Ensuring Children are Ready for School

Authored by Marianna Islam

Early education continues to be a topic of controversy for some people. In a September 30, 2009 editorial, the Telegram & Gazette stated, “Unfortunately, the slide toward still more state control over private life is accelerated here by redefining child-care providers as educators. Subsuming them under the education umbrella opens Pandora’s Box — further rules and regulations in the name of “school readiness,” “cognitive development,” “equal opportunity,” or whatever catch phrase arises from the fevered imaginations of state bureaucrats and child development “experts.” (link to T&G editorial)

Respectfully, I disagree with this position. Childcare teachers, like parents are educators and as we all know, parents are our first and primary educator. The term “educator” carries with it a significant responsibility for the proper care and development of our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. They are to be loved, nurtured, supported developmentally and educated, so they are ready for school when that day arrives. We are fortunate that so many of our local childcare programs are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) with regulations in place that meet the Commonwealth’s requirements to be called “educators.”

Using the word “education” may lead some to envision 3-year-old children sitting at desks, lectured at, flipping through workbooks and looking outside a window to a barren playground.  New regulations have also led some people to question what toothbrushes in programs have to do with what we have traditionally used as “babysitting.”   False and misleading assumptions about early education steer us away from positive conversations about the known benefits of high-quality programming for young children that yield enormous benefits and move us beyond the days of “daycare.” 

 We all can certainly agree that young children should be protected, properly cared for and involved in age-appropriate activities that promote their healthy development.  Children who participate in high-quality early education programs are learning through engagement, construction and yes, playing! When children play with blocks, they are learning early math concepts such as grouping like objects. They are engaged in early literacy when they participate in regular storytelling, during which time they identify letters and sounds. They are learning important social and emotional skills when they communicate and play with others, sit through group activities such as singing or mealtime and take care of themselves through washing hands and brushing teeth.   The challenge that lies before us is not regulations that give regard to best practices in early childhood development. Our true challenge is time!

 From birth to 5-years-old, children begin to develop the foundation for early learning such as language, the basics of our grammatical system, an understanding of other people’s point of view and emotions, all of which are important to the development of trust, initiative and conscience.  This is the stage when children experience the most rapid growth in cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical development.  In fact, 85% of a child’s core brain structure is formed by age 3, but as a society, we publicly invest less than 4% to these years.  What we know either instinctively or from brain science research is that the human brain loses its adaptability over time and to protect the sanctity of these formative years, we must help children reach their highest potential as early and as often as we can.  Taking these precious growth and development years for granted is leaving half of our nation’s kindergartners behind before they have even entered school, resulting in more and expensive interventions later on in life including the need for special education services, remedial support and larger societal costs resulting from failure in school. 

Massachusetts’s new state regulations are in response to what we know we can do now to address the needs of children 0 to 5. Furthermore, these important regulations are based on research and are supported by NAEYC, Massachusetts’s Association of Day Care Agencies and parents who see the benefits of stronger partnerships between home and programs. Early dental care, for example, can prevent the more than 1 in 4 Massachusetts’s kindergartners from experiencing dental caries and decay. Important practices such as brushing teeth after meals in childcare settings help normalize and reinforce important dental hygiene practices both in school and at home.

Parents, educators and the community are important partners in making sure that children are able to reach their fullest potential. We either pay now and properly help care for and develop the youngest among us or we pay later with remedial and support services, which are more costly and complicated as children age.

Authored by:

Marianna Islam

Assistant Vice President

United Way of Central Massachusetts