Wendy D. Puriefoy on family, school, and community partnership in early childhood education

Much recent attention in public education has centered on pedagogy and on the alignment of curriculum and instruction to academic standards. This approach is on the mark and should continue to be pursued by educators and reform advocates alike. In addition, resources are needed to enable school district officials to implement these proven strategies to increase student achievement. When looking at issues in early childhood education, however, additional factors must be considered. Effective early childhood education strategy entails more than determining what to teach children up to 4 or 5 years of age or providing more professional development for pre-kindergarten teachers, though both are critical. Quality early childhood education starts with families and with community institutions that cater to the needs of families with children.

In isolating the pedagogical issues from other family and local issues, early childhood education advocates commit the same mistake that K-12 reformers have done for years; that is, to view a child’s academic life and home environment as separate domains. To fully address the cognitive, behavioral, and social development needs of young children, we need early childhood and preK programs that are part of a systemic and comprehensive strategy centered on families’ needs and realities.

Catherine Snow ("From Literacy to Learning") tells us of the impact of economic class on literacy and language development in young children—the difference in the level of vocabulary, for example, between middle class and poor kids. This difference has meant that poor families have tended to rely on community-based programs to access necessary care and support. All families, but especially those living at or below poverty, need information about quality child care, nutrition, health and other services that directly impact children’s cognitive and behavioral development. Community institutions absolutely must collaborate and coordinate strategies to give these families comprehensive supports.

The good news is that many communities are pulling together to do just this. As Deborah Stipek has shown ("Early Childhood Education at a Crossroads"), policymakers at the state level now pay greater attention and devote greater monies to early childhood education. Many local education funds (LEFs), which make up the Public Education Network (PEN), are aligning reform initiatives and public engagement strategies along preK to 16 systems. In Providence, Rhode Island, for example, The Education Partnership established a preK and elementary community school in one of the poorest sections of the city. Programs within the school are linked to local job training and neighborhood revitalization. Parents also receive instruction on district academic standards and are trained in tutoring their children at home.

The result of this effort is a fluid mechanism that help families gather information on what their children need to learn in school, access quality services and programs in the community, and secure an understanding that public schools and other public institutions in their neighborhoods exist to help and support them.

Wendy D. Puriefoy is president of Public Education Network, the country's largest network of community-based school reform organizations (reaching 11.5 million children nationwide), working to improve publicschools and build the public’s support for quality public education for every child.