Reply to Universal PreK for MCPS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thank you for posting this OP. I am a teacher for the county and hold an Early Childhood degree; I am very interested to see how this plays out.[/quote]

Would be interested in hearing your opinion!  Would you support this?  Do you think Universal preK would lead to better salary for you (well-deserved, IMO, because I think Early Childhood Ed teachers are underpaid).  Do you think it will lead to a better caliber of teachers or do you think the increased licensing requirements of MCPS would mean that there would be a better quality of teachers?[/quote]

I'm the teacher you responded to...to be honest, I am a bit torn. I could not disagree more with the posters on this thread regarding the benefit of early childhood education. Study after study shows that quality early childhood experiences (be they formal or informal) DO lead to future success in and out of the classroom. I do believe that universal pre-k will allow more highly qualified applicants to teach this age group while still earning a decent paycheck (this is the reason so many ECE majors don't end up teaching preschool, it pays nothing). So in that sense, I do think it would elevate the profession thus benefiting the children and families it serves.

[b]My only concern (other than funding) is that MCPS is so assessment driven. Quality Early Childhood education looks different than upper grades. It means open playing, exploration and direct teaching of social skills. It is messy (literally) and progress/success is going to need to be monitored in a different way. Basically, I don't want mcps to make preschool the new kindergarten, or worse, the new first grade.
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If I were able to trust that this would be a true quality program, I would be a very strong and active supporter.[/quote]

YES! For the most part, I think DC has done pretty well with this.[/quote]

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