If we’re honest with ourselves, none of us want to institutionalize education at all. The personal touch is what teaches best.

Times Argus
Drawbacks to Preschool
February 21, 2006

Before approving (S.132), free early education, an expensive and teacher-friendly program, Vermonters should ask themselves several important questions:

Do we want to institutionalize education at this early and crucial age when children form their first emotional ties, acquire moral values, social skills and develop basic cognitive skills?

Do we want to delegate our basic privilege and right to shape our children in our own image (according to our cultural and personal preferences) to the state?

Preschoolers learn in many different ways: through modeling, imitation, exposure to a nurturing, and stimulating environment etc. Formal schooling (class-teacher encounters), technical devices and fancy equipments do not play a major role at this age. Actually, they might be counterproductive — establish rigid and uniform patterns of thinking and inhibit creativity.

State-run preschools will subject children to educational experimentation, testing, special education testing and labeling. Children will accumulate “files” and records which will predetermine their future schooling.

Parents should not be intimidated by “professionals,” “experts,” etc., but try and think for themselves and answer these basic questions: Do you think that you yourself would have preferred to be enrolled in school at a much earlier age? Do you think that you, who did not have free early education, are somehow less capable, and were more prone to fail in school? Do you think that if little Albert had free early education he would have become an Einstein? My answer is a decisive “No” to all these questions.

Ahuva Dafni
Williston

This is a wonderful article by the Public Relations Officer at Kenyatta University. It’s so close to home.

Early Childhood Development Education Holds Hope for Future
Pharmacy student speaks on his experiences

By KEN RAMAN

Quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) education and care could be holding the key to reduced crime rate. It could also be a low-cost but remedy that could lower the risks of mental disorders among women.

This is according to recent studies by the World Bank that formed the basis of discussion at a recent Third African International Conference on ECD held in Accra, Ghana. Research has indicated that boys reared in broken families exhibit anti-social behaviour when they enter the school system and about one-third of them become delinquent in their teenage years.

Findings also show that females that did not receive a sound education and care during their infancy show an increased risk of mental health problems such as depression in their adult life. Research done in Sweden indicates that children who attend good ECD centres, which involved parents, had the best social skills and cognitive skills at the age of 13.

It was also noted that male children entering the school system with poor verbal skills tended to be functionally illiterate as teenagers and a significant number of them ended up in the justice system. It was noted that a teacher’s positive behaviour such as attentiveness, encouragement, engagement, sensitivity to children, and responsiveness to their changing needs do enhance their learning outcomes.

However, a teacher’s negative behaviour such as harshness and detachment do affect children’s learning environment. Research findings indicated that a teacher’s level of formal education and training are positive attributes that enriches a child’s learning.

Governments were encouraged to put in place policies for adequate staff compensation – wages that allows staff to be comfortable in their jobs and not worry about better-paying opportunities elsewhere. It was argued that the high turnover of teachers from ECD centres across Africa was negatively affecting children under their care. Research has proved that continuity of teaching staff as opposed to regular changes do not disrupt children’s learning.

Studies have also shown that when children are enrolled in high quality ECD classrooms, they exhibit fewer or less serious problems, enjoy better social adjustment, including less socially deviant behaviour. They also tend to comply more with, and are less resistant to, adult requests, are more cooperative, responsive, innovative and more securely attached to their teachers.
In India, it was discovered that performance in mathematics is higher when children entered the school system with a good ECD unlike those that never had a good start in life.

This could explain the performance of mathematics in Kenya at both the primary and secondary level where the national average is bellow 40 per cent.

The classroom structure should include the physical environment, that must be carefully arranged to assure the safety of children, with electrical outlets covered, cleaning supplies locked up out of reach of children and facilities for adults to wash after diapering or toileting.

The Accra conference organised by the Association of the Development of Education in Africa (Adea) discussed the what and why of development problems of the African child and also the way forward for their quality development. Speakers argued that children are the touchstone of a healthy and sustainable society, and that how a culture or society treats its youngest members has a significant influence on how it will prosper and be viewed by others.

The World Bank says research had shown that an investment in the health and development of children will also return meticulous dividends in subsequent years.

The dividends include decreased need for special education, custodial care, welfare support and incarceration for delinquent behaviour.

