I have been following the Pre-K Now website for six weeks now and I have learned a great deal. There is a plethora of information available about children, teaching pre-K, being a parent of an early childhood student, policymakers, etc. This week's assignment has provided me with the opportunity to see where the Pre-K Now website can lead me and what other resources can be located and utilized through the consistent viewing of this website.
One of the sections of this website is called, "Pre-K News Stand." This section's goal is as follows; "The pre-k movement grows daily. In an effort to keep advocates, policymakers, and educators informed, Pre-K Now sends an email every business day with short summaries of the best 10 to 25 stories on pre-k and related programs. We include stories from all media sources (newspapers, radio, television, and online publications) and links to full articles for additional reading." (www.preknow.com) This has been my favorite link to outside resources provided by preknow.com. I love that it utilizes all forms of media to keep educators up to date with information pertaining to pre-k programs. It includes articles pertaining to Pre-K age children, teachers, policies, etc. from other notable early childhood education websites.
For example, when considering this assignment, I chose to click on a link under "Pre-K News Stand" that brought me to an article on www.edweek.org. The article was entitled, "Head Start Supporters Fear Impact of Threatened Cutbacks." It spoke of how budget cuts within the Head Start program could ultimately affect Pre-K classrooms and after school programs at the elementary level. Many of the articles I have found through searching this link have provided me with information about how early childhood programs are linked to elementary school and higher education. I enjoy reading about the impact that early childhood programs have on our children's development and how necessary they are in order for children to be successful throughout their education. These articles provide me with validation and make me feel as though I'm truly making a difference. They also equip me with information about the downfalls of my field and how I can advocate for fellow educators, children, and families.
While reviewing my newsletter this week, I read an article entitled, "House quietly drops popular plan to launch statewide pre-K rating system," by Beth Hawkins This article directly tied in with some of the suggestions my colleagues and myself were making in regards to inequities in early childhood education. I had felt that there should be a rating system that every licensed early childhood care center or preschool would have to be run through. This article has informed me that "with members of both parties in agreement that early childhood education is key to closing the achievement gap, pre-K would finally get a place at the big kids’ table." This, however, did not happen; "the House GOP leadership quietly killed most of a bill to create a statewide rating system to identify high-quality early-ed programs, steer the fragile families that rely on public child-care subsidies toward them and reward providers that deliver top results." This is unfortunate and obviously not looking out for the best interests of the children involved. Instead of concerning themselves with the issue of tenure, the House GOP should have been more interested in the bill that would provide our children with the privilege of attending programs that live up to standards and institute best practices.
Aside from the article mentioned above, I also found information on preknow.com about pre-K advocacy and ways in which students can have low cost early childhood programs provided to them. This has been an issue that I've repeatedly visited throughout this course; the disparities between the rich and poor and how it affects their children and their education. This link on the website provided information about different opportunities available to parents of pre K students, as well as links that will provide them with additional resources.
I am excited to read about everyone else's resources and to further build upon what we have learned together.
References:
www.preknow.com
http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/03/31/27060/house_quietly_drops_popular_plan_to_launch_statewide_pre-k_rating_system
It saddens me that the politicians always talk about how the United States needs to improve education, but yet whenever there needs to be budget cuts education is always the first program to get cut. If education is important to why would one want to cut spending instead of invest more money. I think it is sad that GOP killed such an important bill. Preschools need to be evaluated to make sure that those who are teaching are the best qualified and that the schools are equiped with latest technolgy tools to help children succeed.
ReplyDeleteI find this website to be very informative as well. It is reassuring to hear of different resources that see the importance of early childhood and the effect it has on a child's development. Thank you for sharing this information. I will plan to revisit this site to gain new ideas and insight to our field.
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