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Preschool Education In USA – Emerging Trends And Implications For Future

May 4th, 2010 8:42 pm


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.

Study Spanish Abroad And Language Immersion Courses

January 25th, 2010 3:12 am

Language immersion courses involve learning a second language by using it to communicate, rather than by studying it. Learners are asked to avoid using their first language, in the class room, or anywhere else. They are encouraged to use whatever limited skills they have, in the second language.

Popular Destinations for Learning Spanish

If you want to learn Spanish in Europe, Spain may be the best choice for you. There are also many other popular destinations like Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile and Argentina. Some towns in Mexico and Argentina also make you feel like you are in Europe. Mexico is one of the more popular destinations in Latin America, for learning Spanish.

If you like to visit faraway places, you can consider joining a Spanish course in Colombia, El Salvador or Honduras. Ecuador and Costa Rica are the right destination for you, if you love nature. Guatemala offers some of the cheapest Spanish courses. If you study Spanish abroad, you will not spend all your time in the classroom so choose a destination which appeals to you.

Choosing a Spanish School

For those who want to study Spanish abroad, Enforex offers Spanish language courses in 24 destinations in Spain and Latin America. You can join a Spanish course in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, or Peru. Enforex offers general and specialized Spanish courses for university students and adults. Programs and summer camps are also offered for juniors and teenagers.

Lingua Service Worldwide represents private foreign language schools all over the world. If you want to study Spanish abroad, you can choose from the many Spanish immersion schools in Spain and Latin America, which are affiliated to Lingua Service Worldwide. Spanish immersion courses are available in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Uruguay.

If you want to study Spanish abroad, choose a country that you would like to visit. Keep your purpose and budget in mind, while selecting a Spanish language school. Consider practicing with educational technologies or a local school before you go, and be sure to keep up you language skills after you return.