By Brooke Ruth, Digital Media News Editor
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Printed courtesy of Imperial Valley Press, El Centro, CA

A recent study by a national think tank shows that the majority of California’s preschool-aged children are in center-based early childhood education programs.

The study by the RAND Corp. examined the issues of access to and quality of preschool programs. It and other studies verify what preschool educators already know, said Mike Castillo, director of Imperial County Developmental Services.

“I believe a preschool education prepares young children to be successful as they enter kindergarten and throughout their (kindergarten through 12th-grade) programs,” Castillo said. “It can provide a good foundation that will be helpful in the future.”

The El Centro Migrant Child Development Center is a state-funded program that prepares children for kindergarten. The program serves children who have at least one parent working in agriculture, said Denise Garebay, site supervisor.

There are also many federally funded programs, such as Head Start, and privately operated programs.

Castillo said achievement gaps increase over time and a good preschool program helps to reduce this gap.

In Imperial County there are a number of good center-based early childhood education programs, Castillo said.

In comparing center-based programs to home-based programs, Castillo said center-based programs must follow many California preschool requirements and therefore have a more structured curriculum.

He added that at center-based programs the teacher and staff have the necessary required California teaching permits, but many other daycare providers — whether relatives or nonrelatives of the children cared for — also educate themselves and provide good programs.

Home day cares have fewer licensing requirements and are not held to the Department of Education’s requirements, Castillo said.

The RAND study looked into issues of access to preschool programs. It showed that children whose mothers have higher education levels are more likely to be in center-based programs. Families with higher income levels are also more likely to be in center-based programs.

In Imperial County, Castillo said, there are a greater number of programs that are subsidized either by the state or federal government, therefore offering services to families with lower incomes.

There is a substantial countywide waiting list — 1,772 children — to get into one of these centers, Castillo said.

According to the RAND study, “Typical benchmarks for high-quality programs serving preschool-aged children specify … a maximum child-staff ratio of 10 to 1.” A majority of the children in the study are in programs that meet this requirement.

Castillo said California Community Care licensing requirements require an 8-1 child to teacher ratio. Garebay said at the El Centro Migrant Child Development Center this ratio is met.

According to the RAND study, “More education and training (for teachers) in the ECE field are typically associated with higher quality and have been linked to better child-development outcomes.”

The study goes on to say that two-thirds of children in center-based programs have a lead teacher with an associate degree, and one-fourth have a bachelor’s degree.

The minimal requirements for caretakers in a private day care are to meet the licensing requirements for California Community Care, and have cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid certification, Castillo said.

Instructional aides at center-based state programs, on the other hand, must at a minimum have 12 units of college coursework in early childhood and education; teachers must have 24 units in early childhood education or an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field, he said.

Head Start, a federally funded program, requires that its educators have an associate degree, but many have had additional college coursework, and some have bachelor’s degrees, Castillo said.

“Teachers have the greatest impact on student learning and academic outcomes. The teacher is central,” Castillo said.