The convention further declares that States are morally and legally obliged to fulfill these rights. Kenya is among the few Africa countries that have domesticated this convention following the adoption of the Children Act 2001. Participants were told that children in sub-Saharan Africa face the greatest challenges to healthy child development of any region in the world.

Presenters who included university scholars and researchers from 38 sub-Saharan African countries argued that extreme childhood poverty can have irreversible effects on the young child, including poor nutrition and health, poor or missed education, poor early child-care and social protection and low aspirations.

Experts took issue with the way HIV/Aids campaigns have been carried out in the past two decades. A former Kenyatta University lecturer Peter Mwaura, said: “The focus has by and large been on adults and there has been a relatively low and slow response to the thousands of children affected or orphaned through HIV/ Aids.”

He argued that interest groups and government agencies should ensure access to quality basic services for all children. “First let us see the struggle by the sick parents not only in meeting their own but also the children’s nutritional, health and psychosocial needs. This challenge is being met under severe conditions of poverty, ill health and stress. Let us set our own inner eyes on the struggle by the child to take care of him or her self and possibly to take care of sick parents and other siblings. These children suffer severe psychological distress and stigma. The orphaned children are mostly left in the hands of members of the extended family or put in orphanages where they sometimes suffer from discrimination and other sorts of child abuse.”

Other children in difficult circumstances include those in refugee camps, children of prisoners who have been neglected and are suffering in jails alongside their mothers.

There are also the children with disabilities who have equal rights but most of them fail to have their rights and needs provided because of the parent’s and community’s attitude towards them.

The writer is the Public Relations Officer at Kenyatta University

It’s a good article and shows why “preschool for all” probably won’t work. Every parent wants a different kind of environment for his or her child. And it makes sense because little kids all learn at different rates through different media and who knows a child better than his parents?

I’m not a big fan of Montessori because traditionally Montessori is a closed system of learning. I’m not a big fan of Waldorf because it’s limited. I’m not a big fan of accreditation. If your standards are so low you need to be accredited, then what’s the point? Accreditation is never for the children – it’s for the adults.

It’s a good idea to make a list of things you want in a preschool before you go shopping. Keep the list and use it as a six month test of excellence.

The ABCs of Picking the Right Preschool
By Sandra Diamond Fox
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-TIMES
The News-Times/Michael Duffy

Spencer Abrams is only 2 and won’t start nursery school until the fall, but his parents are already looking at schools, trying to figure out which one is the best for their little boy.

Lisa and Barry Abrams, of Danbury, are smart to take their time in this search. Since Spencer is their first child, they’re not yet familiar with all of the different preschool programs which are offered. They know they have some research to do.

“We think this decision is very important and want Spencer to be well prepared for kindergarten,” said his mother, Lisa.

As they gather information, the Abrams will join other parents of toddlers in asking some essential questions. Among them are:

What kind of curriculum is best for my child?
How much parental involvement in the classroom would be ideal for me?
How much value should be placed on attending a school that is accredited?
How well will the school cater to my child’s individualized needs and situation?

The majority of children attend preschool these days. And while it’s a given that parents look for a warm, caring environment for their child’s first school experience, many have very specific ideas about other components needed to complete the picture.

Prior to having children, Michelle Doyle, of Danbury, taught preschool for more than 15 years. Consequently, she already had a clear idea of what she was looking for in a nursery school.

“I wanted a school that would assess my children’s needs and take them as high as they could go,” she said.

“There are so many schools these days that ‘teach to the masses,’ and I didn’t want this for my child,” said Doyle. Her daughter Katie, 4, attends the preschool program at St. Joseph Readiness Center in Danbury, where she is being challenged every day in all areas, said Doyle.

Carolyn Mandarano, of Danbury, said other preschool programs with a reputation for very high academic standards are those in Montessori-based schools. Mandarano, whose 4-year-old son Garrett is enrolled at The Hudson Country Montessori School in Danbury, said this school offers “a hands-on approach to learning where each child has his own individual curriculum.”

At Hudson Country, children ages 3 to 6 are in one classroom, so younger students get to learn from the older ones, explained Mandarano. The program is meeting the goals she and her husband set forth by creating an environment that’s designed to build children’s confidence, independence and skill development. Meanwhile the children are learning everything from mathematics and Spanish to drama, art, music, physical education, gymnastics, culture, science and practical life skills.

