At the beginning of the recession, I began watching the news on bated breath as so many educational programs were being eliminated. Working in the field of early childhood, it seems that this is one of the first areas to be cut because our children families are not seen as important. Many feel that a young child's education does not matter until they enter Kindergarten and we begin paying thousands of tax dollars for children to be in special education classes and receive other services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and even physical therapy. People do not take into account the research that has been done proving the value of quality early education in our society. Many seem to be under the mistaken impression that all children can just "catch up" to others that can afford quality early education when this is not the case.
Within the next five years, I expect that people will see the effects that closing down PreK programs and other early educational programs and begin trying to find solutions for those children who were directly effected by these closings. The idea of universal preschool will have caught on and policies will be put into place to make this happen. Programs such as head start and early head start will be able to meet the needs of the community they serve by being able to include all children who qualify and their families will also receive the wrap around support needed to help themselves as well as their children. Preschools will be governed by standards that all teachers have an educational background to support child development and inclusive education in the classroom.
Young children and families will benefit greatly from these services because all children will have a chance to begin school on the same level with the same experiences as middle and upper class counterparts. These valuable experiences expose children to a variety of educational and developmental issues that will help them become successful in school as well as in life. The field of early childhood will be able to provide services and care for all children needing those early educational experiences. Universal preschool, head start, early head start and special education services will provide inclusive education so that by the time children reach school age, they will already have the support in place they need, and extensive services will not be required.
