I am writing in response to the ”Smart Start is just a good start”
piece in The Tribune. I, as a student teacher in a Head Start program in Madison, must disagree with the ”Smart Start” plan. While its aims are high, its realism is poor.
It fails to acknowledge the numbers of children who truly need such educational intervention. From the time of birth a child is ”at risk” to the effects of poverty, neglect, and/or lack of parental education. It is from birth on that intervention, through government-subsidized day care and continuing on through preschool and kindergarten, is necessary.
The first step in helping the disadvantaged child is by establishing high-quality day care centers that will stimulate early learning in infants and toddlers, as opposed to the existing ”custodial” day care centers that are run by untrained nonprofessionals and provide little more than baby-sitting services.
The next step is to re-evaluate existing Head Start programs. Evaluate the staff and make sure each ”teacher” is educated and certified, so as to provide the children enrolled in the program with the best educational experiences possible.
While I am pleased to hear that Sen. Kennedy has considered the importance of education in young children, I would be much more delighted, as I am sure the consensus would be, if he chose to work with and improve the programs that already exist.
