Early Childhood Edu the Importance

Early Childhood Edu

The importance of early childhood education became a national issue when President Bush and Laura Bush developed the Early Childhood Cognitive Development initiative after a 2001 summit on education. Since then, the topic of early childhood cognitive development has become an integral part of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. The initiative was based on the knowledge, rooted in research, that early childhood education provides an essential foundation for a child's future growth and development.

One of the premises of early childhood education initiatives is actually related less to the cognitive and developmental needs of children. Although those needs remain of paramount importance, social inequity is actually a primary reason why early childhood education initiatives like the one developed by the Bush administration are important. Children born to wealthier families have increased access to preschool programs and services because their parents can afford them. Similarly, parents with reasonable financial means can take the time to spend with their preschool child in learning activities that prepare the child for Kindergarten. On the other hand, many parents cannot afford to spend the time necessary to introduce their children to activities that enhance their cognitive development. Early childhood cognitive development also depends on the family's being assimilated into the dominant culture. New immigrant families and their children are therefore at a significant disadvantage. Children of new immigrants or newly immigrated children may not have sufficient access to the tools needed to encourage cognitive development. As a result, those children will lag behind their peers and possibly stay behind throughout their entire academic careers. Research reveals "substantial differences in young children's school readiness even before they enter kindergarten," and those differences are mainly based on economic class and race (Kagan 2004). Social inequities perpetuate themselves through multiple generations because of this, proving the need for enhanced early childhood education program funding. Porch (2002) points out that research unequivocally shows that early childhood education paves the way for later educational success.

As of now, few states offer fully funded early childhood education programs. As of 2002, only three states offered fully-funded pre-kindergarten programs (Porch 2002). The fundamental purpose of the Early Childhood Development Initiative was to increase awareness of the importance of early childhood education. Yet more work needs to be done to ensure government support of early childhood development programs and not just lip service.

Kagan (2004) suggests some possible solutions to the lack of comprehensive funding for early childhood education programs for every American. Urban areas should be the number one recipient for federal and state funding, given that most of the nation's disadvantaged students live in urban centers and attend urban schools. Furthermore, wise investments into appropriate early childhood education programs will ensure that the taxpayer funds are spent well and on the type of education that young children need most to succeed.