children of parents who wished for them to attend preschool and those who would prefer their children stay home and 'be little' for as long as possible could receive preschool learning services and thus equalize the readiness of students for Kindergarten.
If there was money allocated and available to pay enough preschool teachers so that all preschool aged children could attend the public school, that would serve one purpose of preschool learning and the other purpose of better preparing students for Kindergarten. However, with budgets and space available within a public school, having all children attend preschool in a public setting or having the finances to pay teachers may not be feasible.
I would love to see the day where regardless of outside factors all children receive a preschool education and start their educational careers 'ahead' instead of behind for lack of preschool attendance.
Great post I can tell that you are very passionate about this topic. I agree with you, all children deserves a positive head start by attending a quality preschool program.
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose to focus on equity in preschool. As a preschool teacher in a private school I am well aware of how limited preschool options can be. For example at my school we have a 2 year old program, 3 year old program, and a 4 year old program. Most years the 2 year old class fills up before most parents are even considering preschool for their child so if a parent is a first time parent and does not realize this their child could easily miss out on a preschool opportunity. This year's 2's class is mainly siblings and therefore as soon as the parents found out they were expecting again they placed their child to be on the waiting list to ensure they would have a spot. I do not know how to fix this problem other than spreading the word about the importance of preschool. Thanks for your post!
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