The Value of Preschool Page 1
The Value of Preschool
By
Lisa Richardson
April 19, 2008
Argument Paper
Instructor: Papia Bawa
English 111 93F
Many parents today begin to save for their child’s college fund before the child is old enough for preschool. What these parents sometimes fail to realize is that future
success in school begins in the early formative years of a child’s life. While a college education fund is important, parents should also invest in their child’s early education as
well.
Most adults today did not go to preschool as a young child, but times have changed and most parents want something better for their children than what was offered to
them. This is not to say that our parents did a bad job raising us, but, that we have more choices for our children today than our parents had for us. Enrolling your child in
preschool is one of the ways to offer your child a head start in their education. Finding a high quality preschool for their child should be a high priority for parents of young
children. However, many parents are failing to see this connection and are deciding to keep their children out of school until they are old enough for kindergarten. As a former
kindergarten teacher, I hope to be able to persuade parents to invest in their child’s education during the early years, and to show them the rewards that the child will reap
from the preschool experience. Because of my past experience of teaching kindergarten, I know the expectations of the school systems for kindergarteners. I know that the
standards are much more stringent than when we were in school. Kindergarteners today are supposed to know the letters of the alphabet, how to count, and how to write
their name before they even come to school. These are things that used to be taught in Kindergarten. This is why early education becomes much more important than once
thought.
The United States began to realize the importance of early childhood education back in 1965 whenthe first Head Start classes were formed. But, according to Earline D.
Kendall (July 1995), by the 1970’s the economy had lost its vigor and funding was cut. Now after 30 year of operation, Head Start serves a mere 30% of the eligible
children and has not known full funding since its earliest days. Most of the children served by the Head Start program are from low income families. This program does not
help middle income families, therefore, these families have to find the funds for their child to go to preschool, or they have to keep the child at home until the child is old
enough to enroll in Kindergarten. A universal preschool program that targets all children would be more beneficial to families of young children.
Preschool helps children to develop many different skills and abilities. They are able to interact with their peers on a daily basis. These interactions provide the social
and emotional skills needed to be able to communicate with others. Learning to carry on a conversation by listening and taking turns talking is vital to being able to
communicate effectively. Communication plays a key role in all the relationships we form throughout our lives. The simple show-and-tell time becomes much more important
when parents see the connection between relationships and communication. It is also a time where children can learn about things that are valued by others. This can teach
them to care and value their own possessions. In our world of e-mail and text messaging, this game of show-and –tell brings an opportunity for children to interact while
seeing and hearing the person who is speaking. They can see the facial expressions and hear the fluctuations in the voice tone of the child who is showing what he/she
brought, and telling about their special object.
Preschool teachers provide many daily experiences for the children in their classrooms. They prepare daily lesson plans that are developmentally and age appropriate
for the students in their care. A good quality preschool classroom will be equipped with child size furniture and lots of toys and interactive activities for the child to choose
from. It will be set up with learning centers such as; dramatic play, blocks, art, library, science, music and movement, sand/water table, and manipulatives. There will be
structure playtime as well as unstructured playtime. Children learn thru play, so it is very important to allow plenty of time for imaginative playtime. The dramatic play center is
a good example of children learning thru play. The teacher can put props in this center to encourage the children to play veterinarian after reading a book to the class about
animals. The children can role play with the props that the teacher has provided. They can pretend that a stuffed animal has broken its foot after getting its paw stuck in a
door. They can take turns wrapping a bandage around the animal’s paw. This teaches coordination as they wrap the bandage. It also teaches compassion by caring for the
animal that has been hurt. The students can learn cooperation by taking turns being the veterinarian. These unstructured learning times are valuable to a child’s growth and
development, just at the structured learning times are. An example of a structured learning time would be when the teacher gathers all of the children together and they are
participating in calendar time. This is the time of day when the teacher directs the student’s attention to the calendar and they begin to learn about the months of the year the
days of the week, the date, and the year. This structured learning time helps the children begin to learn letter and number recognition, as well as to see the pattern of
repetition in the days of the week and the months of the year.
Gross motor skills are important to the physical development of young children. Preschool classes usually take about 30 minutes of their day and devote it to recess
time. This time is usually spent on the playground or in the gymnasium. The playground offers may opportunities for physical development. Learning to swing is a very
rewarding experience for the preschool aged child. If you are ever on a playground for any length of time you will hear the delightful shouts of the children, “look at me
mommy”, as they learn to pump their legs to make the swing go back and forth. They are so proud of this accomplishment. Also, climbing to the top of the slide all by
themselves is sometimes scary for a child, but once they have accomplished it, they can’t seem to get enough. By strengthening these leg muscles, they will be better able to
keep their balance, climb stairs by alternating feet, and run faster. Climbing across the monkey bars will strengthen arm muscles which will help with lifting heavy objects,
swinging a baseball bat, and shooting a basket during a game of basketball.
