The Class of 2028 are preschoolers now. The day they will get their caps and gowns may seem far off, but those open faces and minds will be filled soon enough. And the most important groundwork for their academic progress is laid before they step through a schoolhouse door.
When people talk about education reform, a lot of that energy is focused on K-12.
“The longer I’m in this business, the more I am convinced that to solve this community’s challenges long-term, it will begin long before a student walks in a school door,” says Escambia schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
State Rep. Clay Ingram, who also is the new president of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, says workforce development begins long before career academies or community colleges.
“The focus has to be on early education,” Ingram says.
In the third installment of the Studer Community Institute’s education report, we look at the growing body of research that supports the importance of early learning, the importance of getting parents involved in that process at all ages and at two programs working now in the Pensacola metro area to help bridge that gap.
In this report
-
Sandy Lyons reads to VPK students at Trinity Learning Center daycare
The foundation for learning begins long before elementary school
by Shannon Nickinson
Preschoolers last year participated in the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University. It showed how children learn to recognize letters, read words and comprehend what they see on a page.
-
Children in class repeating Pledge of Alligiance
The more children hear, the more they learn
by Shannon Nickinson
Thirty million words. That’s the difference between poor children and their better-off classmates. It boils down to that number in programs from the South Side of Chicago to the Pensacola Metro.
-
Two children reading a book
ECARE gives parents teaching tools and time
by Mollye Barrows
Leah Flood wants a good education for her three children and knows reading to them is important. The problem is finding the time.
-
Children in class with parents
WSRE’s Imagination Station gives parents the power to build readers
by Mollye Barrows
Lydia Weeks’ favorite place to hang out is with Super Why. Her mom, Monique Weeks, brings Lydia, 2, to Super Why’s place — also known as WSRE’s Imagination Station.
Join Our Newsletter