Paige Hoyle

March 29, 2015

Preschool for All
The disparity in oral language and literacy development for students from
economically disadvantaged homes and their more advantaged peers is a continuous and
pressing issue in education. By having well designed universal preschool programs that
have a strong curriculum available to all, students can build the critical reading skills that
are fundamental to leading a literate life. Preschool programs that are effective and
successful can and do help in bridging the gap in learning for many students who do not
get the opportunity to attend private preschool or do not qualify for the publicly funded
programs. If there is a stronger emphasis earlier in economically disadvantaged students
lives, then there is less chance that they will struggle as they progress into the primary
and intermediate grades. Students who are allowed the opportunity to be in successful
programs have a head start, so why is preschool not provided for all students?
Preschool is thought of a right of passage for all young children. Many children
attend preschool to learn basic social skills, motor skills, and the foundations of
numeracy and the alphabetic principal. What most people do not realize is that preschool
forms the basis for building the lasting fundamental skills in oral language, phonological
and phonemic awareness, and emergent writing. These skills are essential for students to
become successful in todays rigorous classroom.
Students who are enrolled in preschool have a head start in their early education.
This opportunity, however, is not available to all students. For students from low-income
backgrounds, there are often not enough schools to fit the need. Many students come
from families who work minimum wage jobs and cannot afford the luxury of putting their

children into private preschool programs. Often students do not qualify for Head Start
because their parents make just above the federal poverty level. While there are prekindergarten programs available to economically disadvantaged students through public
schools, there are often not enough spaces to fit the need of the local community. This
leads to many students having their first classroom experience the day they enter
kindergarten. This is a shocking fact since research shows preschool for low-income
students can help bridge the gap in their developmental skills. If more programs were
available to all students, many schools would be able to help their low-income students
close in on the achievement gap and bring them to same levels as the wealthier
counterparts.
Todays students are expected to enter their classrooms at the beginning of the
year either reading at or above grade level, however, in economically disadvantaged
schools many students enter their classroom reading below grade level. For many
primary and intermediate teachers, a majority of their time is spent with these students
who are working below grade level. The root cause of this is that students are often
missing basic and fundamental oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, and
writing skills. All of these skills were first taught in preschool, which the students were
not exposed to due to limited availability of programs. If these students had had the
chance to attend a preschool program then teachers would be spending more time
expanding on a students knowledge base with grade level standards, rather than striving
to fill in gaps that should have been filled earlier in lower grade levels.
Currently the arguments against universal preschool are lack of cost-effectiveness,
and that it is not effective academically in the long run for students. This is often due to
programs that have systemic issues and do not utilize strong instructional approaches and

curriculum. Many of these programs are not provided with the academic resources due to
money being spread so thinly across school districts. In addition, preschool teachers are
often not provided with the same support in professional development trainings as
kindergarten through twelfth-grade teachers. For preschool programs to be effective for
their students school districts should be provided with the funding to invest in resources
and training for their teachers.
With the more rigorous standards in place, we expect more and more out of our
youngest students. Teachers, students, and parents are struggling to keep up with the everchanging and increasingly demanding standards. Since the state and federal government
requires more of the students, schools should expect the same support from the
government in ensuring that all of our students enter kindergarten on the same playing
field. Instead of focusing on using standardized assessments to gauge how effective
schools are, the legislating branches should be pushing for universal preschool programs
that will give students the head start that they so desperately need. By writing laws that
create the opportunity for all students to attend preschool, legislators would be enacting
changes that would reverberate for generations.
By having universal preschool programs that are well designed with a strong
curriculum, students can build the critical reading skills that are fundamental to leading a
literate life. If there is a stronger emphasis earlier in economically disadvantaged
students lives then there is less chance that they will struggle as they progress into the
primary and intermediate grades. If this is true, as research has shown, then why isnt the
same opportunity available to all children, especially to those who need it the most?

References
Justice, L. M., McGinty, A. S., Cabell, S. Q., Kilday, C. R., Knighton, K., &
Huffman, G. (2010). Language and Literacy Curriculum Supplement for Preschoolers
Who Are Academically At Risk: A Feasibility Study. Language, Speech, And Hearing
Services In Schools, 41(2), 161-178.
McKie, B., Manswell Butty, J, & Green, R. (2012). Reading, Reasoning, and
Literacy: Strategies for Early Childhood Education From the Analysis of Classroom
Observations. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(1), 55-61. doi:10.1007/s10643011-0489-2