Introduction
Learning institutions where children go to learn before attending mandatory primary school is referred to as a preschool. This establishment is tasked with identifying these juveniles’ cognitive skills. They may also be called nurseries, daycares, or even playschools, depending on the region they are based. Mostly, the children are between 2 and 6 years old. Curriculum varies from one institution to another. Among other skills developed here are their social, language, and emotional skills, which greatly equip them for life.
Policy Issue
The preschool sector is one of the major sectors of society, and the government has a great pull on all the involved parties. This is because in these institutions lies the future of the entire nation. Consequently, a peaceful coexistence framework has been created in the form of policies to guide the operations and management of the establishments (Allemann-Ghionda et al., 2011). Such policies try to address the underlying drivers of the sector. The major determinants of the day-to-day running of the facilities. There are differences which become issues.
How society views children is the core issue affecting every other chain aspect. What role do the family and the government play in the child’s life, and what is the impact of both influences on the child’s psychological well-being? The care these establishments give may or may not be worth the education offered to the children. All these boil down to the challenge of policy choices. How and why are certain policies given preference over others, who should make them, whom it benefits versus who will pay for it and whom it benefits most?
The policy issue has become one meandering problem that never seems to be conclusively dealt with. Over time, due to the rapidly rising divergence of the modern world, more demand on quality, care, cost and education has become apparent. Hence, the parties involved in the field are always caught up in a tussle over policies. This has, in turn, developed heated debates concerning the policy issues presented in an attempt to even the ground for all participants.
Explanation Of Debate
Given the above circumstances, it becomes inevitable to debate the issue of whether there should be an increase in preschool spots for children. The debate is centred around the significant policy issues that have been identified. It is every child’s right to attend preschool since this is a fundamental human right. The government is able and should be subsidizing the cost of managing these institutions. Due to their gesture, the parent would have to pay a smaller fee for their children.
There should be more diversified preschools to fit the ever-changing urban structure. Over the last few years, astronomical social and demographic changes have occurred. Children born into the diversifying world should not suffer this discrimination due to a lapse in participation by sector shareholders (Neuman & Celano, 2015). Preschools should be easily accessible and offer equal and unbiased opportunity to all children. This is not to say that quality should never be compromised. Taking children to such facilities would only be useful if no substantial difference is observed.
Considering the human side of the preschool field, we should consider the people employed. Thus, policies concerning the human cost should also be checked. Children’s opinion in public policy is crucial, and denying them the chance to attend preschool is catastrophic. Parents who deny their children the right to attend preschool should be held accountable by the government and society.
Why Change Is Necessary
It is widely known that change is inevitable and can never be suppressed. Thus, even in the preschool sector, change is necessary. With the ever-changing structure of the world, there needs to be ways of protecting children. Giving them the relevant skills for life is essential, and what better way to start than making preschools accessible? The necessity to equip children to deal with problems in their time can never be overlooked.
Countries with high levels of first-head intake in preschools have displayed improved growth, with the average GDP (gross domestic income) shown to go up (Halim et al., 2018). Illiteracy levels going down has extensively translated to more peaceful and prosperous nations. Other than this, the level of equality needs to be improved since it has been observed that children from low-income families have a 75% chance of missing early childhood education (Sukumaran, n.d.). Change should be implemented to tackle this disparity that comes due to the constraints of the economy.
Generally, change must be applied to better the institutions and leave them better. We are responsible for improving our facilities, including preschools, to enhance the platform for later generations. Every one of us is responsible for participating in developing these institutions. Also, in an attempt to have a more synchronized society where people with overlapping personalities and historical backgrounds coexist harmoniously, preschool should be easily accessible.
My Solution
To tackle the imbalance evident in the preschool sector of the education system, I suggest a different policy to the one in use. The decentralization of education would be of great importance. This is so since it will diversify the platform of preschool education. The availability of different expertise under such legislation would be fine.
To create access to preschools, there would be increased cooperation between the government and private sector in conjunction with the parents. This would greatly assist in creating a conducive atmosphere for the children, facilitating good learning conditions (Bank et al., 2015). The idea is to have a well-developed, established, and cutting across cost, care, quality, and education.
Why Implement My Policy Suggestion
My policy suggestion eliminates bias and levels the field for children from all backgrounds. The decentralization of education would translate to more capital and better facilities. By creating room for other players to invest in education, knowledge will be diversified as each entrance has its library of knowledge (Weiland, 2016). This would also enlarge the scope of how education is managed, given the pool of expertise that the decentralization of education would bring about.
Future dilemmas will be avoided for the administration since the decentralization of education will present a hands-on approach to problems. Education on the shared platform will have recent and relevant information whose reality is in touch with our times. Practical problems will be solved quickly (Core Concepts in Sociology: Poverty & Education, 2017). Participation of children in public policy will be improved to a great extent. My policy suggestion is to provide the best that there can be for children.
Conclusion
There will always be better policies that all are content with. With a changing world, education will change with it to suit the needs of the times. To cater for the problem of today, which in turn might prevent calamity tomorrow. It is unjust that some individuals suffer financial inadequacy, denying them a fundamental human right. The government and concerned stakeholders should find ways to create regulations to facilitate access to education for such people. Preschool education is vital for self-development since it feeds the growth of cognitive skills. These skills play a huge role in a person’s entire life; thus, it is a right.
References
Allemann-Ghionda, C., Hagemann, K., & Jarausch, K. H. (2011). Children, families, and states: Time childcare, preschool, and primary education policies in Europe. Berghahn Books.
Bank, I. D., & Schady, N. (2015). The early years: Child wellbeing and the role of public policy. Springer.
Core concepts in sociology: Poverty & Education. (2017). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071827420
Halim, D., Johnson, H., & Perova, E. (2018). Does access to preschool increase women’s employment? https://doi.org/10.1596/31486
Neuman, S. B., & Celano, D. C. (2015). Giving our children a fighting chance: Poverty, literacy, and the development of information capital. Teachers College Press.
Sukumaran, S. N. (n.d.). Perceptions and practices of inclusion in Malaysian integrated preschools. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.17142668
Weiland, C. (2016). Launching preschool 2.0: A road map to high-quality public programs at scale. Behavioral Science & Policy, 2(1), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1353/bsp.2016.0005
write