In this school year, Garrett has already learned to sound out the alphabet, read simple books, perform beginning arithmetic, and write his full name, Mandarano said proudly.

There are other parents who desire a nursery school program with a big emphasis on play, believing there is plenty of time for academics in later years. Andrea Nathans, a child psychologist in Danbury, says when her oldest son Benjamin was 4, she looked for something alternative for him.

Nathans strongly believed her son should be “in a wholesome environment” that nurtured “the innocence of childhood.”

She prefers a children’s program that’s “based on play, as well as one that allows them to express their creativity and imagination to the fullest.”

Nathans’ 3-year-old daughter, Alexandra, is currently enrolled in the nursery program at the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School in Newtown.

“The Waldorf philosophy really fits for my children,” said Nathans. “There’s a lot of reverence for nature and the rhythm of our lives that’s brought into the curriculum through songs, plays and puppet shows — as well as play with minimally processed materials.”

Regardless of what type of curriculum a school has, many parents view their involvement in the classroom as a top priority. For many children, this is the first time in their young lives that they are separated from their parents. Thus, parents want to know firsthand that their child is having a good experience.

While most programs encourage parents to help out periodically, one local nursery school takes parent participation a step further. This is King Street Nursery School, in Danbury.

Jennifer Matzner, parent of 4-year-old Joshua, who attends King Street Nursery, enthusiastically explained this is “a co-op whereby parents help out in the classroom on a rotating basis.” According to Matzner, every six weeks the parent of each student gets to work in the classroom, side by side with their child. “They can help out with various projects, work at the craft table, or even stay exclusively with their own child, if they prefer,” said Matzner.

Through this arrangement, not only does the parent get to spend quality time with their child, who greatly looks forward to these days, but they also get to know all the other children in the class. “I quickly learned who all my son’s friends are and ended up becoming friends with their parents as well,” said Matzner. “It feels like a family here.”

The accreditation question

Many parents base their final decision in selecting a nursery school upon whether or not it’s accredited by NAEYC (the National Association for the Education of Young Children). According to the NAEYC Web site, this association is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children by providing them with high quality childhood education programs.

“A lot of schools advertise that they are accredited but really aren’t,” warned Doyle. “This is why it’s important for parents to ask the school this question directly. So many parents don’t do this and automatically assume their child’s school has accreditation, when it may not be the case.”

In addition, parents wishing to enroll their child in a Montessori-based school should ask the director whether the school is certified by the AMS (American Montessori Society), advised Doyle.

Still, other parents select a nursery school based on whether or not it can meet the needs of their unique family situation. Jessica Clifford of Danbury, mother to 3-year-old twins Emily and Audrey Clifford, was searching for a school that would treat her twins as individuals, while still allowing them to be in the same class.

“It’s hard when you have twins because sometimes people assume that just because they were born on the same day, that they are the same and that comparing them is perfectly acceptable,” said Clifford.

Bright Beginnings, in New Fairfield, proved to be a perfect fit for her. “Miss Tammy, my girls’ teacher, understands that they are complete opposites and knows how to work successfully with each one. As a parent of twins, this is important,” said Clifford.

Once Lisa and Barry Abrams choose a nursery school for Spencer, they’ll move forward and see how things go. If, for some reason they’re not completely satisfied Spencer is getting the optimal education they’re striving for, they can always pull him out and try another school.

No matter what school children attend, if parents take a genuine interest in the quality of education there, it will help foster a love of learning. That love of learning will impact children’s success throughout their school years and beyond.

DREAMER

You’ll cheer all the way to the finish line for this feel-good film destined to become a family classic! Kurt Russell (Miracle) and Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) star as a horse trainer and his inspiring young daughter, Cale, whose determination to help an injured racehorse changes their lives forever. Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue, Luis Guzmán and Freddie Rodriguez co-star in an uplifting story that celebrates dreams, second chances and the importance of family.

Honored with the Heartland Film Festival’s Truly Moving Picture Award,
this critically acclaimed tale of determination and heart.

