Connecting Early Childhood with K-3

In debates about education in America, early childhood and the K-12 system are generally viewed as separate worlds.

Writing in U.S. News World & Report, Sara Mead of Bellwether Education Partners, explains that child development experts generally agree that “early childhood” continues through age 8. So, from a developmental perspective, children in grades K-3 are still in early childhood and could benefit from educational approaches that are common in preschool, but are rare in elementary schools.

Focus on executive function and social-emotional development. A growing body of research shows that cognitive skills such as, perseverance, self-regulation, and attention, may be as important for life success as traditional academic skills. High quality early childhood programs emphasize these skills, but most K-3 classrooms do not.

Family Engagement. Quality early childhood programs view parents as partners and often create a strong sense of community among families. While many elementary schools seek to engage parents, it is done on a more case-by-case basis.

Personalizing learning to children’s development and needs. Developmentally appropriate early learning pays attention to the individual needs, interests, and abilities of each child. Effective early childhood educators closely monitor the development of children and use those observations to inform the activities and instructional format they choose – whole group, small group, or one-on-one. Most elementary schools understand this need for students, but they lack the flexibility to adjust to students’ needs.

Sara Mead’s article takes a very broad view of national education policy. Of course experiences are different in every community and every school. Do you have a child in an early childhood program or K-3? What have you seen that works well or could be improved?