Importance of Early Childhood Education
Local News
by
Stephany Beshara
last edited on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
With the economy still in turmoil an education is more valuable now than ever.
That’s why many education experts are stressing the importance of early childhood education and birth to three programs.
Kids in the Early Head Start Program at Youth and Family Services look like they are playing.
Teachers say its games like puzzles that help kids develop important learning tools they need to complete a high school education.
Education experts say birth to three programs are crucial beginnings to the learning process.
“It's learning how to get along with each other, it's learning how to make decisions, I think those are almost as important as learning the ABC's. The kids are going to learn those, but if they don't have that background, if they don't have that preparation it's going to be a lot harder to learn the alphabet, numbers, math and all those things,” says Coralee Carter, literacy coordinator at YFS.
The Rapid City Head Start Program has more than 300 students and a constant waiting list.
The Early Head Start Program has about 70 and will be expanding at Youth And Family Services next year.