A Child's Advocate: The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

I think there are a few policies right now that are in effect to be changed or implemented that I read about this week. In my area there are actually parents who are talking with local school districts about better means of transportation rules and regulations for children in grade 3 and under. Parents are worried about distances from school bus stops to the children’s homes and what may happen in between that distance when children do not have an adult to walk with them. Right now there is little being done unless the bus driver wants to stop at individual houses which may make for a longer bus ride, but a safer one. I am all for this alternative.

These past weeks I was able to learn that kindergarten is not required in all states and that some parents do not see the benefits of it. This baffled me as I was under the impression that since kindergarten was part of the “school system” whether public or private, that it was therefore a requirement. Although school systems vary between each state in regards to what requirements need to be met for teacher qualifications, the age to get into kindergarten, the requirements for graduation, etc., I believe that including kindergarten in the mainstream of things should be a norm. It’s a transition phase that some kids really need in order to get into the flow of how structured classrooms work.

What really appealed to me this week were the funding strategies and also the inclusion hopes. Kindergarten is the first in line to the actual school path which children will (hopefully) follow for the next 12-13 years. Maybe more! Funding for kindergarten right now is done through the government as well as tax payers. Some states have issued full day kindergarten and most haven’t but some have offered it as a pay if you want to attend type of thing. These funding options are again excluding those who cannot afford to send their child to all day kindergarten versus the “free” half day. This excluding of students may also be a continuation of those who were not able to attend preschool either. Education is so important to the future of our society, economy, future adults… where down the road was this seen as serious, but not taken seriously??

4 comments:

Cymantha Channey WhiteJune 3, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Tina,
I can certainly relate to the safety concerns of you and the other parents. My son's school is surrounded by abandoned delapidated homes within a five block radius. Children who walk to school are in grave danger of unsafe events occuring. We have spoken to city officials, community officials and the like, but to no avail. We are constantly being told that there is no money to take care of the problem, yet our children have to contend with these unsafe circumstances every day they walk to school. Our parent organization has threatened to take measures into our own hands, but we are constantly being told that there is a more politically correct way of handling the situation. I hope that your situation has a more productive outcome than ours currently has. Thanks for the post!

CCWhite
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AnonymousJune 3, 2012 at 1:27 PM
I hate the idea that funding is limited based on the government or state. Children are the ones suffering from this situation. It is a shame that the difference in programs, family situations, and location plays a role in a child's education. All children should be offered the same eduation, no matter where they are raised.
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TeresaJune 3, 2012 at 9:36 PM
Tina,
I currently work for a program similar to Head Start. We only service children who are 4 years of age and will be attending kindergarten the following year. We provide transportation to the all the families who are in our area. However, there are other programs like ours, and they had to cut their transportation and now the families have to transport their own children. This has created many absences due to families not having money for gas. For example, the average gas per gallon in Washington is $4.26. That is two gallons of milk for a family for one gallon of gas. It is heart wrenching for me, when a family has to choose between filling their gas tank, and feeding their children.
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VanessaWaldenMSJune 4, 2012 at 6:24 PM
Hi Tina,
I can identify with your amazement about the lack of uniformity of the states regarding the issue of Kindergarten. To this day, I can remember what it felt like to walk into my Kindergarten classroom on the first day. I think that this experience and preparation for grade school is so important as we hope to create the love of learning at a young age.
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Personal Childhood Web

Terry- A neighbour of mine when I was a teenager. She was like a big sister in a way and treated me like my age instead of like a small child. I could confide in her and she helped me through a sticky situation when I was in high school. She taught me that although things seemed bad at the time and like there was no possible way out, that all things end eventually. That thought has helped me through some tough times in my life.
Chris- My brother. Chris joined the service when I was young, but when I'd visit him he never ceased to congratulate a grade or a new step in my life. He is someone who gives appreciation and shows admiration to everyone. He is intense to learn more about you and to help you feel better about yourself along the way. He carries my favorite trait which is sometimes hard to find- common sense. I hope I have gathered at least a handful of his knowledge and kindness along the way. His open heart and courage to do good is a constant reminder to me that there is more to people than meets the eye.
Kathy- A friend of my mother's, she was and still is someone who tells it like it is. She would never hide anything about the truth to me and she was comical in telling it. If I had a question, Kathy had a straightforward answer. Still to this day Kathy will not hesitate to give meaningful opinions and life lessons to me. I don't call her enough, but I do think of her constantly especially when life throws me a curve ball and I make some kind of joke out of it!
Louise- A friend of my mother's, she was someone I could tell things to that I was afraid to tell my mom. She would comfort me and let me know I was normal and tried to figure out ways to help me in any situation. She stayed calm and optimistic and I always admired those traits about her that I wish I could have found at home. Louise has definitely taught me to stay true to myself and not try to change to meet another's needs. She's also taught me positivity lasts longer and doesn't create as many wrinkles.
Melanie- She was a childhood friend who had a stable family life and was very intelligent. She helped me study and she helped me see past what other's thought to find out what I thought. Melanie is someone who I assume went on to become some kind of life changing scientist. She showed me dedication, and for a young child to see a peer unafraid of committment to something left a lasting impression.