Early Education is the Key
On November 17, 2003 I was blessed with a beautiful baby boy to love, care for and ultimately educate into a productive and successful citizen. I never thought once about how hard it may be to know if I was doing the right things. Days passed by and then months... I was increasingly curious about whether my parenting choices or lack thereof were developing the prerequisites necessary for banking future learning. As an early childhood expert, my gut feeling was... ofcourse you are doing all of the right things, you have had six years of college training and twelve years of hands-on experience in child development. But, did I really know?
The answer may surprise you! No - I had a lot to learn. I knew where my little one needed to be by the time he entered kindergarten but the building blocks leading up to that day were fuzzy for even me - the expert. The one who parents have trusted advice from for so many years had a lot to learn and learn I did. I knew the brain research and the implications for early learning (birth to three years) but was there a plan to help parents - like me - be sure we were doing everything possible to predict success in the future?
I found book after book written by psychologists, neurologists and even parents with no formal training in child development. However, I never found an early childhood teacher's voice sharing what developmentally good early education looks like and how important skills/concepts/understandings are developed over time. On that day, I asked myself an important question - is it fair to judge parents when their children are not successful in school? How can we expect parents to be experts in parenting and educating their children for the first five years with no clear, easy to use guide? We learn from mistakes but when do we realize we are making a mistake?
Preschool and kindergarten teachers are typically the first to tell parents whether the child has adequate skills to be successful in school or regretably that the child is far behind the norm and standards required for mastery. Many parents are playing a game of chance and praying that first teacher showers them with good news - "your child is so smart!" However, because of the No Child Left Behind federal law of 2002, learning standards are becoming increasingly difficult. More parents than ever are getting the bad news instead of the good. What children used to do in first grade they are now required to do in kindergarten and kindergarten work has been passed down to preschool. Is it fair? No, but it is our reality. No child left behind has left many parents behind - that is shameful!
