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Georgia FORUM | 07/13/2007
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PK-3 Gives Hispanic Children a Better Chance to Succeed in School

By: Lauren Waits

OP ED

Georgia is a rapidly-growing state. Children, particularly ages 0-5, comprise a large part of the population's growth. A substantial portion of these young citizens are from immigrant Hispanic families.

This large increase of immigrant households has created a dilemma as we must find the best way to give all children, including Hispanic children, the best chance to succeed. Regardless of their citizenship status, not offering children a full education creates the genuine risk of having a permanent underclass as well as a great, missed opportunity for un-tapping their potential.

This is why expanding and improving the quality of early education for all of Georgia's children, including the rapidly growing Hispanic population, should be among our highest educational priorities. While Georgia already has a successful universal prekindergarten program, we must continue to look for ways to improve and provide with even greater opportunities. This is where the PK-3 approach comes in.

What is PK-3? PK-3 programs raise achievement among children by offering quality early education programs that align the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade. Aligning the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade contributes substantially to meaningful higher levels of school readiness and achievement. PK-3 is especially important for Hispanic children.

Frequently raised in families with full time, stay at home mothers, many Hispanic children in Georgia have their first exposure to the English language in formal prekindergarten or kindergarten. This is a major reason why Hispanic children lag well behind their White counterparts on measures of school readiness when they start kindergarten and subsequently achieve at much lower levels in the primary grades. This pattern of lower academic achievement persists through high school and college.

In the short term, school districts that use the PK-3 approach will experience reduced special education and grade retention costs. In the long term, we will see decreased dropout rates, savings to the juvenile and adult justice systems, and increased earnings from participants.

Moreover, increased investments in PK-3 programs, which are proven to prepare our young children for school success, also strengthen the state's economy. Better education equals better jobs and a stronger local economy.

The good news is that strengthening PK-3 education is gaining strong support. A recent report by the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics recommended greatly expanded and improved early childhood education opportunities for the growing Hispanic populations. PK-3 benefits all children in significant ways, and in particular ensures a strong educational foundation for Hispanic children.

Today, Hispanics constitute one-fifth of the nation's young children (infants through eight-years-old) and are projected, to be a quarter of all young children in the United States by 2030. In 24 states, at least one in eight children in the 0-8 age group is Hispanic. Some of the most rapid growth is taking place in the South and the South East.

While PK-3 programs raise achievement among Hispanic children and provide better educational opportunities in the early childhood years, there is an inadequate capacity to meet demand in many Hispanic communities. Other problems exist, such as a lack of knowledge about program availability among Hispanic parents.

Studies show that PK-3 programs can improve the literacy and math skills of all children, and especially English language learners and low-income children. PK-3 strengthens children's skills to help them succeed. The PK-3 approach creates the continuity in teaching and curriculum that makes it more successful for Hispanic children to learn English. We must also encourage Hispanic college students to choose PK-3 education as a career.

Georgia's children already have access to voluntary universal prekindergarten. We must now do our best to explain the benefits of the program and encourage Hispanic parents to enroll their children.

In the meantime, Georgia should build on its voluntary universal prekindergarten program and align its curriculum with the kindergarten through third grade years by using the PK-3 approach.

We need to ensure that all children can attain success in school in order for them to participate fully in today's society. We can do this if we start them off right with a quality PK-3 education.

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Waits is policy director for Voices for Georgia's Children.

Copyright (C) 2007 by the Georgia FORUM. The Forum is an educational organization that provides the media with the views of state experts on major public issues. Letters should be sent to the Forum, P.O. Box 79546 Atlanta, GA 30357-7546. (07/13/2007)

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PRESS RELEASE

"Expanding and improving the quality of early education for all of Georgia's children, including the rapidly growing Hispanic population, should be among our highest educational priorities," says Lauren Waits, policy director for Voices for Georgia's Children. "While Georgia already has a successful universal prekindergarten program, we must continue to look for ways to improve and provide with even greater opportunities."

"This is where the PK-3 approach comes in," says Waits in an article for the Georgia Forum. "PK-3 programs raise achievement among children by offering quality early education programs that align the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade. Aligning the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade contributes substantially to meaningful higher levels of school readiness and achievement."

"PK-3 is especially important for Hispanic children," she adds. "Frequently raised in families with full time, stay at home mothers, many Hispanic children in Georgia have their first exposure to the English language in formal prekindergarten or kindergarten. This is a major reason why Hispanic children lag well behind their White counterparts on measures of school readiness when they start kindergarten and subsequently achieve at much lower levels in the primary grades. This pattern of lower academic achievement persists through high school and college."

"In the short term, school districts that use the PK-3 approach will experience reduced special education and grade retention costs," Waits says. "In the long term, we will see decreased dropout rates, savings to the juvenile and adult justice systems, and increased earnings from participants. Moreover, increased investments in PK-3 programs, which are proven to prepare our young children for school success, also strengthen the state's economy. Better education equals better jobs and a stronger local economy."

"While PK-3 programs raise achievement among Hispanic children and provide better educational opportunities in the early childhood years, there is an inadequate capacity to meet demand in many Hispanic communities," she says. "Other problems exist, such as a lack of knowledge about program availability among Hispanic parents."

"Georgia's children already have access to voluntary universal prekindergarten," Waits concludes. "We must now do our best to explain the benefits of the program and encourage Hispanic parents to enroll their children. In the meantime, Georgia should build on its voluntary universal prekindergarten program and align its curriculum with the kindergarten through third grade years by using the PK-3 approach."


PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT/GUEST EDITORIAL

Expanding and improving the quality of early education for Georgia's rapidly growing Hispanic population should be among our highest educational priorities.

One way to give our children the best possible start is to provide them with greater opportunities in the early childhood years through the PK-3 approach. PK-3 programs raise achievement among children by offering quality early education programs that align the curriculum and instruction for children from prekindergarten through the third grade.

PK-3 is especially important for Hispanic children. Studies show that PK-3 programs can improve the literacy and math skills of all children, and especially English language learners and low-income children.

We must do all we can to help every child in Georgia succeed. We can do this by investing our resources in early education programs like PK-3.

About Lauren Waits:
The author is Lauren Waits, policy director of Voices for Georgia's Children. She can be reached at (404) 521-0311 (in Atlanta).



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