How Preschool Programs Usually Work
by Darrel Stufflebeam
January 11, 2008
In previous articles, I’ve discussed research about preschool programs. The research strongly indicates that appropriate, consistent interactions between a pre-k child and adults generally lead to better brain development and improved cognitive abilities. Overall, children that attend an appropriate preschool are likely to have advantages over those that don’t.
Our school district has a preschool program for 3 and 4 year-olds identified as needing special services. In order to adhere to federal guidelines, we also have other students or “role models” attend. Some school districts have programs that allow additional, “at-risk” 4 year-olds to attend. For those programs, “at-risk” is defined as students who are eligible for free lunch, live with a single parent, are referred by SRS,
have a teenage parent, have a parent without a high school diploma or GED, are migrant, or have limited English proficiency.
The most comprehensive program, known as universal preschool, would allow all 3 and 4 year-old students to attend. Typically, an elementary school would have those students attend four days per week for three hours per day. The classes are taught by certified elementary or early childhood teachers and also use teacher aides. Research (and some state guidelines) indicates that a preschool program should have no more than 20 students per certified teacher and no more than 10 students per adult.
Research also indicates that interactions and activities should focus on the students being exposed to new stimuli and experiences. Curriculum that is rigid, overly academic, or overly demanding tends to be counterproductive for that age group.
There are many issues associated with such programs. For example, how can 3 and 4 year-olds be transported during the day when their parents are working? How will other community daycare/preschool programs be affected? Should parents pay a fee? How are such programs paid for? I’ll be discussing those and other challenges during subsequent articles.
More and more, legislatures and courts (including some Kansas Supreme Court judges) are stating their belief that education is a basic human right. With new research demonstrating the benefits of preschool, those programs are quickly becoming a major focus within the field of education. Some states—most notably Oklahoma—are now funding preschool programs in every school district.
Prior to building the new elementary school in St. George, there was no way to house an expanded preschool program there. Although space at WES could get tight, we will now have room for expanded preschool at each elementary building and, as a result, we’re going to study the options and feasibility of doing so.