Available for $19.95

Includes among other things:

Filming With Horses
– It all looks so beautiful and majestic on screen — the powerful horses bolting down the final leg of an exciting race, the jockey’s furiously pushing them for their best, the crowd screaming for their winning ticket. This revealing behind-the-scenes program shows viewers how this carefully executed and choreographed dance was achieved with unpredictable highly skittish animals and millions of dollars of high tech camera and production equipment all beautifully dressed up by very talented production designers and art directors.

How To Groom A Horse

– A fun-filled lesson in caring for a horse featuring Dakota Fanning. In addition, this program offers viewers a look into the grooming, feeding, shoeing and love that went into caring for the 40 horses used in the film.

VIEWTIFUL JOE

The superhero sensation is sweeping the nation thanks to the heroic exploits of Movie Land¹s diminutive champion… the tireless, fearless and super-cool VIEWTIFUL JOE, who¹s making his domestic DVD debut on February 7, 2006 from Geneon Entertainment.

Based on Capcom’s wildly popular console video game, VIEWTIFUL JOE bursts onto the screen in a vibrant and fun combination of Japanese and American comic-style character design that is ripe with action and loaded with comedy.

Named Game Of The Year in 2003 by USA Today, VIEWTIFUL JOE has been consistently ranked among many gamers’ favorite franchises worldwide, garnering several accolades including the G-Phoria awards, SpikeTV Video Game Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Games Awards.

Available for $19.98, the VIEWTIFUL JOE VOLUME ONE DVD features ‘Viewtiful’
character profiles, and is presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0.

Years ago, my daughter Katy loved the Strawberry Shortcake dolls and extras. We still have a big box including Professor Cold Heart and Fig Boot. Great fun for kids! Here’s something to watch.

With more positive lessons from Strawberry Shortcake, this latest home video release offers families a chance to join spunky Strawberry in delightful adventures including her exciting trip to ‘Pearis’, France where she meets new friends, Crepes Suzette and her poodle, Eclaire.

To satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, on another adventure Strawberry and her pals Angel Cake and Tea Blossom rise to the occasion when they encounter some baking fun.

Available for $14.98, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: WORLD OF FRIENDS comes in a
delectable, strawberry-scented pink package, featuring English and Spanish Stereo and is presented in full-frame aspect ratio 1.33:1 with both English and Spanish subtitles.

Pet Alien
From Debby Peters:

An off-beat computer-animated comedy series currently airing on The Cartoon Network, Pet Alien follows a normal boy who was happy just to be left alone until a group of spaced out aliens crash lands on earth looking for friends!

The DVD features four 11-minute adventures with Tommy and his new pals as they learn about Earth and get into plenty of hilarious jams along the way.

Available for $9.98, PET ALIEN: SPACED OUT features English Stereo 2.0 audio and four 11 minute episodes:

BAD BLOOD FROM BEYOND
– Dinko’s competitive cousin arrives for a visit and tries to out-do Dinko to become Tommy’s new best friend.

THE BRIDE OF GUMPERS
– Gumpers’ future bride is coming to Earth! Is there time to turn the stinky, scratching, belching alien into a real man?

THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
– Swanky’s parents are coming all the way from Conforma to visit, but there’s just one problem. They’re convinced he’s the King of Earth!

BAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
– When Tommy accidentally destroys his mom’s prize-winning flowers, it’s up to Dinko and his green thumb to save the day!

We’ve been working on Africa at school the last two weeks. Because we’re a liberal arts based school, we include a wide variety of disciplines into everything we do including history, geography, music, fine arts, etc. Africa always includes the story of Moses and the story of Noah.

Most of the children have never heard the stories. These are long stories to be told and they are filled with excitement. “Where did he get the lumber to build the ark?” I asked. “He lived in the desert!” The openings for teaching are abundant. The surprise element is on every sentence’s end.

“Where would you put the hippos if you were designing this floating animal hotel?” The kids hemmed and hawed – still wonder if anyone really haws. “Ballast,” I say the half the kids want to know what that means. “What did the lions eat?” I asked, and the children all looked at one another. “What about milk?”

We colored a big paper boat. We talked about the animals and how Noah would have guided them back to the desert. We talked about the town’s people and their jeering; their laughter; their meanness, and how Noah must have handled that – “Is that the way you handle someone who is treating you that way?” Officer Rob had been in the week before to talk about bullying, and we remembered what he had to say.

