One of the movements that seems to be having significant impact on education is to establish quality pre-kindergarten programs. We recognize this occurs for three basic reasons: a) many children in this country are not ready for school socially, emotionally or academically; b) so much occurs developmentally in early childhood, and c) some children need additional support in order to be able to be successful in school.
The Pre-K for PA Movement for Child Development
We have found that when children who are delayed in learning capacity enter school they struggle to keep up with other students. Then because of their struggles, they fall into a significant level of inadequacy that may continue to follow them throughout their entire school career.
The PRE-K for PA movement shows a great deal of promise, and in some ways, is an effective brain-based intervention for early childhood.
The promise of a strong Pre-K presence has huge impact on many aspects of K-12 school years. I am attaching a link to a report on the varied aspects of this potential and am proud that the State of PA is focusing so much energy and effort on this very important phase in a child’s development and nurture. Click here for the report.
Of course there is so much more to achieve in this area.
Lakeside is attempting to respond to the needs of our early childhood centers in the Greater Philadelphia region, along with the support and partnership of United Way of Southeastern PA and Southern New Jersey. We have provided training and support for hundreds of ECE centers that are striving to give our children a better chance to succeed in their K-12 school experience. This is a movement that we are proud to be a part of that will give hope and help for our children in their academic success.
Gerry Vassar, President/CEO, Lakeside Educational Network
Source: http://www.prekforpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Issue_Brief_Impact_of_High_Quality1.pdf
