Just Say No to Head Start? Where is the Explanation?
Columnists can freely give their opinions without explanation, but Early Stories would have liked to hear the thinking behind David Brooks’ op-ed piece in the New York Times in which he “fervently hope[s]” that a Head Start expansion is dropped from the stimulus package. Brooks clearly articulated what he believes is wrong with the $819 [...]
Mock Funerals, Hunger Strikes Latest Budget Cut Tactic
The faltering economy is causing states to pull back on school funding promises, and outraged parents in South Florida are resorting to dramatic tactics — including a mock funeral on YouTube — to call attention to their priorities. In the video, children dressed in black place violins, books and soccer balls in a coffin with [...]
In Tough Times For Children, Show As Well as Tell
It’s refreshing to see newspapers stay on top of the many ways the economic downturn hurts small children and their families. In ailing Michigan, the Heritage newspapers reported some startling data from the annual Kids Count survey in the Michigan Data Book, finding that poverty affects one out of every four children in a state [...]
A Tale of Too Long Hair in Kindergarten
With all the learning and socialization that needs to take place in kindergarten, it’s hard to imagine a school district getting caught up in a struggle over how long a child’s hair can be. It’s even harder to imagine a child being ordered to learn in isolation because of his hair. Yet that’s exactly what [...]
‘Eat Your Veggies,’ Could Be New Requirement for Oregon Toddlers
From junk food … to healthy lifestyle Could cookies, milk and sandbox play give way to a regime of veggie sticks and jumping jacks? Paige Parker of the Oregonian notes that food and exercise regimes may be the last thing on the minds of parents looking for day care. But perhaps they shouldn’t be. One [...]
Knowing Your Letters and Colors When you Start Kindergarten
An important new federal research report out today looked at 500 research studies to conclude, just as most parents would, that knowing the alphabet, the sounds of letters, the colors and other basic nouns (car, tree, house, man) and being able to write one’s name when a child goes to kindergarten predicts how well children [...]
In Faltering Economy, More Child Care Woes
The story Donna St. George of the Washington Post wrote just before Christmas serves as a powerful reminder about ways parents are sacrificing their children’s education and safety in this troubled economy. St. George found more children are being left home alone because their parents can no longer afford child care, and documented a spike [...]
