Leaders learn benefits of in-home preschool
Local and state leaders toured Bright Beginnings preschool program on Sept. 17 as part of “Leaders Learning with the Littlest,” week organized by Arkansas Early Childhood Association (AECA) and Arkansas Advocates.
Debbie Mays, Bright Beginnings director, Arkansas Early Childhood Commission member and AECA president, invited local legislators and stakeholders to an informal open house so they could tour her in-home preschool.
Mays said she invited leaders to tour her preschool because high quality early childhood education isn’t something that can be explained in an email or shown in a picture. It’s better felt by experiencing the environment firsthand and talking to students and parents, she said.
Those who toured the school included State Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-District 87); Kelly Linck, chief of legislative and governmental affairs for the Arkansas Department of Human Services; Ken Ramey, superintendent of Siloam Springs School District; Wayne Mays, president and CEO of the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce; and Phillip Patterson, city administrator.
Bright Beginnings is an Arkansas Better Chance Preschool program that has been serving 3- and 4-year-olds for more than 30 years. Debbie Mays compared the setting, located in her house, as a “home away from home” for her students.
“In our program, children develop critical skills to help them
succeed in elementary school and in life,” Mays said. “Children are supported while learning to handle conflict and build language skills that will not only make them amazing lifelong learners but build resiliency.”
Bright Beginnings is licensed to provide preschool for 16 students and emphasizes learning through play.
“Bright Beginnings is a high quality preschool environment that puts much focus on honoring the natural growth and development of children by allowing them to learn through play,” Mays said. “We see ourselves as adults that scaffold the learning that is taking place. We challenge critical thinking skills and support our children taking supervised risks. We spark the children’s curiosity to dig deeper and build confidence through a feeling of love and safety. Bright Beginnings is a great place to be a kid.”
Early childhood education is important because it provides children with critical language and cognitive skills, as well as the beginning of soft skills such as how to work in a team and effectively communicate ideas, said Mays. The positive effects of Arkansas ABC preschool program were found at the end of first and second grade for language, math and literacy, and at the end of third grade for literacy, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Children who attended ABC preschool also were less likely to be held back by the end of third grade.
Ages 0 to 5 are the most critical years for a child’s brain development, yet the educators tasked with helping young children learn and grow have been consistently undervalued, according to Mays. She pointed to a recent study of the early childhood workforce by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences that found that 40 percent of early childhood education workers were food insecure, meaning they didn’t always know where their next meal would come from.
It is important to train people for these jobs, through college education or certifications, but it is also to make sure that funding and finances are in place to support workers, she said. Mays is hopeful that local leaders learned that high quality early childhood education can look many different ways and that regulated childcare can be a good option for the city, parents and students.