All children need a stronger start
■ COMMENTARY
As one of the authors of a recent report on improving educational outcomes for Newfoundland, I confess to being a late convert to the benefits of early child education. I opted to pursue a 35-year career in special education, developing programs and policies to support children who struggle in schools. As fast as the programs were put in place, I watched demand mushroom, along with a dramatic increase in public expenditure.
Contemporary classrooms are inclusive and characterized with diverse learning abilities, significant behavioral issues, social and mental health concerns, lags in reading and math, and an endless demand for additional resources. The current model of inclusive education is untenable for parents and teachers alike and no amount of resources can fix it. A new approach is urgently needed. Prevention must be central to a new approach by optimizing learning experiences during the early years. All children need a stronger start.
Our report identifies the foundational importance of universal access to quality early child education and calls for transition programs and the phase in of junior kindergarten for four year-olds. It also calls for greater leadership and knowledge sharing among the Atlantic Provinces to improve educational outcomes. Leadership requires courage and conviction; it also requires knowledge and vision. Waiting for children to turn six to start to improve outcomes is too late. Other regions are discovering this. Atlantic Canada can no longer afford to play catch-up with the rest of the country in providing quality programs for our children.
International research is conclusive in identifying the importance of the early years to future learning, health, behaviour and social/emotional development. While reading and math scores are identified as being stronger in children receiving this foundation, the real benefit is the boost it gives to language development, self-regulation and social skills. Those three are the real focus of early years programs as they are highly transferable skills that position a child for life. These are the skills that primary teachers note as being invaluable. Children with these abilities will be ready for school and able to interact appropriately across environments. A child with this foundation avails fully of learning opportunities, interacts appropriately with peers, and is at significantly reduced risk of developing learning and social/emotional challenges. As an educator and as a citizen, I have much to gain from publicly funded early education.
Newfoundland looks to those provinces that have enough vision to follow this research. In 2016 we joined the majority of Canadian provinces in implementing full-day kindergarten, despite significant concern that children weren’t ready and for its cost. A year later, it is seen as being the best thing to happen in education in a long time
Nova Scotia, Ontario and the Northwest Territories are pioneers in including all four-year-olds in their schools. They have much to teach us. Quality public education for fourand five year-olds helps families, assures futures, reduces long-term public expenditures and strengthens educational outcomes. Public policy anchored in conclusive research is sound policy. Working collaboratively to make it happen for all children in Atlantic Canada is indeed visionary.