Curriculum
One of the hotly debated topics in early-childhood education is how closely preschool should resemble school. Should children spend most of their time in free-choice activities with minimal direction or instruction from teachers? Or should their experience be more organized with specific lessons that focus on academic skills children learn when they get to kindergarten, such as letter sounds, counting, sorting, and early science?
Most experts now agree that it does not have to be either-or. Early learning programs can help children develop the knowledge and literacy skills important for school while still focusing on their social and emotional needs in a flexible and fun environment.
Leaders in the early-childhood field have also followed the example set by the K-12 system by developing standards for what young children should know and be able to do by the time they enter kindergarten. Many experts, however, stress that these expectations should focus on social, emotional, and physical development as well as literacy and other early academic skills.
Another subject of intense discussion is how to measure children’s progress in preschool and how to determine whether publicly funded programs are benefiting children. Some experts, such as Sam Meisels of the Erikson Institute, say that testing preschoolers is unreliable because children develop so rapidly during the early years. Others, including Nicholas Zill of Westat, however, argue that tests are needed to improve programs and inform policymakers and the public.
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Early Ed Watch Blog
The Early Ed Watch Blog provides up-to-the-minute analysis, reporting, and commentary focused on policies that affect children's access to high-quality, aligned PK-3 educational programs for our children from ages 3 through 8.
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National Institute for Early Education Research
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, N.J.
(732) 932-4350
Think tank that collects information andresearch on early-childhood education, making it available to policymakers, journalists, and educators.
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Barbara Bowman
Professor
Erikson Institute
Chicago, IL
(312) 755-2250 ext. 2275
bbowman@erikson.edu
Expert on training of early-childhood professionals, curriculum, assessment, and programs for poor and minority children.
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Wade F. Horn
Leads federal agency in charge of Head Start and child care for low-income families. Previously led the Fatherhood Initiative.
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.
(202) 401-2337
wade.horn@acf.hhs.gov
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Marilou Hyson
Expert on early-childhood teacher quality and instruction of young children.
Associate Executive Director for Professional Development
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Washington, D.C.
(202) 232-8777
mhyson@naeyc.org
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Sharon L. Kagan
An author and researcher on early-childhood education and family policy. Currently studying preschool standards both in the U.S. and abroad.
Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy Development and Education Department of Curriculum and Teaching
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, NY 10027
(212) 678-8255
sharon.kagan@columbia.edu
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Samuel J. Meisels
Leads graduate school in child development and is an expert on assessment of young children.
President
Erikson Institute
Chicago, IL
(312) 893-7100
smeisels@erikson.edu
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Disparities in Early Learning and Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort A new Child Trends study commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers finds that disparities between poor, at-risk children and more advantaged children are evident as early as nine months of age and grow larger by 24 months of age. June, 2009
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Report Calls For New Initiative to Improve Math Education for Preschoolers
Opportunities for preschoolers to learn mathematics are currently inadequate, particularly for those in low-income groups, says the report, which is intended to inform the efforts of Head Start, state-funded preschool programs, curriculum developers, and teachers.
Science Daily July 2, 2009
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National Evaluation of Early Reading First
The National Institute for Literacy funded a panel to review the research on language, literacy and communication of young children. This report is a synthesis of past published research. by National Institute for Literacy, 2/11/2009
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"Effective Preschool Curricula and Teaching Strategies" pdf
The report identifies ways to strengthen preschool in order to close the persistent achievement gap separating low-income children from their more affluent peers.
National Center for Children in Poverty - Lisa Klein and Jane Knitzer, 9/1/2006
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Getting There: PK-3 As Public Education's Base Camp pdf
The report emphasizes a PK-3 educational system which aligns standards, curriculum and assessments that connect universal, voluntary pre-kindergarten with full-day kindergarten and grades 1 through 3. The paper also attempts to demonstrate that the PK-3 system is a viable approach to early education reform.
The Foundation for Child Development, 10/1/2005
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NCEDL Pre-Kindergarten Study, "Early Developments," Spring 2005 issue
This issue focuses on findings from the center's Multi-State Study of Pre-K, and includes articles on the children being served by the programs, the teachers in the programs, and classroom quality.
National Center for Early Development and Learning, 4/11/2005
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Years of Promise: A Comprehensive Learning Strategy for America's Children
Examining the forces that contribute to children's learning and development from ages three to 10, and recommendations for improvement.
