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Child Care in the News
June 10, 2009
It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Pia Britto from the Child Study Center at Yale University observed that the Sunday (June 7) New York Times had two articles on early childhood education:

Shakira's Children: Can the Colombian pop sensation make early childhood education the No. 1 priority in Latin America?

An excerpt: "...Shakira has this other side — she began charitable work right after she had her first big hit, at 18 — and two years ago she, her longtime boyfriend, Antonio de la Rua, and some of their friends conceived the idea of a loose union of Ibero-American singers, called ALAS (“wings” in Spanish), which would use the power of their fame to mobilize fans, and the politicians fans vote for, to advance the cause of early-childhood development. Since then they had rallied most of the biggest pop stars in the Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking worlds; held enormous concerts in Mexico and Argentina; gained the philanthropic support of some of Latin America’s richest families (as well as Warren Buffett’s son Howard); and captured the attention of a good number of heads of state."

Rising above I.Q.
In this editorial, Nicholas Kristof reviews what is known in the nature/nurture debate and concludes that where we need to be invested for our efforts for all children to succeed is "education, education, education....intensive early childhood programs, followed by improved elementary and high schools, and programs to defray college costs."


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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Scott Noyes · June 10, 2009
Empowering Programs
Essex Junction, VT, United States


I am concerned about Nicholas Kristof’s word choice, “intensive” when describing early childhood programs. This word often denotes “stronger or more forceful action.” Many of us may imagine developmentally inappropriate instruction being referred to as “intensive.” De-stressing childhood needs to be a top priority. Drill and fill, rote memorization, non-play based learning, and teachers who are mandated to teach-to-the-test seem to be “intensive.” I’m sure there are better descriptors for what early care and education programs need.

In the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation study of children living in poverty and at high risk of school failure clearly show that children who were enrolled in play-oriented preschools are more socially adjusted later in life than are kids who attended play-free preschools where they were constantly instructed by teachers. I would think of the play-free preschools as being “intensive.”



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