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Message: Hello, I thought you would find the following article interesting. Link: http://www.plan4preschool.org/docs/single/reaching-all-children-understanding-early-care-and-education-participation-/ Download: http://www.plan4preschool.org/documents/reaching-all-children.pdf Abstract: High-quality, early education is critical to prepare children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. Research shows that high-quality, early education programs can particularly benefit low-income children and those most at risk of school failure by supporting their healthy development across a range of measures. Because young children learn from their surroundings at all times, early education occurs in multiple settings and has many names—including child care, Head Start, preschool, and pre-kindergarten. Research demonstrates that it is the quality of a program that is most important to a young child’s development. Indicators of quality that encourage conditions in which children are better able to learn and grow include low teacher-child ratios, small group sizes, qualified teaching staff, positive teacher-child interactions, parental involvement, and access to comprehensive services such as health care and mental health services. Children born to immigrant parents often face multiple risk factors that would make their participation in quality early education programs particularly beneficial; yet, these children appear less likely to participate in such programs. For children of immigrants, early education has the potential to address issues of school readiness and language acquisition, and to ease integration for them and their families into American society and its education system. Early education programs can enable children of immigrants to enter elementary school with more advanced English skills, making them more prepared to learn and to succeed. Programs that contain a high-quality comprehensive services component can connect families to much-needed health and other social services, and provide recently arrived immigrants with an introduction to services and facilities available in their communities. Children with special needs in immigrant families can benefit, as can all children, from early intervention and programs that connect their families to additional support services. Family literacy programs and other parental involvement components can help immigrant parents learn English in order to gain employment skills and actively participate in their children’s formal education from the beginning.