The fine motor skills are also important at this stage of development. Preschool teachers help children develop these skills by offering many opportunities to cut, paint,
color, write, and play with play-doh. These fine motor skills need to be developed in order for the child to be able to write with a pen or pencil, tie their shoes, zip their coat,
button their shirt, and zip their pants. These self help skills enable the child to become more independent.
The academic stimulus provided to preschoolers by their teachers help to develop a love for learning. This love for learning will follow them into their formal school
years and will help develop a thirst for knowledge that will benefit the child for the remainder of his/her life. It is important that children attend a good quality preschool that
they are excited about attending. If a child had a bad or traumatic experience at this age, they will always associate the event with something negative. This is why it is
important to evaluate a preschool before your child attends. Giving children a good positive experience in preschool will help them to associate learning with having fun.
Many parents will argue that a child needs to be at home until they are old enough for kindergarten. While I do not argue that the relationship between a child and a
parent is very important, I counter that argument with the thought that the time a child spends in preschool will enhance the parent/child relationship as well as help the child
to form new relationships. Just imagine picking your child up form school and he/she is so excited about catching a butterfly on the playground. This provides a great
opportunity to spend time at the park with your child chasing and catching butterflies. Maybe this is an activity that you didn’t realize your child would enjoy until he/she came
home so excited about this experience.
As a former Kindergarten teacher, I have witnessed many students who have never spent much time with children of their own age. From my experience, I have
seen the results of children only spending time with adults. They typically have a harder time adjusting to the school schedule and routine. We are all aware that a child’s
parents are the child’s first and most important teacher, but a preschool teacher can support the parents and offer the child some different experiences in the classroom than
they would receive at home.
Sharen Haysmann, the director of Smart Start Georgia, states that “Legislators recognize that the children in their communities are the future of the state and this
country. They have found that the economic benefits of quality early care and education are particularly powerful arguments.” A report released in September of 2004
suggests that high-quality preschool is directly linked to economic growth. In this report, “Developmental Education: the Value of High quality Preschool Investments as
Economic Tools,” It states that building strong preschool programs is a far better tactic to boost the economy and create jobs than traditional methods, such as offering tax
breaks to major companies to lure them into communities. This point of view offers a different perspective on the value of early childhood education. It shows that it is not only
beneficial to the child, but to the community as well.
One of the most well known experimental preschool studies was called the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project. This project identified 123 impoverished 3 and 4 year
olds in Ypsilanti Michigan in the 1960’s. According to Tony Pugh of the Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, the former students who are now in their 40’s are significantly
more likely to hold jobs. Earn more money and to have graduated from high school. They also commit fewer crimes than non-participants with comparable backgrounds, and
are far less likely to need public assistance. This study also shows the impact that preschool education can have on a community.
Parents should be aware that the decision to keep their child at home until he or she is old enough to enroll in kindergarten may cause their child to be behind socially
and academically. Most preschool programs are at the most 3 hours per day. This will leave plenty of time for the child to spend at home with his/her family. The cost of
preschool programs varies greatly from city to city. We have several different preschools in our area, and the cost is vastly different for each program. We have one local
school corporation that offers free preschool to any child with a disability or delay. A disability can be anything from a speech problem to a physical disability. We have
another school system that offers a preschool that is run by high school seniors who are enrolled in the Early Childhood Vocational program. These students, along with
their teachers, open their classroom to 3 and 4 year olds twice a week for the low cost of $20.00 per year. Our local YMCA offers preschool for 3 and 4 year olds for $80.00
per month for a 3 days per week program. We also have a private Christian School that offers a 5 days a week program for preschoolers that cost
$130.00 per month.
The benefits of enrolling your child in a preschool program include; helping to form social skills, develop cognitive thinking skills, and promote physical development. We
all want what is best for our children. Parents need to make decisions about their child’s early education by making sure that they are aware of what a good quality early
childhood education consists of. Just as a building without a foundation cannot stand, we need to provide our children with the firm foundation of early education.
References
Haysmann, Sharen (Sep. 2004). Developmental Education: The Value of High Quality Preschool Investments as Economic Tools
Kendall, Earline D. (July 1995). Long-Term Economic benefits of preschool Services and the Potential Impact of Privatization. Meeting on Social protection and Social Care.
