What does new research has to say about being bilingual and Alzheimer's?

New research shows that speaking two languages can help slow down the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms. To read more on this research click here.

Calling All ECE: "You Need /r/ /ee/ /d/ to Read"

Feeling pressured to produce 3 and 4 year old readers for Kindergarten?

We saw this article You Need /r/ /ee/ /d/ to Read published in the Ed. Magazine from the Harvard School of Graduate Education written by Lori Hough and felt compelled to bring it to the attention of our followers. We found this article to be one of the most "readable" explanations of the basic stages and experiences young children require to become "readers." Professor Catherine Snow, an expert on language and literacy is quoted in the article saying:

"Most typically developing readers will begin to read independently during the first grade. Precocious readers read on their own in kindergarten, or even before. Research, however, shows there is no link between early reading and intelligence, and that those who struggle with reading often have above-average IQs."

Share with this with fellow, teachers, directors, public school principals and families.

Confucianism=Higher Test Scores?

Check out Tiger Mom Revisited on ExchangeEverday . Many cultures throughout history have revered education and fostered a passion for learning: Jesuits, Judaism, ancient Greece. Which cultures "invented" medicine and the Arabic number system? Where have the greatest libraries in the world been? Alexandria, Timbuktu, Babylonia?

Could the larger issue be more than performance expectations or reverence for education? Might it be related to parenting philosophy & approach? Our passion for permissiveness?

What’s the verdict?

A Must Read: When should kids be able to read?

Washington Post published an article by columnist Valerie Strauss on February 10, 2011 titled When should kids learn to read? We feel that is of special significance to those of us in the field of early childhood education who have been supporters of developmental education.

"It used to be that kids in the early elementary school grades were allowed to learn how to read at their own speed. Today test-obsessed public schools don’t offer that luxury; if youngsters aren't starting to learn to read in kindergarten, and can’t read by the end of first grade, they are already behind."

Further on she writes, "This flies in the face of research that shows that some students need more time to learn how to read, and that boys as a group are being put a disadvantage with earlier and earlier reading demands." Strauss concludes, "But if they aren't given the adequate amount of time to develop the habit of reading at their own pace, they will never become readers. It's time to rethink how we address this most basic enterprise."

Read the full article.

How do you think this affects the early childhood programs we offer in our communities?

Any Tiger Moms Around?

The press has made much of a book written by a Chinese mother in which she explains the myth of how Chinese parents raise such successful children. We wondered if this was just another form of authoritarian parenting, a style that fell out of favor in the US after WW II.

Do you have any Tiger Moms who are parents in your Program?

IF so do you see any difference in the early years between these children and the others in your program? Are these parents receptive to child development information you share?

If you are over 60, do you see any difference between this parenting and that of your parents?

One final thought: How do you define "helecopter parenting" and how is it different from the "tiger mom?"