Importance of Early Childhood Education

Denison Deasey contends, "Pre-school education as an organized affair is barely two hundred years old and began, as far as we are aware, in Alsace in the east of France . . . in 1767." Education at any age in America started as the privilege of wealthy, mostly male children. With the establishment of the common school movement in the early to mid-nineteenth century, debates began about the right to education and the purposes that such a system ought to serve. These debates also extended to discussions of the age at which education sh

. . .
uch has to do with basic physical development. Can children hold a pencil properly? Are they coordinated enough to operate a pair of scissors? Can they draw easily? Do they tire quickly?" The early childhood years are also times when learning disabilities may begin to emerge. As Gordon and Williams-Browne point out, "Learning disorders are usually not a singular dysfunction." Preschool programs, staffed with caring professionals trained to observe signs of dysfunction as well as other signs of individual development, offer particularly effective settings for early diagnosis and early accommodation of what could eventually develop into a serious barrier to learning. Evaluating readiness includes considering the child's physical and psychological development, as well as whatever individual needs may be required from the more formal school culture. Throughout their text, Gordon and Williams-Browne continually emphasize the importance of understanding and recognizing cultural difference among children, an area that continues to escape many traditional schools at all levels. Margaret H. Cooney contends that this blindness has its roots in the philosophies on which American education is founded. As an example, she cites J
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gordon Williams-Browne, Head Start, United America, John Dewey, Sharon Kagan, Denison Deasey, Beginnings Beyond, Craig Ramey, Jillian Rodd, Calvert Baker, childhood education, gordon williams-browne, head start, wide range, education children, gordon williams-browne note, 5 6, williams-browne note, beginnings beyond, stimulation support, preschool programs, gordon williams-browne observe, debate sharon kagan, 3 november 1994, childhood education 75,
Approximate Word count = 4103
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)