I need to start this blog by defining what Universal Early Childhood Education is: The Center for American Progress (CAP) has written a proposal for "High quality universal preschool." The below proposal is how I would define Universal Early Childhood Education, I have copied the first part of CAP's proposal below:
The first part of the CAP’s proposal:
All children ages 3 and 4 should be able to voluntarily attend a full-day public preschool program. Preschool should be free for children from families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line ($46,100 for a family of four). Children from families above 200 percent of the poverty line should be charged a sliding tuition co-pay, ranging from about 30 percent of the cost to 95 percent of the cost (for families above 400 percent of the poverty line).(http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/view/)
The last two weeks I have observed in a Head Start class room that has two part-day classes. There are a total of 34 children served in this classroom. The children are 3,4 and some 5 year old's. There are 19 ESL students, 7 students with IEP's, and 8 average children (two of which have one or both parents in prison). There is a lead teacher, an assistant teacher, a part-time aide, and a foster grandparent in the classroom daily. On Monday and Wednesday there is a speech teacher, a special education teacher, a occupational therapist, and a social worker that work with various children with IEP's in the classroom. You might think wow! this teacher has a lot of support, but sometimes the disruptions and coming's and going's make it more difficult for young children and special needs students.
I have observed both the morning and afternoon classes and I have been able to observe on Monday and Tuesday. I have gotten to interview the Education Coordinator, the Center Director, the Family Advocate, the Speech Teacher, the Special Education Teacher, and a Health Education Coordinator. Everyone that I have interviewed/ talked with feel's that Universal Early Childhood Education would be a great thing but they all have different perspectives in regards to what Universal ECE should look like and who should pay for it. The above professionals all agreed that the classroom I am currently observing in is a "high quality program" that is developmentally appropriate and a great example of what a Universal Early Childhood Education public education classroom should look like.
The students receive literacy, language, social and emotional, health and cognitive education that is delivered in a nurturing environment. The teacher and the assistant teacher great the students with a smile and a hug. You can tell the students have a daily routine because they come in in the morning, sign in, greet their friends and have 15 minutes to explore any new or different things in their environment. Transitions are short and expected showing the comfort level of the students and the teachers. Once the children clean up their work spaces they line-up and go to the restroom and wash their hands for breakfast. The students get their own utensils and find their name plates at the table. Breakfast is family style and the teachers sit with the students at breakfast. The students use good table manners, talking politely and pass the food. There is a student with an eating disorder and accommodations are made with different foods and visual aides; this approach seems very successful. After breakfast the students (with assistance) brush their teeth, find their name tags, and enjoy free reading in the library. The teacher sings a chant to clue all of the children to put their books away and come to the carpet. Once at the carpet the class discusses the daily activities, changes to the environment or schedule, they sing a group greeting song, do the calendar and the weather.
Once circle time is done the entire class enjoys a large motor activity (outside if weather permitting). When they return to class they have a math activity as a large group for 10 minutes and then they go to centers and small group activities (these are different daily). After free choice and small groups the students return to the carpet for a literacy experience (big book, felt story, interactive story play, ect.) Each activity has a transition activity that displays the teachers knowledge and classroom management skills. After literacy circle the teacher transitions the students to lunch; which is again served family style. The afternoon routine is the same except the students have lunch and snack.
I believe that every child deserves to experience a program that offers the same perfect combination of nurturing, education, and healthy lifestyles as this high quality program does.
Hi Susan I really enjoyed your post this sounds like a quality preschool classroom setting. I have a question why do they use visual aids for the student who has a disorder?
ReplyDeleteThe visual aids assist him with transitions; so he knows what is next. The lunch aid that he has looks exactly like the food that is being served. So he can copy it and make his tray look like the visual aid. The purpose is to get him to eat and try new foods or at least experience them. He had a feeding tube and now has an eating disorder because he has a sensory issue with most foods.
DeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the introduction to your post. It set your blog up for a nice preface of what you were about to explain in your observation. It appears you have had some excellent opportunities interviewing and observing some very flexible and compassionate early childhood professionals. This support will guide you and give you valuable insight toward your research paper. Well done!
Susan, what state are you in? We have universal preschool here to an extent. I think we could definitely improve on it though. I am in Michigan, and as much as Michigan is going downhill and their schools are suffering, I have to admit we run some o fthe best preschool programs in my area. I feel like I am trained by the preschool Navy Seals. Maybe this is because the two agencies that I have worked for are huge advocates of ECE and back up our preschool programs to ensure they are running efficiently. This is how our program works here, and I agree all children should have access to a quality preschool program.
ReplyDeleteWe have HeadStart programs here, and inclusion classrooms which are typically HeadStart as well (some are combined with state funded)and very similar to what you described. I really wish there was a way to eliminate some of the disruptions that go along with an inclusion classroom but that's a whole different topic! Anyway, then we have state funded preschools within the school district. These are programs that the school gets money for and then they have the option of whether or not they want a preschool program at their school or if they want to use the funds for other necessities. Unfortunately not many schools have preschools in them. :( Then the third option is competitive state funding. This is the type of program I am in now. It is pretty cut throat, you need extremely good PQA scores to get funded, and you have to reapply each year for funding and cross your fingers! You're never guaranteed a program one year to the next. This program is available for children of all income levels, although we are only allowed to have 25% of our students above 400% of the federal poverty guidelines(FPG) (which I noticed went up this year, so hopefully that will allow more children to qualify!). They have to have risk factors to even be considered for enrollment. If they are below 200% of the FPG they are automatically in. Then they go on a waitlist if they are above and then they are ranked by need. If they are between 200 and 300% of the FPG they need one risk factor to qualify, some of which include having a special need, having behavior issues, witnessing abuse or being abused, living in a high risk neighborhood, etc. Then with what spots are left we can enroll children who are 400%+. I guess the state is considering making these spots tuition based, but I am not sure how this will work yet. But anyway, these children need two of the risk factors to qualify, which is very difficult to meet because they are separated into categories and the risk factors have to be from separate categories. So for example if a child had a teen parent and lived in a high risk neighborhood they wouldn't qualify because those are in the same risk factor group.
If you have any questions about universal preschool I'd be happy to give you any insight I can into how it works here. :) Good luck with your topic, it's a great one that I also believe firmly in!
I am in Michigan as well and preschool is good but not quite universal, all most. There is universal preschool for at risk and low income families but families that are just above poverty do not qualify for these programs or they go on a waiting list. I would like to see them be able to buy into the programs that are available. What city are you in?
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad that Americans and politicians don't want to invest in our future - whether they're rich, poor or whatever. We need to have early childhood programs for all children and full day kindergartens. We will never get our kids caught up without providing experiences academically, socially, and emotionally. So many of our children come from one parent families where the adult in the home is working. So many of our children are raising their children the way their parents raised their children and sometimes the cycle just continues.
ReplyDelete