Carnegie Corporration, 10/22/2004
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Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten
National Center for Early Development and Learning, 7/2/2004
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Child Care in Poor Communities: Early Learning Effects of Type, Quality, and Stability pdf
Child Development - Policy Analysis for California Education, 2/2/2004
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High Quality Preschool: Why We Need It and What It Looks Like pdf
National Institute for Early Education Research, 1/1/2004
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Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers
National Research Council, 1/1/2000
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Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation pdf
A joint position statement on curriculum and assessment from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education
NAEYC and NAECS/SDE
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Music provides the key to early education results
By Harrison Haas, The Citizen
Music has been deemed a highly engaging mental and physical activity that has the potential to develop the specific behavioral, emotional, and academic skills needed for all learning as it engages and motivates students. June 7, 2010
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Multimedia tech increases literacy speed in kids
By Richard Hart, ABC, KGO-TV, San Francisco
A new study indicates that preschoolers become literate faster in a curriculum that uses video and online technology. Menlo Park's SRI International conducted the research at a school in East Palo Alto, Calif. Nov. 29, 2009
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For Forest Kindergartners, Class is Back to Nature, Rain or Shine
By Liz Leyden, The New York Times
The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, NY is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. Nov. 29, 2009
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The playtime's the thing
By Emma Brown, The Washington Post
To the untrained eye, play appears to be nothing more than a distraction from the real letters-and-numbers work of school. But research shows that it might be an essential part in determining these children's social and emotional makeup as adults. Nov. 21, 2009
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Assessment weaves through every activity in Newport News preschool programs
By Cathy Grimes
From the moment they walk in the door until the time they leave, students are gauged on their mastery of a wide range of skills outlined in Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning, sometimes called the PreK Standards of Learning.
Daily Press (VA) Oct. 11, 2009
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Educators start children on computers as early as preschool
By Stacy Fournier
For these 5- and 6-year-olds in Gainesville, Fla., technology is a way of life, no different than using a crayon for their writing lessons. Technology has become increasingly prominent in classrooms and ever more important for the young generation.
Ocala Star-Banner (FL) Oct. 5, 2009
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Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?
By Paul Tough
Over the last few years, a new buzz phrase has emerged among scholars and scientists who study early-childhood development, a phrase that sounds more as if it belongs in the boardroom than the classroom: executive function.
The New York Times, Sept. 25, 2009
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Kids in 'low-literacy' homes to get help
By Mark Zaborney
By kindergarten, children who live in what Jim Funk calls "low-literacy households" might have only one-eighth the vocabulary of classmates.
The Toledo Blade, June 15, 2009
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Where One Man's Trash is Preschoolers' Art Material
By Winnie Hu
This is the Materials Center at Beginnings Nursery School, where things that outlive their original use come to be cleaned, sorted and repurposed for children’s art projects and life lessons about second acts.
The New York Times May 31, 2009
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PNC grants to fund science programs for preschoolers
The PNC Foundation, which already has a Grow Up Great program aimed at preschoolers, yesterday announced a Grow Up Great with Science program that will expand science opportunities for preschool children in seven states and the District of Columbia. The foundation is pledging up to $6 million in three-year grants to 14 regional science centers and nonprofit organizations. Staff, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA), 4-22-09.
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Littlest Couch Potatoes Face Mental Health Risks
Young children who spend lots of time in front of TV and computer screens have high levels of psychological distress, and being physically inactive may make matters worse, new research published in the journal Pediatrics shows. Anne Harding, Reuters, 4/29/2009
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More than child's play: Group leaders seek formal education
All group leaders will be required beginning in 2010 to have formal education in early childhood education . . . [Teacher Kathie Neff] is one of 10 early childcare teachers from the Western Slope in the program that is administered through the Mesa District Group of Colorado Association for Education of Young Children . . . Neff said, "I thought it was over. I didn't think I would get [my degree] in a hundred years. But this program has opened my eyes and made it possible." Bryan Gallegos, Grand Junction Free Press (CO), 4-20-09
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Federal grant brings mental health consultations to public preschools
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health Policy awarded $375,000 to the local rural health network, Integrating Professionals for Appalachian Children (IPAC) . . . The grant also funds the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative, which offers teachers and other school employees training and consultation services related to early childhood mental health. Staff, Jackson County Times-Journal (OH)5-15-09
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Tests to pass even for pre-k students
When [teacher Vickie] Floyd holds up a picture of an animal and asks Jamarion to explain what he sees, to or sort a set of Play-Doh balls from large to small, she can tell right away where the Athens pre-kindergarten student needs help . . . In 2008, Clarke County School District administrators won a $6.4 million grant to continue to offer such services for students who come from poor households to help prepare them for the next step in their scholastic careers. Ryan Blackburn, Athens Banner-Herald (GA), 4-27-09
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Early Childhood Center touts positive behavior
By Kimberly A. Campbell
The program emphasizes the interaction of parents, students and educators to correct and improve the systems, data, practices and outcomes of a child's education.
The (Akron, Ill.) Telegraph May 21, 2009
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Other programs in Massachusetts offer hope in solving problems
Together for Kids, an early childhood intervention program focused on early diagnosis, was tried out at five Worcester, Mass.,child-care programs. Children who went through the program had a pre-school expulsion rate of less than 1 percent.
The Enterprise, 2/2/2009
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Program Reforms Unruly Children
A mental health non-profit’s pilot program in Akron, Ohioshows day care staff and teachers an array of techniques for dealing with children with neurological problems or behavioral difficulties—and the results are far reaching.
Akron Beacon Journal, 1/11/2009
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Wash. study explores school readiness test
Most Washington elementary school principals, preschool teachers and parents think it would be a good idea to screen children to make sure they are ready for kindergarten, but they wonder who would pay for this proposed new state requirement.
