Early Childhood

Nearly a decade after the state pushed to have full-day kindergarten and more high-quality early childhood programs, an annual survey shows that 81 percent of the state's kindergartners have the academic and social skills they will need to be successful in school. The state's Ready to Learn report shows a 32 percentage-point jump in the past decade in the number of children ready when they enter kindergarten. "We have seen a major improvement that impacts thousands of children," said Rolf Grafwallner, assistant state superintendent for early childhood development.

THE NATION'S elementary school principals are seeking to lead the early childhood education bandwagon. In a recent report, they call for universal, voluntary prekindergarten programs and challenge themselves to work with families, local organizations and policy-makers to create "early childhood learning communities." Their support stems partly from the growing recognition of principals as not only building managers but also instructional leaders. And it stems partly from self-interest -- if children are better prepared when they reach kindergarten, they are more likely to do better throughout school.

WHILE improving elementary education is important, we must also concern ourselves with the preschool years to ensure the success of more of Maryland's students.Recent brain research shows that early learning experiences have a decisive impact on brain development and subsequent reading achievement.By their first birthdays, children have developed pre-language skills. By the time they turn 3, the brain has developed critical circuitry that helps determine future success.Children who are given "phoneme-awareness" training in the sounds of the English language and then taught the relationship between letters and sounds are likely to become good readers.

WASHINGTON -- So that's what Laura Bush has been up to. Some were complaining that the first lady was all wrapped up in vacuous ceremonial duties, when all along she was organizing a major White House summit on "early childhood cognitive development." The two-day conference late last month brought to the capital 350 educators, researchers, librarians, business leaders and federal officials. The unanimous verdict: It's never too early. Even the womb isn't out of bounds. School news out of Washington has been dominated by President Bush's ambitious plan, now in congressional conference, to hold every public school in the nation strictly accountable for pupil performance, and to assess that performance by testing in grades three through eight.

IN THE BOMB drills of the 1950s, we dove under our desks, covered our heads with our arms - and prayed it wasn't an A-bomb en route from Moscow. Here's the 2003 "Code Red" terrorist drill in Montgomery County: Children close the classroom blinds, huddle in a corner, stay quiet - and pray it's not some madman who has unleashed a chemical attack. If the kids are noisy during the drill, a note from a roving administrator is slipped under the door. "You're dead," it reads, meaning that those who don't take the threat seriously are risking their lives and the lives of others.

Renee Krysiak lists a full day's worth of activities on the blackboard of her kindergarten class at Brooklyn Park Elementary School: Read and respond to a story, recess, math. Naptime, however, is not one of them. As educators strive to prepare children early so they can achieve later, naptime -- the envy of some adults -- has evolved into a period of quiet activities in the full-day kindergarten programs offered in Anne Arundel, Howard and other Maryland counties. The disappearance of naptime is part of an increased emphasis on curriculum and instruction designed to make the most of the precious moments children spend in the classroom.

All-day kindergarten: a boon for kids' early education ... Kudos to The Sun for recognizing the importance of early childhood education, ("All-day kindergarten equals all day learning," editorial, Sept 5). We also applaud state efforts to improve the quality of education in the early years. Since most children have already reached the crucial age of 5 by the time they enter kindergarten, we also need to improve the quality of care and education for children from birth through age 5. In addition to the state initiatives in this area, the private sector is also working to improve early care and education.

Adolescence is a critical time - it is just that simple. In homes across America, parents are feeling pressure to hurry up and prepare teens to be independent. In popular culture, teenagers are characterized as being all about hormones and rebellion. In reality, "adolescence" is a widening span of life from about age 12 to the early to mid-20s. It encompasses both "youth" and "emerging adulthood" and involves some of the most complex biological, cognitive and social changes in human development - second, perhaps, only to early childhood development.

As we struggle through the fifth year of recession, facing budget cuts, austerity and now the sequester, it may be a good time to re-evaluate our national priorities. Last year, the Reach Out and Read program that distributes books to low-income children from 6 months to 5 years lost its federal grant and this year the Head Start program is being cut back. These cuts will be borne by our most vulnerable citizens. These cuts come at a time when there is a growing mountain of evidence that the seeds for our health are sown in the first years of life.

Over the past decade many studies have reached the conclusion that investing in high-quality early childhood education is a successful hedge against poverty. Students who attend Head Start, America's comprehensive early childhood education and development program for poor children, are far better prepared to learn when they enter kindergarten. They are referred for special education services less frequently and they are also more likely to graduate high school. As adults they are less likely to be incarcerated and more likely to be successful, contributing members of society than those who do not attend such programs.