Pugh, Tony. (2004, Nov 16). Long-Term benefits of Quality Preschool Education. Knight Ridder Washington Bureau
The Value of Preschool
By
Lisa Richardson
April 19, 2008
Argument Paper
Instructor: Papia Bawa
English 111 93F
Many parents today begin to save for their child’s college fund before the child is old enough for preschool. What these parents sometimes fail to realize is that future
success in school begins in the early formative years of a child’s life. While a college education fund is important, parents should also invest in their child’s early education as
well.
Most adults today did not go to preschool as a young child, but times have changed and most parents want something better for their children than what was offered to
them. This is not to say that our parents did a bad job raising us, but, that we have more choices for our children today than our parents had for us. Enrolling your child in
preschool is one of the ways to offer your child a head start in their education. Finding a high quality preschool for their child should be a high priority for parents of young
children. However, many parents are failing to see this connection and are deciding to keep their children out of school until they are old enough for kindergarten. As a former
kindergarten teacher, I hope to be able to persuade parents to invest in their child’s education during the early years, and to show them the rewards that the child will reap
from the preschool experience. Because of my past experience of teaching kindergarten, I know the expectations of the school systems for kindergarteners. I know that the
standards are much more stringent than when we were in school. Kindergarteners today are supposed to know the letters of the alphabet, how to count, and how to write
their name before they even come to school. These are things that used to be taught in Kindergarten. This is why early education becomes much more important than once
thought.
The United States began to realize the importance of early childhood education back in 1965 whenthe first Head Start classes were formed. But, according to Earline D.
Kendall (July 1995), by the 1970’s the economy had lost its vigor and funding was cut. Now after 30 year of operation, Head Start serves a mere 30% of the eligible
children and has not known full funding since its earliest days. Most of the children served by the Head Start program are from low income families. This program does not
help middle income families, therefore, these families have to find the funds for their child to go to preschool, or they have to keep the child at home until the child is old
enough to enroll in Kindergarten. A universal preschool program that targets all children would be more beneficial to families of young children.
Preschool helps children to develop many different skills and abilities. They are able to interact with their peers on a daily basis. These interactions provide the social
and emotional skills needed to be able to communicate with others. Learning to carry on a conversation by listening and taking turns talking is vital to being able to
communicate effectively. Communication plays a key role in all the relationships we form throughout our lives. The simple show-and-tell time becomes much more important
when parents see the connection between relationships and communication. It is also a time where children can learn about things that are valued by others. This can teach
them to care and value their own possessions. In our world of e-mail and text messaging, this game of show-and –tell brings an opportunity for children to interact while
seeing and hearing the person who is speaking. They can see the facial expressions and hear the fluctuations in the voice tone of the child who is showing what he/she
brought, and telling about their special object.
Preschool teachers provide many daily experiences for the children in their classrooms. They prepare daily lesson plans that are developmentally and age appropriate
for the students in their care. A good quality preschool classroom will be equipped with child size furniture and lots of toys and interactive activities for the child to choose
from. It will be set up with learning centers such as; dramatic play, blocks, art, library, science, music and movement, sand/water table, and manipulatives. There will be
structure playtime as well as unstructured playtime. Children learn thru play, so it is very important to allow plenty of time for imaginative playtime. The dramatic play center is
a good example of children learning thru play. The teacher can put props in this center to encourage the children to play veterinarian after reading a book to the class about
animals. The children can role play with the props that the teacher has provided. They can pretend that a stuffed animal has broken its foot after getting its paw stuck in a
door. They can take turns wrapping a bandage around the animal’s paw. This teaches coordination as they wrap the bandage. It also teaches compassion by caring for the
animal that has been hurt. The students can learn cooperation by taking turns being the veterinarian. These unstructured learning times are valuable to a child’s growth and
development, just at the structured learning times are. An example of a structured learning time would be when the teacher gathers all of the children together and they are
participating in calendar time. This is the time of day when the teacher directs the student’s attention to the calendar and they begin to learn about the months of the year the
days of the week, the date, and the year. This structured learning time helps the children begin to learn letter and number recognition, as well as to see the pattern of
repetition in the days of the week and the months of the year.
Gross motor skills are important to the physical development of young children. Preschool classes usually take about 30 minutes of their day and devote it to recess
time. This time is usually spent on the playground or in the gymnasium. The playground offers may opportunities for physical development. Learning to swing is a very
rewarding experience for the preschool aged child. If you are ever on a playground for any length of time you will hear the delightful shouts of the children, “look at me
mommy”, as they learn to pump their legs to make the swing go back and forth. They are so proud of this accomplishment. Also, climbing to the top of the slide all by
themselves is sometimes scary for a child, but once they have accomplished it, they can’t seem to get enough. By strengthening these leg muscles, they will be better able to
keep their balance, climb stairs by alternating feet, and run faster. Climbing across the monkey bars will strengthen arm muscles which will help with lifting heavy objects,
swinging a baseball bat, and shooting a basket during a game of basketball.