The Associated Press, 12/15/2008
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Is full-day preschool a good start, or too much, too soon for kids?
by Barbara Williams
Talk to almost any educator, and they conclude that the benefits of full-day preschool are enormous. However, opponents say pressing academics on preschoolers can be a case of too much, too soon for children still developing their attention span and mental and physical stamina.
The Record, 12/12/2008
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As economy slips, so does preschool enrollment
by Karina Bland
The nation's economic troubles are playing out one family at a time in child-care centers and preschools across Arizona as parents lose their jobs and must cut back on attendance or pull their children altogether to save money.
Arizona Republic, 11/29/2008
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"Social lessons pay off in preschool, study shows"
by Lauran Neergaard
Face it, 4-year-olds are lovable but self-centered, impulsive and prone to meltdowns. Teaching them not to whack a classmate who snatches a toy is a big part of preschool socialization.
Associated Press/MSNBC, 11/1/2008
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Praise for pre-K; harsher words for testing
by Ryan Blackburn
Across Georgia, more than 75,000 students were enrolled in pre-K at the beginning of 2007, about 27 percent of all 3- and 4-year-olds, according to the Southern Education Foundation, an organization that works to improve education policy.
Athens Banner-Herald, 10/18/2008
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Preschool dilemma: playing vs. working
by Jennifer Mrozowski
Move over, naptime. Today's preschoolers have more important tasks at hand, like learning foreign languages and doing math. More and more Michigan preschools are infusing age-appropriate academics in their curriculums, in part because the state curriculum for preschool and kindergarten demands it, said Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Education.
The Detroit News, 10/6/2008
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"Building Blocks: Math From Pre-K to Grade 2"
by Michael Alison Chandler
To raise the level of math readiness for all students, there is a growing push among policymakers and educators to start teaching math to younger children through universal pre-kindergarten programs or other preschool instruction.
The Washington Post, 9/8/2008
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Family move reveals differences in early education
by Nancy Zuckerbrod
Britain has a national curriculum with specific goals, and schools there are rigorously inspected and evaluated. Most kids enter school at 4, instead of 5 as is the case here, and pre-kindergarten programs tend to be more academic than in the United States.
The Examiner, 8/9/2008
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Preschool embraces diversity
by Christine Hawes
At a new preschool that calls itself the "Peaceable Kingdom," the crayons come in all kinds of skintones. So do the Play-Doh, and the dolls and toys, some of which are in wheelchairs, using walkers and sporting heads of gray hair. Everything from the hat and coat cubbies to the tricycles to the art easels is designed to encourage sharing.
Sarasota Tribune, 7/12/2008
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"New Pre-K approach to math adds up"
by Brian Hayden
Instead of memorization, Building Blocks teachers encourage pupils to find the reasons behind shapes and numbers, and teach math throughout the day instead of during one class period.
The Buffalo News, 6/6/2008
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"Study says state's Pre-K program shows success"
A study has found that New Mexico's pre-kindergarten initiative continues to improve language and math abilities in children.
New Mexico Business Weekly, 6/4/2008
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Making the Grade in Kindergarten
It used to be that kindergarten was all about finger painting, Play-Doh and naps. But that has gone the way of juice and cookies. These days, a child's introduction to school means mastering the three R's and even doing homework.
Contra Costa Times, 5/18/2008
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Science, politics, and preschool
A tide of recent research on early childhood development is inspiring prominent scientists and politicians to argue for an unprecedented investment in schooling that begins virtually at birth.
Chicago Tribune, 4/27/2008
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Conflict resolution skills to be taught in more schools
by Suzanne Perez Tobias
Conflict resolution for preschoolers? The concept is taking off in Wichita, thanks in part to "I Can Problem Solve," a program used at the Opportunity Project preschools and taught to parents in workshops.
The Wichita Eagle, 11/5/2007
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"Putting 'school'in preschool"
by Victoria A.F. Camron
Preschool is not just playtime anymore. These activities prepare children for kindergarten, teaching skills such as how to hold a pencil or use scissors, and knowledge including letters, numbers and shapes.
Longmont Times-Call, 1/25/2008
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Pre-K program uses peers to teach conflict resolution
by Natalia Mielczarek
A pre-kindergarten program in Franklin, Tenn.is designed to address behavior problems in students ages 3-5. Troubled students learnalongside peers who model appropriate behavior. It's the only public school program of its kind in Middle Tennessee, but one of several popping up nationwide.
The Tennessean, 10/9/2007
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Dual-language classes growing in popularity
by Martha Deller and Diane Smith
As more Hispanics make Texas their home, dual-language programs are becoming increasingly popular in schools statewide.
The Star-Telegram, 10/3/2007
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'First Steps' in two languages
by Summer Harlow
With Hispanic students less likely to graduate from high school than blacks or whites, educators are looking to bilingual and multicultural early education programs as one way to narrow the gap.
The Delaware News Journal, 9/27/2007
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