We told the story of Moses and the children’s favorite part is the Red Sea part when the Israelites get to walk through sea world. They also liked the idea that there would be frogs in your bed, in your bath, in your orange juice. The boys especially thought that was neat.

Bible stories are an important part of a well rounded education. They present thinking obstacles not ordinarily available in other studies. They present a human connection necessary in socialization. They present a connection to philosophy- abstract thought not available any place else.

The children are always fascinated by the Egyptian studies as well. The pyramids, the mummies, their idea of the afterlife and the trials bring children away from the twenty-first century and offer perhaps a first historical perspective.

When we moved to the jungle areas of Africa, they liked the notion of “up close and personal.” I told the story of the man from the jungle who didn’t understand the concept of distance, and was taken out to the Serengeti Plain, and thought what he saw – animals one inch high were in fact one inch high. They all listened, so I knew the wheels were turning.

We sang some African songs and will add them to our repertoire. It’s been a busy week.

Today is fine arts day. We’ll be focusing on blocks. I bought a big collection of new blocks that are large enough to build an ark. Most kids don’t really know how to build. Most of them still carry the blocks around without making any progress. Then they stack into towers and then they snake the blocks into a long line, but rarely do you get a real building with the sum total of building put together – carry, tower, snake to be fourth stage building – something that can contain. So today we try again.

It’s been see-saw weather – yesterday the high was 70 degrees, today the low will be 19. Today we will probably stay in depending on how warm it gets. Lots of the kids are tired from the weather see saw.

Yesterday in my class, we did marble painting. Each child gets a cookie sheet with a lip, a sheet of paintable paper a choice of tempera colors and a marble to slide through the paint. These were beautiful. When the kids pick out their own paint colors, the result is quite remarkable. The idea is not to touch the marble and let it go where it goes.

We always finish our school work with an art project. Sometimes the kids really enjoy it. We cut snowflakes this week and mounted them on colored paper. It took several tries for the kids to understand keeping the center from being snipped apart. It’s a math problem, I told them.

Judy,

We (Pump it Up) are having Free playtimes for all the elementry children that were affected by the 11/6 tornado.

All EVSC children attend Thursday, 3/9 from 6:30-8:00 and Warrick County comes Tuesday 3/28 from 6:30-8:00. We will have a Magician during the event. We expect over 100 children for each school district. If you want more information, please call us at 471-7867.

Thanks,
Dan & Pat

As a monitor for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Child Care Food Program for ten years, I saw first hand why people are over weight. Several times when monitoring a home, I suggested that French fries were not the best choice of a vegetable to be served with pizza, and you would have thought I had suggested that they serve the fruit from the Lumina Lupina Plant from Nepal.

“Well what goes with pizza?” It was a demand more than a question. I suggested nearly any fruit or green vegetable including salad. I was dreaming.

White bread, deep fry, corn-macaroni-potato-noodle fests were the common lunch.

I came away from that job sure people were afraid of slicing fruit. “Raw?” they gasped – “Raw? You’re kidding aren’t you?”

“No,” I laughed, “Raw vegetables and sour cream are good. So are plain raw vegetables with cheese and whole wheat crackers.”

Here’s the article:

Trying to avert a public health disaster, West Virginia, which has one of the nation’s worst obesity problems, announced today that it is expanding a school-based program that uses a video game to boost students’ physical activity.

Arthur Agatston, MD, a leading preventive cardiologist and founder of the Agatston Research Institute, believes the video program is a step in the right direction, especially in reaching middle school children who are establishing lifestyle habits that will impact their length and quality of life.

West Virginia, which has one of the nation’s worst obesity problems, and nearly 46 percent of 31,000 fifth-graders screened in a coronary artery risk project from 1999-2005 were considered overweight or obese, according to Institute of Medicine guidelines. Extra weight is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, some cancers and other problems.

West Virginia leads the nation in high blood pressure and is fourth in diabetes. One estimate by a public employee insurance program predicts that one out of three children born in West Virginia today will have diabetes by the time they grow up.

Dr. Agatston believes public schools need to do more to incorporate instruction in nutrition into programs aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle. While physical activity is key for cardiovascular health, he says that poor nutrition is the primary cause of obesity, which is best addressed through better food choices and eating habits.

The Agatston Institute is currently conducting a pilot study on public school nutrition.