Advanced Start STEM Preschool Program

In a recent article posted on the Channel-13 website, a new program will hopefully give students from low-income houses a head start in early education. The program is called the Advanced Start STEM Preschool Program and will provide parents with lesson plans and materials for monitoring student progress throughout the time they are in the program. The program targets three and four year olds that are getting ready to enter pre-school or kindergarten.

Bob Singer-the creator of the program-says the emphasis will be early math skills with other lesson plans that focus on vocabulary and reading. Because of the need for math skills at an early age, the lesson plans in math will be more common and focused. The goal of the program is to have kids enter school a full year ahead of where they should be. This will help these students get a head start and start off strong in the school.

By focusing on low-income kids-this program is helping kids that might otherwise be at risk when they started school. Many students that come from low-income families have less support at home since their parent(s) are typically working more hours to make end meet. In the article, the family they were focusing on was a single parent home. The mother in the article was thankful because the program allowed her to start her child off sooner and allowed her to be more involved in the learning.

I think this program is a good idea for many families. I do think it should be expanded and be available for all families. To assume that families where the parents make more money are better off is incorrect. Although these children might have the opportunity to be involved in more early education programs-the parents may not be enrolling their children in these programs for other reasons. I think that once this pilot study is concluded, the program leaders should also look at expanding to middle income families and families where English may not be the language spoken at home.

I also think that this program allows for more families to start their students off on the right foot in their early education. Because the lesson plans are provided I think this program allows for these students to receive a more uniform early start into education. I think some of these families with lower incomes might try to do more work with their kids at home and may need more help to get their kids started in the right way. This program allows these families to learn good practices, monitor their performance, and makes sure that their kids are learning the right material.

The best way to get kids used to working with ideas in school is to get them exposed to it as often and early as possible. The article focuses on a family where the mother works and attends school so she may not have the time to find material for her student to work on. This program not only gives her the lesson plans, but also a way to monitor her student’s progress. The Evelyn Davis Learning Center is the lead academic partner in this project and will provide support for the parents that are part of this pilot study.

Programs like this help increase a student’s confidence before they enter the school. Feeling more confident will help them be more successful in different subjects in school. I think this is one of the most important functions on this program. Whether these students are actually a year ahead or not, just being exposed to the information will help them feel more comfortable working with it again in school and will help them be better learners.

Resources:

Towe, J. (2013, June 26). Advanced start: Families test new education program. Retrieved from http://whotv.com/2013/06/26/advanced-start-families-test-new-education-program/