Fresno County’s Preschool Reforms
Recently, Fresno County’s preschool advocates gathered to make decisions about some reforms in its preschool system.
As we learned from fresnobee.com, they intend to improve the education of Fresno County’s little ones, arguing that the quality of preschool plays a major role in the whole life of any individual.
Eventually, it’ll possible to predict more or less everyone’s successes in studies or in work just by learning details from his preschool period, because it’s an essential key in the socialization of children. In fact, after families, it’s in kindergarten that a child first recognizes he is not alone with lots of people around him. Preschool has incomparably greater importance for children who don’t have families or live in problematic families. This is the only way for such children to get a chance at a normal life.
Those were the main concerns of Fresno County advocates. The problems that the preschool system faces are generally due to the financial crisis in the US, which has a negative impact on every sphere of social life, included education. On this point, Larry Powell, superintendent of Fresno County schools, told the Fresno Bee, “When you’re in difficult times, you advance; you don’t retreat. We’re going to move forward, regardless of the budget situation.”
Sounds very optimistic, but the numbers from the same source prove the contrary. It seems that Fresno County lacks preschool territory for about 4,000 children. That is to say, more than 40 percent of four-year-old children have no access to preschools even if their parents intend to enroll them into a program. According to estimations by specialists, children attending preschool institutions perform better in secondary schools and very rarely face problems, such as the need for special education in schools or dropping out from school.
According to Powell, one of the main advantages of preschools is that employees teach literacy to children. It’s very important because in many families there are no reading materials, like books, to raise children’s interest in literacy.
Preschools are real chances for parents to ease their child’s way into school and community life, thus guaranteeing their success in life. Now, let’s wait for the results of Fresno’s preschool advocates’ efforts.
Related posts:
RE the above statement: “Eventually, it’ll possible to predict more or less everyone’s successes in studies or in work just by learning details from his preschool period, because it’s an essential key in the socialization of children”.
While it is certainly true achieving certain goals in the preschool period can be a predictor of later age success, we must be careful to not overstate this - it doesn’t mean that only children with successful preschool experiences will succeed in life. The idea of predicting success based on preschool period details is very scary and Orwellian.
Every child is an individual and will grow in his or her own unique way. Thinking critically about early literacy research, I believe our goal should be to educate parents and caregivers about what research shows can best enhance their children’s chances for success.
Research tells us when schools and parents work on the same goals, children have the best chance to learn. As the article says “Preschools are real chances for parents to ease their child’s way into school and community life…” I am confident Fresno children will learn and grow from the efforts of community advocates.
Warmly, Linda
The Babies Can’t Wait Lady