The fine motor skills are also important at this stage of development. Preschool teachers help children develop these skills by offering many opportunities to cut, paint,
color, write, and play with play-doh. These fine motor skills need to be developed in order for the child to be able to write with a pen or pencil, tie their shoes, zip their coat,
button their shirt, and zip their pants. These self help skills enable the child to become more independent.
The academic stimulus provided to preschoolers by their teachers help to develop a love for learning. This love for learning will follow them into their formal school
years and will help develop a thirst for knowledge that will benefit the child for the remainder of his/her life. It is important that children attend a good quality preschool that
they are excited about attending. If a child had a bad or traumatic experience at this age, they will always associate the event with something negative. This is why it is
important to evaluate a preschool before your child attends. Giving children a good positive experience in preschool will help them to associate learning with having fun.
Many parents will argue that a child needs to be at home until they are old enough for kindergarten. While I do not argue that the relationship between a child and a
parent is very important, I counter that argument with the thought that the time a child spends in preschool will enhance the parent/child relationship as well as help the child
to form new relationships. Just imagine picking your child up form school and he/she is so excited about catching a butterfly on the playground. This provides a great
opportunity to spend time at the park with your child chasing and catching butterflies. Maybe this is an activity that you didn’t realize your child would enjoy until he/she came
home so excited about this experience.
As a former Kindergarten teacher, I have witnessed many students who have never spent much time with children of their own age. From my experience, I have
seen the results of children only spending time with adults. They typically have a harder time adjusting to the school schedule and routine. We are all aware that a child’s
parents are the child’s first and most important teacher, but a preschool teacher can support the parents and offer the child some different experiences in the classroom than
they would receive at home.
Sharen Haysmann, the director of Smart Start Georgia, states that “Legislators recognize that the children in their communities are the future of the state and this
country. They have found that the economic benefits of quality early care and education are particularly powerful arguments.” A report released in September of 2004
suggests that high-quality preschool is directly linked to economic growth. In this report, “Developmental Education: the Value of High quality Preschool Investments as
Economic Tools,” It states that building strong preschool programs is a far better tactic to boost the economy and create jobs than traditional methods, such as offering tax
breaks to major companies to lure them into communities. This point of view offers a different perspective on the value of early childhood education. It shows that it is not only
beneficial to the child, but to the community as well.
One of the most well known experimental preschool studies was called the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project. This project identified 123 impoverished 3 and 4 year
olds in Ypsilanti Michigan in the 1960’s. According to Tony Pugh of the Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, the former students who are now in their 40’s are significantly
more likely to hold jobs. Earn more money and to have graduated from high school. They also commit fewer crimes than non-participants with comparable backgrounds, and
are far less likely to need public assistance. This study also shows the impact that preschool education can have on a community.
Parents should be aware that the decision to keep their child at home until he or she is old enough to enroll in kindergarten may cause their child to be behind socially
and academically. Most preschool programs are at the most 3 hours per day. This will leave plenty of time for the child to spend at home with his/her family. The cost of
preschool programs varies greatly from city to city. We have several different preschools in our area, and the cost is vastly different for each program. We have one local
school corporation that offers free preschool to any child with a disability or delay. A disability can be anything from a speech problem to a physical disability. We have
another school system that offers a preschool that is run by high school seniors who are enrolled in the Early Childhood Vocational program. These students, along with
their teachers, open their classroom to 3 and 4 year olds twice a week for the low cost of $20.00 per year. Our local YMCA offers preschool for 3 and 4 year olds for $80.00
per month for a 3 days per week program. We also have a private Christian School that offers a 5 days a week program for preschoolers that cost
$130.00 per month.
The benefits of enrolling your child in a preschool program include; helping to form social skills, develop cognitive thinking skills, and promote physical development. We
all want what is best for our children. Parents need to make decisions about their child’s early education by making sure that they are aware of what a good quality early
childhood education consists of. Just as a building without a foundation cannot stand, we need to provide our children with the firm foundation of early education.
References
Haysmann, Sharen (Sep. 2004). Developmental Education: The Value of High Quality Preschool Investments as Economic Tools
Kendall, Earline D. (July 1995). Long-Term Economic benefits of preschool Services and the Potential Impact of Privatization. Meeting on Social protection and Social Care.
Pugh, Tony. (2004, Nov 16). Long-Term benefits of Quality Preschool Education. Knight Ridder Washington Bureau