Getting from Here to There: To an Ideal Early Preschool System

dc.creator	James J. Gallagher
dc.creator	Richard M. Clifford
dc.creator	Kelly Maxwell
dc.date	2004-01-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-08-12T11:29:04Z
dc.date.available	2015-08-12T11:29:04Z
dc.identifier	1524-5039
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/83a76f8032f7406983dbd6b9a2d78abc
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/30778
dc.description	The development, care, and education of children from birth to age 5 has been the focus of rapidly increasing public interest, and numerous early childhood public policy initiatives have focused attention on a major problem of coordination and collaboration of services for young children. Four segments of services for young children—(1) child care, (2) Head Start, (3) services for children with disabilities, and (4) preschool programs—have all been major players in providing services for differing, and sometimes overlapping, populations of young children. Each group has a similar mission: to help children (most often with special needs or limited opportunities) master the skills and knowledge needed to adapt effectively to kindergarten at age 5. Each group has its own history and has developed more or less independently of the others. Because the groups developed independently, they have overlapping personnel preparation programs, evaluation efforts, and data systems. This paper explores some strategies for moving from independent and overlapping services toward a seamless system of early child care and nurturance provided by these four diverse players. Voluntary collaborations between these players seem unlikely because of self-interest and bureaucratic challenges. Barriers to reform exist in institutional, psychological, sociological, economic, political, and geographic domains. This paper proposes that four engines of change—legislation, court decisions, administrative rule making, and professional initiatives—be energized to move toward a seamless system. Such collaboration can begin by merging support systems such as personnel preparation, technical assistance, and evaluation. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for achieving an integrated early childhood system.
dc.language	English
dc.language	Chinese
dc.language	Spanish
dc.publisher	ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, University of Illinois
dc.relation	http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v6n1/clifford.html
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1524-5039
dc.source	Early Childhood Research & Practice, Vol 6, Iss 1 (2004)
dc.subject	Public Policy
dc.subject	Early Childhood Education
dc.subject	Child Care
dc.subject	Head Start
dc.subject	Theory and practice of education
dc.subject	LB5-3640
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Theory and practice of education
dc.subject	LB5-3640
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Theory and practice of education
dc.subject	LB5-3640
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Theory and practice of education
dc.subject	LB5-3640
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Theory and practice of education
dc.subject	LB5-3640
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	Getting from Here to There: To an Ideal Early Preschool System
dc.type	article