School Readiness Issues in Early Childhood Education

In our modern world, school readiness is a serious issue in early childhood education. Oftentimes, children begin kindergarten without the social and academic skills needed to be successful. A probable solution to this issue would be mandatory high quality early childhood education systems, rather than optional, so that all children are given the chance to be successful in their educational journey and life, even if they come from a low income household.

There are many issues surrounding early childhood education in our modern world. This fact is quite unfortunate, considering that the children ages three to four are the future. The biggest issue surrounding early childhood education is school readiness. Oftentimes in our country, children begin kindergarten without the social and academic skills required of them to be successful. This means that children are automatically at risk of failing school, along with other problems down the line, such as not graduating and becoming involved in crime. Essentially, children are less likely to be successful in school and in life if they do not meet the academic and social requirements for kindergarten at age four.  This paper will cover the benefits of equipping pre-kindergarten schools with the tools they need to promote learning, and why high quality care should be mandatory in early childhood education. 

“Early Childhood Education and School Readiness,” an article posted by the NEA reviews the issue at large and why it is important to promote high quality care in all early childhood education centers. According to the article, there are many benefits of high quality early childhood education programs. For example, children who attend a high quality education center, such as pre-kindergarten, are shown to earn up to $2000 more annually compared to children who do not. Other facts include that children who attend these high quality facilities are more likely to graduate high school, own a home, and have longer marriages. These children are less likely to become involved in crime, or have to repeat a grade. Children who attend pre-k and Head Start programs have also been shown to have higher language and cognitive abilities, especially children in low income homes. Teachers at these facilities are known to be well-educated and well-trained. It has also been shown that investments in early childhood education can result in 12% annual return. This means that high quality early childhood education programs are beneficial to economics as well. All high quality early education programs should lay their foundation in a curriculum that is well rounded, well trained teachers, small classrooms, and professional development services. 
Personally and professionally, I agree with the contents of the article. I believe the NEA made valid points, and that they are all rooted in well funded research. I believe that high quality care in the early childhood classroom should be mandatory, because if not, the care is subpar and can lead to issues later in life. Creating high quality programs and making them mandatory eliminates the issue of school readiness, because children are given the tools needed to be successful in life and throughout their educational journey. High quality early childhood education programs that are mandated would also give children from low income families an equal opportunity to be successful in school and life. There are many benefits to high quality care, that are lifelong, but most importantly address school readiness issues at large today. Specifically, I found the fact that children who attend high quality early childhood education facilities are more likely to own a home an important fact, along with longer marriages and more annual income. Being raised in Vista, I have seen and experienced first hand divorce, one parent renting and another owning a home, and one parent earning more than the other. From my understanding of my parent’s upbringing, I can guess which parent received a better education throughout their life. I have also seen school readiness an issue in my peers, which is heartbreaking to see. No one should be disadvantaged, and these facts seemed particularly relevant to my life and the lives of people I knew throughout school. 

The contents of this article are applicable to me because I am interested in the field of child development, and early childhood is the foundation for the rest of the child’s life. I would like to work with teachers at local centers, and I can take this valuable knowledge to promote school readiness, rather than conform to the majority, which is subpar. I feel as though I could influence local schools to address the issue of school readiness and make known the highlights and importance of high quality care for our children, of course after more acquired education and experience. 
In conclusion, school readiness is an important issue in early childhood education, and a probable solution is simply requiring high quality care, because of the mass benefits the child will experience in school, and in life.

References

Early Childhood Education and School Readiness[PDF]. (2016). Washington D.C: National Education Association.