According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNICEF, proper early childhood programs can produce more agile minds, better school attendance, lower repetition and dropout rates and stronger academic skills. And at a time, when most parents are increasingly finding it difficult to spend adequate time with their children in USA, playschools or preschools in USA, by providing early childhood care and education, have come to play a very significant role in the proper development of skills and ethics of the future American citizens. Therefore, it is very important to take stock of the emerging trends in the preschool education of USA and analyze the implications they bear for the future.

Preschool Education in USA:

United States of America has a federal structure and education is primarily a State and local responsibility. This is reflected well in the expenditure pattern on America’s education. While the local communities, private organizations and State agencies contribute more than ninety percent of education budget; federal expenditure generally remains below ten percent. States and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds are involved in establishing schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment in educational institutes of USA.

Emerging trends in Preschool education of USA:
While, by allowing private players to provide elementary education, a healthy competition is sought to be promoted among the playschools in USA, the government is also taking some measures to make preschool education available for all. In order to make early childhood education and care available for the disadvantaged section of American society, the U.S department of education sets aside the Title-I grants. Moreover, the Early Reading First program, established in the No Child Left Behind Act, provides competitive grants to school districts and pre-school programs, such as Head Start centers. The grants fund the development of model programs to support the school readiness of preschool-aged children, particularly those from low-income families. In order to make the children with disabilities succeed in their life, the Special Education Preschool Grants and State Grants program are constituted. They would provide formula grants to states to make quality preschool education in USA available for the 3- to 5-year-old children with disabilities. Thus, while several preschools in USA are making profit by taking care of the young children, some measures are also being taken to make quality early child care available to the marginalized sections of the society as the Bush administration has promoted the “Good Start, Grow Smart” policy when it comes to preschool education in USA.

However, all is not hunky-dory when we look at the state of preschool education in USA and despite all the efforts to provide quality preschool education to all, preschool fees in several parts of USA have gone sky high. According to the Forbes magazine, the admission fee in some of the preschools has crossed $30,000. The admission fee in New York’s Ethical Culture Fieldstone School has gone up to $ 30, 440. Another preschool in New York, bank Street charges $ 27, 450 and the Center for Early Education in Los Angels charges $ 15, 400. This rising admission cost of preschools in USA paints a picture of preschool education in USA that is in sharp contrast to the European model where most countries prefer to provide state sponsored free quality preschool education.

Conclusion:

While competition among the preschools to provide best facilities and education cannot be dubbed as bad, a check on the rising cost of preschool education in some of the preschools in USA would definitely help driving away feelings of alienation from the various sections of American population and help in producing quality human capital for the nation.

Preschool teachers are crucial to a successful preschool experience. For many children, preschool colors the way that they forever look at school; it is this first experience that should foster a lifelong love of learning and an overall sense of comfort and achievement within the preschool environment. Preschool teachers will often take basic concepts and incorporate them into play. Children at this age learn through play concepts that incorporate all of their senses. While they are having fun and practicing essential social concepts – being respectful of each other, taking turns, etc. – they are unaware that they are even absorbing educational concepts. Effective preschool teachers are able to engage the preschooler and offer lessons through these playful avenues.

Physical activities, such as ball play, foster hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, writing games sharpen fine motor skills, card games help to encourage memory retention, and games focused on books instill a love of reading and language. Preschool teachers, in many cases, are extremely involved in the development of the curriculum – incorporating ABC’s, math, social sciences, and history through learning games. Today’s modern preschool teachers also have the computer at their disposal; computer games designed for preschoolers teach a variety of fun-filled lessons through the use of color, sound, and interactive games.

Qualifications for preschool teachers vary according to state however accreditation in some capacity is unilaterally required. State regulations dictate the level of education preschool teachers must have. But ultimately, the most important qualification for preschool teachers is the ability to instill a joy of learning that stays with their young students for a lifetime