Early Childhood Education Programs at Risk

2024-01-03 11:32:41来源：网络

Early Childhood Education Programs at Risk

早期儿童教育项目面临风险

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　　By Dan Novak

　　02 January 2024

　　The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says "The period from birth to eight years old is one of remarkable brain development for children." The organization adds that it represents an important time for their development and education.

　　The U.S. National Institutes of Health says that supporting children's early learning can lead to higher test scores and a better chance of staying in school and going to college. Studies even suggest early learning can lead to fewer teen pregnancies, improved mental health, and a longer life.

　　Early learning in OECD countries

　　The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is made up of 38 democracies with market-based economies. The organization aims to build better policies for better lives.

　　In a recent education study, the OECD found that most of its member countries provide care or education for children under 5. In countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Spain and Britain, at least 95 percent of 3-year-olds are enrolled in an early education program.

　　However, within OECD countries, there can be a large difference in enrollment. In the United States, for example, 80 percent of 3 to 5-year-olds in the capital city of Washington, D.C. are enrolled in early education programs. That is compared to 46 percent in the western state of North Dakota.

　　The differences also exist in European countries like Greece, Lithuania, and Switzerland. Places with higher rates of women in the workforce usually have higher rates of enrollment for children under 3.

　　Child care and kindergarten

　　During the pandemic, the U.S. government provided an additional $24 billion to help child care programs nationwide. The funding finally ended last October.

　　The Century Foundation is a research organization in New York City. It estimates that one-third of the programs could close as a result. That affects more than 2.2 million children. The organization says that child care is important for the economy at large since child care permits parents to stay at work.

　　Around the world, governments invest little in early childhood education, UNESCO says. About 6.6 percent of education budgets are put toward early education programs, 2 percent in poor countries. That is well below the target of 10 percent by 2030 suggested by the children's organization UNICEF.

　　In the U.S., parents can choose to put their children at age 5 in kindergarten or a child care program.

　　Kindergarten enrollment has dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the virus or wanting to avoid online school, hundreds of thousands of families delayed the start of school for their young children.

　　The Associated Press found that kindergarten enrollment remained down 5.2 percent in the 2022-2023 school year compared with the 2019-2020 school year.

　　Deborah Stipek is a former head of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. She said kindergarten is where children learn to follow directions, learn good behavior, and get used to learning. Stipek said missing that year of school can put kids at a disadvantage.

　　Last year, Aylah went to a children's program that met mainly outdoors instead of enrolling in kindergarten in the state of California. Aylah now has to adjust to being inside a classroom and learning the right way to hold a pencil.

　　"It's harder. Way, way harder," Aylah said of the new way she learned to hold a pencil.

　　Still, her mother Hannah Levy says it was the right decision to skip kindergarten. She wanted Aylah to enjoy being a child. There is plenty of time, she reasoned, for her daughter to develop study skills.

　　I'm Dan Novak.

　　Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English, with additional reporting from the Associated Press.

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　　作者：Dan Novak

　　2024年1月2日

　　联合国教科文组织（UNESCO）表示：“从出生到八岁是儿童大脑发展的重要阶段。”该组织补充说，这是他们发展和教育的重要时期。

　　美国国家卫生研究院表示，支持儿童的早期学习可以带来更高的测试成绩，以及更好的留在学校和上大学的机会。研究甚至表明，早期学习可以导致少女怀孕的情况减少，改善心理健康，延长寿命。

　　经济合作与发展组织（OECD）国家的早期学习

　　经济合作与发展组织（OECD）由38个市场经济的民主国家组成。该组织的目标是为了更好的生活制定更好的政策。

　　在最近的一项教育研究中，OECD发现，其大多数成员国都为5岁以下的儿童提供照顾或教育。在包括比利时、丹麦、法国、匈牙利、冰岛、以色列、挪威、西班牙和英国在内的国家，至少有95%的3岁儿童参加了早期教育项目。

　　然而，在OECD国家内部，入学率可能存在很大的差异。例如，在美国，首都华盛顿特区的3到5岁儿童中，有80%参加了早期教育项目。而在西部的北达科他州，这一比例只有46%。

　　这种差异也存在于希腊、立陶宛和瑞士等欧洲国家。女性劳动力参与率较高的地方通常有更高的3岁以下儿童入学率。