The Fight For Public Pre-K

Presented by: Michelle Belanger for SEI 514

Pre-K programs are a distinct group of programs
designed specifically to make sure that preschoolers
are ready for kindergarten and will be succeeding in
school by third grade.
All pre-K programs have three characteristics
in common. They are (1) governed by high program
standards, (2) serve 4- year-olds or sometimes both 3-
and 4- yearolds, and (3) focus on school readiness.

(Colker,2008)
What is Pre-K?

Today, there are 52 programs in 40 states (as well as
one in D.C

Twenty-eight percent of Americas 4-year-olds were
enrolled in a state-funded preschool program in the
2011-2012 school year (Barnett, 2012).

Who Is Pre-K ?
Nationally
National Percentages
Maine Ranks 14
th
in 4-Year Old Access to Pre-K.
Total state program enrollment ....................4,784
School districts that offer state program .......47%
(public elementary schools)



Who is Pre-K
In Maine?
Maine Percentages
The Achievement gap refers to the observed,
persistent disparity of educational measures between
the performance of groups of students, especially
groups defined by socioeconomic status
(SES),race/ethnicity and gender.
The achievement gap can be observed through
standardized tests, GPA, dropout rates and college
enrollment and completion rates.
(Definition taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievement_gap_in_the_United_States)

Why Pre-K?
To Close the Achievement Gap
A recent look at 84 pre-k programs found that on
average, children gain a third of a year additional
learning across language, reading and math.
Quality Pre-K education can benefit middle-class
children as well as disadvantaged children.
In two studies of pre-k programs, positive and
substantial impacts on language, literacy, and math
skills were found for both low and middle-income
children.
(Yoshikawa, 2013)
How to do this?
Quality Pre-K Programs
The Chipmunk, The Preschooler & The Three Teachers


Why Pre-K?
Language, Language, Language
And all the children and teachers
were outside on the playground, all
of a sudden a chipmunk ran through
the playground and a little boy ran up
to the teachers and said, Look, its a
squirrel!
It was a sunny afternoon,


COOL!!
The first teacher responded


Its not a squirrel, its a chipmunk
The second teacher responded

I can see why you think its a squirrel
but its a chipmunk, it has a stripe
down its back and a fluffy tail like a
squirrel and it is brown.
The third teacher responded
Find a book
Do some research
What else could you do?


And if the child was interested
The first teacher:
LAZY
The Second Teacher:
No information
The Third Teacher:
Provided Vocabulary, affirmed what the child
knew, scaffolded on what the child knew,
provided opportunity for learning, teachable
moment
What was the difference in the
three responses?
Basic knowledge

What is a squirrel? What is a chipmunk?

Difference and similarities between them
What did the third teacher need to
know in order to respond?


But, children from low-income or under
resourced homes need him/her the
most!
All Children need Teacher #3
The more language children hear as infants and
toddlers, the larger their vocabulary and the higher
their reading ability in 3
rd
grade.
Future literacy depends on language skills developed
in the first five years.
It impacts social-emotional and cognitive
development
Language is directly related to learning to read and
reading to learn.

Why does language matter?
What they did:
45 two-parent families
One child/family
Began when child was 6 months old
Visited every month
Recorded every interaction for one whole day
Hart & Risley
The Early Catastrophe
1/3 of families on welfare, 1/3 working class, and 1/3
professional

Went into homes monthly for 4 years and the
followed childrens progress through the third grade.
Hart & Risley
Professionals recorded vocabulary size:
Parent: 2,176 Child: 1,116
Working Class recorded vocabulary size:
Parent: 1,498 Child: 749
Low Income recorded vocabulary
Parent: 974 Child: 525

By third grade the differences were 12,000 vs. 4,000
words

What they found:
By 3 years of age
In some states, prisons are being built according to
third grade reading levels. The lower the levels, the
more beds they need. (Nationally, only 20% of low-
income children reach the 3
rd
grade benchmark)
For every 1$ invested, the return can be as much as $7
or higher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkWbu54LJ_8
Why Pre-K?
Save Money
What do you think the pros and cons of public pre-k
are?

Take 5 minutes and report back one pro and one con
your group comes up with.
Breakout session:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbSp88PBe9E
In conclusion:
Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Fitzgerald, J., & Squires,
J.H. (2012). The state of preschool 2012: State preschool
yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for
Early Education Research.
Colker, L. J. (2008). Pre-K (What Exactly Is It?).
Teaching Young Children , 2 (1), 23-24.
Hart, B. a. (2003). The early catastrophe. Education
Review , 17 (1), 110-118.
Yoshikawa, H. W.-G. (2013). Investing in Our Future:
The Evidence Base on Preschool Education.


Refrences