The Effects
By Maritza Guerrero
Studies show the effects of attendance of preschool and how that affects a child’s educational career later on in life. It is shown that students from low-income families are farther behind the higher-income families when stepping into kindergarten. Even though there is an achievement gap between the two types of preschools, tuition-based and Preschool For All, not attending either preschool is even worse. The children are being deprived of even a simple understanding of basic skills that gets them ready to go into kindergarten and then to proceed into the next grades. Research shows, that not attending preschool and only attending kindergarten, that there was a lack of social skills and lower testing in early math and literacy development. Attending preschool also showed that later through 3rd grade, the test scores increased, and there were positive effects on attitude, attention and discipline. Children (mostly poverty stricken) who do not attend preschool feel the negative effects in the later future.
There were three studies, The Perry, Abecedarian, and Chicago studies, that reported that the children who attended preschool had a higher success in their schools and life than the children who did not attend. One of the studies, The Perry, showed that the children scored higher on standardized tests and “graduated high school on time at higher rates (65% versus 45% for the control group)...and at age 40 had expected lifetime earnings that averaged about $150,000 higher than the control group's (Schweinhart et al., 2005).” Not only were standardized tests, graduation rates, and lifetime earnings higher, the girls in in the Abecedarian studies “became teenage parents at almost half the rate of the girls in the control group (26% versus 45%)" (ascd.org). The preschool children also attended college at a much higher rate (36% versus 13%) (Barnett & Masse, 2007; Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling, & Miller-Johnson, 2002).
The children not attending preschool are being put at a disadvantage at an early age because they are not receiving the early education they should be receiving. School involves speaking and communicating with other students and teachers, and preschool, teaches children to do exactly that, from painting and drawing pictures expressing their imagination, experiences and personal feelings to playing with dolls, and singing and dancing with the others. The children go on to kindergarten and other grades more experienced and ready to learn more complex things each year. The children learn to ask questions about things they do not understand and asking others for help. Not attending preschool can lead to the children being very quiet and antisocial from very young ages because they can be afraid of being in a room with so many children and also being told what to do by someone that isn't even one of their parents or guardians.
This preschool experience helps a young child get comfortable with starting to grow up and get prepared to waking up and being on a schedule throughout their lives. The children should not be deprived of this early education because it starts off at the first level which is very basic and simple and starts to be more complicated as more skills are taught and learned. Missing this first year can be hard because when the children go into the next grade level, they have to catch up and most children in that class already know the material. Not only is it difficult for the teachers to have different plans from the others for their teachings everyday, also the fact that these schools are public, and Preschool For All is free, which means that there will be countless of children in class everyday, not making enough time for individual students who need more help because they are one of the ones behind. No matter how simple the Preschool For All is, compared to the tuition-based preschools, attending that free public preschool is still better because at least the children can have somewhat of basic skills and understandings rather than knowing nothing at all.
Works Cited:
Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy
implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education
Policy Research Unit. Feb. 2014. <http://nieer.org/resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf >
Hanford, Emily. "Early Lessons." American RadioWorks - Early Lessons. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/preschool/results.htm>
Lamy, Cynthia E."How Preschool Fights Poverty." Educational Leadership:Faces of Poverty:How Preschool Fights Poverty. N.p., May 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/How-Preschool-Fights-Poverty.aspx>
There were three studies, The Perry, Abecedarian, and Chicago studies, that reported that the children who attended preschool had a higher success in their schools and life than the children who did not attend. One of the studies, The Perry, showed that the children scored higher on standardized tests and “graduated high school on time at higher rates (65% versus 45% for the control group)...and at age 40 had expected lifetime earnings that averaged about $150,000 higher than the control group's (Schweinhart et al., 2005).” Not only were standardized tests, graduation rates, and lifetime earnings higher, the girls in in the Abecedarian studies “became teenage parents at almost half the rate of the girls in the control group (26% versus 45%)" (ascd.org). The preschool children also attended college at a much higher rate (36% versus 13%) (Barnett & Masse, 2007; Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling, & Miller-Johnson, 2002).
The children not attending preschool are being put at a disadvantage at an early age because they are not receiving the early education they should be receiving. School involves speaking and communicating with other students and teachers, and preschool, teaches children to do exactly that, from painting and drawing pictures expressing their imagination, experiences and personal feelings to playing with dolls, and singing and dancing with the others. The children go on to kindergarten and other grades more experienced and ready to learn more complex things each year. The children learn to ask questions about things they do not understand and asking others for help. Not attending preschool can lead to the children being very quiet and antisocial from very young ages because they can be afraid of being in a room with so many children and also being told what to do by someone that isn't even one of their parents or guardians.
This preschool experience helps a young child get comfortable with starting to grow up and get prepared to waking up and being on a schedule throughout their lives. The children should not be deprived of this early education because it starts off at the first level which is very basic and simple and starts to be more complicated as more skills are taught and learned. Missing this first year can be hard because when the children go into the next grade level, they have to catch up and most children in that class already know the material. Not only is it difficult for the teachers to have different plans from the others for their teachings everyday, also the fact that these schools are public, and Preschool For All is free, which means that there will be countless of children in class everyday, not making enough time for individual students who need more help because they are one of the ones behind. No matter how simple the Preschool For All is, compared to the tuition-based preschools, attending that free public preschool is still better because at least the children can have somewhat of basic skills and understandings rather than knowing nothing at all.
Works Cited:
Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy
implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education
Policy Research Unit. Feb. 2014. <http://nieer.org/resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf >
Hanford, Emily. "Early Lessons." American RadioWorks - Early Lessons. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/preschool/results.htm>
Lamy, Cynthia E."How Preschool Fights Poverty." Educational Leadership:Faces of Poverty:How Preschool Fights Poverty. N.p., May 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/How-Preschool-Fights-Poverty.aspx>