Make an Early Education New Year's Resolution

Policymakers and stakeholders have called for "education reform" since the late 60's. But after decades of new initiatives, federal mandates, alternative curricula and delivery systems, increased accountability and billions of taxpayer dollars...not much has really changed. Unfortunately.

Sadly, we are not getting the job done. Our increased accountability has illuminated that fact test scores have remained basically the same --yet the amount spent per child on education has risen exponentially. Experts estimate that 1 in 5 American adults struggle to read at the average 8th grade level based on national studies, most read at a lower level.

Make a resolution for 2012 to educate families. Early childhood educators can have a BIG impact in children's lives when they help families understand how important they are in their child's school success. Children who score better on tests and perform at higher reading levels have a few essential early experiences in common. When young parents ask early childhood educators for ways they can help their child "get ready for Kindergarten," try sharing these basic tips.

1. Children from families that sit and eat dinner around a table together 3 or more times a week do better in school overall. This is a time to feed the mind with conversation, the soul with emotional connecting, as well as the body with nutritious food. This is a no-cost strategy everyone can use--it should have a higher priority than a "busy schedule", and other "enrichment" or sports related activities that impact the dinner hour.
2. Children who enter kindergarten with higher early literacy skills came from homes where parents cuddle up and read a book with them 3 or more times a week. They play games looking at the pictures, point to the text as they read and take time to ask children questions about the stories--and listen to their answers. Read to infants, toddlers, preschoolers and beyond. Don't make the same mistake many busy parents make and stop reading aloud just because your child is able to read on his or her own! Now you can choose books to read aloud to them that are a few steps above their current reading level. One parent read a Shakespeare play to her son who struggled to read it on his own for a high school class. Even if a parent doesn't fully understand a text, he or she can be a "fellow learner."
   
3. Children who watch their parents use learning, knowledge and skills in everyday situations can see how learning helps all of us do the things we want. Help parents realize that when they stop and think through problems, try different solutions, are interested in learning new things, ask for help from others, use math and numbers to measure or cook or figure out a price, and read for information and pleasure they are modeling what it looks like to be a lifelong learner. This is the most import 21st century skill we can teach any child. We do not know what jobs and careers will exist in 20 years, we may not even be able to guess what special skills will be needed to do them. But we do know that people who naturally learn new things will be more successful as the world changes. Look at the huge changes in just the past 25 years....
   

Let's all appreciate the power and presence of parents and guardians in the lives of young children. Their investment of time and attention today is priceless to our nation's future.