Equity Challenge Day 13:
Early Childhood

Something to Consider:

“We must acknowledge the broader diversity in and of the African American experience and celebrate that all Black children are born geniuses. Black students continue to pursue educational excellence despite the many unnecessary obstacles they face due to constructions and perceptions of race, class, gender, and sexual orientations in America.”
Early Starts and Long-Term Success

From infancy through high school, children's educational outcomes are dependent on the quality of their learning experience. Quality early childhood education, in particular, has been shown to have a significant positive effect on future success, because brain circuits are developing actively then. In fact, 85% of the brain's development happens before a child enters kindergarten. We know how important early childhood education is, yet only 41% of 3 and 4 year olds are enrolled in licensed preschool in Allegan County. As shown in our Community Assessment on page 12.

Social and emotional health are also key to children’s development, we know that poverty, trauma and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have sustained, negative impacts on children’s ability to succeed. Dr. Roy Wade notes that “We see higher levels of childhood adversity among minority populations, but we need to acknowledge the role that historical inequities and disenfranchisement play in creating the environment in which such traumatic experiences are more likely to occur.”

Did you know? Inequities in education start early with lifelong impacts on children and communities. This gap in opportunity is not due to individual actions, but rather on present social and economic conditions.

  • High quality childcare is costly. - an average married couple in Michigan sends 22% of their annual income on childcare. Reflect back on Day 12 and consider how the high cost acts as a barrier to a family living in poverty's access to high quality programs for their children.
  • Until third grade, children are learning to read. After third grade, they are reading to learn. In Ottawa County only 38% of third grade Blacks are reading at or above grade level; while their peers are at 41% Hispanics and 70% Whites.
  • Researchers have found that “the persistence of the educational achievement gap imposes on the United States the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession” (McKinsey & Company 2009, 6).

Share your reflections on today’s topic on social media using the hashtag #unitedforequity and tag @acuw.
Join the Conversation

Our SECOND LEDA LiveStream Community Conversation on Equity is today at 2pm! 

Join us on Facebook or YouTube for a talk with Robyn Afrik, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Gloria Lara, Executive Director of Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, and Liz DeLaLuz, VP of Community Impact of Greater Ottawa County United Way. Hope to see you there!
Today’s Challenge

Option 1:  Listen and watch this TED Talk (The Economic Case for Preschool) by Timothy Bartik who makes the macro-economic case for preschool education -- and explains why you should be happy to invest in it, even if you don't have kids that age (or kids at all). The economic benefits of well-educated kids, it turns out, go well beyond the altruistic.

Option 2: Learn about Help Me Grow-Allegan and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ3). They are fun to take as well as confidential and secure! Answer the questions about your child and in a day or two, you’ll receive feedback to help celebrate your child’s abilities along with age-appropriate activities and even suggested resources to support your family.

Option 3: Read this U.S. News article on how ‘Education Inequality Starts Early’ for children in households with low incomes.

Option 4: Watch this 2-minute CBS News report on how systemic racism persists in early childhood education, where black preschool students are disproportionately facing harsh punishments, like suspension.