Learning Young
Early Childhood Education Long Beach Style: Replay
Early childhood education is important. Children who know or recognize fewer than 1,000 words by age 3 are trailing when they start kindergarten. This story was written for the second print issue of Palacio Magazine in September 2015. Most of the issues discussed in the article are as relevant today as they were then.
By Cassandra Magdaleno
Children who know or recognize fewer than 1,000 words by age 3 are trailing by the time they start kindergarten. Many will never catch up to their peers.
Sarah Soriano, the Executive Director of Young Horizons Child Development Centers, says that, “[Kindergarteners] have to know their sounds, they have to know their shapes, their colors, they have to know all of it, but they also have to have that social piece and be able to follow directions, be able to sit, and listen.”
Soriano continued, “If they don’t get it now, when they get to school they’re already frustrated, they start to fall behind and all of the research shows that if they haven’t got it by kindergarten, by third grade they’ll start to fall behind and never catch-up.”
Early Childhood Education Research
According to the First 5 California website, a child’s brain develops the most between the ages of 0-5. By the time a child turns 3-years old, the brain reaches 82% of its adult size. It reaches 90% by the time a child turns 5-years old.
Research supports the effort. It shows that investing in a child’s development in those first 5 years can lead to higher academic achievement – graduating high school and attending college – while simultaneously decreasing their chances of teenage pregnancy and committing a crime. However, children who aren’t prepared for kindergarten aren’t automatically condemned to a dim fate. Parents will need to work with their child, and his/her teachers and doctors, to develop those skills that may be lacking.
Community and Early Childhood Education
Luanne Mauro-Atkinson, Assistant Director, LBUSD Head Start/Early Head Start and Chair of the Long Beach Early Childhood Education Committee told Palacio Magazine that the community is coming together to build an active support network to ensure a child’s success.
Those resources are available to everyone in Long Beach. Many of the programs employ bi-lingual teachers who work with parents and children to get kids to where they need to be. But the biggest resource families have is the knowledgeable network of program directors and staff that are eager to help recommend the best program to fit the child and family’s finances.
Our city officials have also undertaken the early childhood education cause. Mayor Robert Garcia has been at the forefront of early childhood education in Long Beach, lobbying for universal preschool while a member of the City Council and continuing on with that message as Mayor.
His recommendations for the 2016 fiscal budget proposes expanding early childhood and preschool education by re-introducing the Early Childhood Education Coordinator position for the city. The new coordinator will work with the Long Beach Early Childhood Education Committee (LBECE Committee) to “develop a new city-wide early childhood education plan, increase professional development opportunities, and improve cooperation between public or private providers to ensure that every child arrives in kindergarten ready to learn and succeed at their fullest potential.” (Read “City of Long Beach, California Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan 2018-2023” HERE
The LBECE Committee has operated for over a decade to ensure that all children in Long Beach are “healthy, safe and educated.”
Along with being active in public policy, the committee, chaired by Luanne Mauro-Atkinson, is heavily involved in the community. They produced a public forum during last year’s mayoral race asking for each candidate’s views on early childhood education. The committee also produces several “Kindergarten Festivals” throughout the year where they bring their resources and messages to schools across the city.
And their efforts are paying off. They’ve seen attendance rise at the festivals and parents more engaged in their child’s early education. Andrea Sulsona, Executive Director of Early Childhood Education at the YMCA and a member of the LBECE Committee, says that more than 50% of parents with children attending the YMCA also attend parenting classes.
Parents See the Difference
Parents, too, notice a difference in their children.
Long Beach resident Christian Sandoval says her daughter has become more social since attending the YMCA saying, “She went from shy to independent.”
Chris Vasquez has noticed a change in his niece since she started attending the YMCA: “She’s not as distracted. She watches the other kids and learned how to socialize.”
These changes are what help children easily adjust to life in a kindergarten setting. Norma Cueva, an associate teacher at the YMCA, says she notices a big change in the way kids, once they’ve been in the program, socialize and interact with the teachers.
She recalls how one student was “all over the place” but now “has structure” when she comes to school. Children who learn social behaviors early allow teachers to focus on preparing kids for their future in education.
Sarah, Luanne and Andrea agree that, even without a structured program, quality parent-child interactions and experiences are key. They list reading, singing, playing, and speaking among the most low-cost and important things a parent can do for their child in these developmentally crucial years – no matter the language spoken at home.
To Luanne, getting parents to understand that they are their child’s first teacher is important, “Anywhere a child is, there can be a quality learning experience.”
Feature Photo by governortomwolf
