Thursday, July 18, 2013

Graphics & research: US lags behind OECDs in pre-K school enrollment, investment, and resources for working mothers

Some resources from the Center for American Progress:

Just one of the graphics at the following article
Interactive Map: The United States Is Getting Beat on Preschool, May 2, 2013



Just part of the graphic at the following article
Infographic: We’re Getting Beat on Preschool, May 2, 2013


Article, The United States Is Far Behind Other Countries on Pre-K, May 2, 2013, by Juliana Hermand and Sasha Post

By Sarah Jane Glynn, Jane Farrell, and Nancy Wu
Access to pdf file for report
Excerpt from the beginning:
The numbers below show how far behind the United States is on preschool and make it evident that we need to implement the president’s plan. If the United States is to train a world-class workforce, we have to catch up to the rest of the world on pre-K.
Today: We’re far behind
To put it plainly, the United States is getting beat when it comes to preschool. On almost every element, the United States ranks behind most of the other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. We rank:
*26th in preschool participation for 4-year-olds
*24th in preschool participation for 3-year-olds
*22nd in the typical age that children begin early childhood-education programs
*15th in teacher-to-child ratio in early childhood-education programs
*21st in total investment in early childhood education relative to country wealth
These rankings do not befit the United States. Given the importance of early childhood education to future student success, the United States must take these rankings seriously. We need to do better.

And a related article:
The Importance of Preschool and Child Care for Working Mothers, Center for American Progress, May 8, 2013, by Sarah Jane Glynn, Jane Farrell, and Nancy Wu
Thumbnail on importance of pre-K access:
Why expanding pre-K access would benefit children and parents *Only 6 out of 10 kindergarten programs in America are open for full-day enrollees. Increased funding for Head Start and child care subsidies together can encourage extended hours to better accommodate parents’ work schedules.
*Enabling more women to work by improving access to child care can help mitigate the gender wage gap and reduce a mother’s likelihood of going on public assistance.
*Lower costs and increased access to child care can lead to a decrease in the number of women leaving employment and an increase in the rate of entering employment, enabling mothers to keep working when they want or need to do so.

No comments:

Post a Comment