Sammy Mack / StateImpact Florida
Every morning, children at Education Station begin the day with a hug and a book.
贵濒辞谤颈诲补鈥檚 legislative session is months away, but educators and politicians are already talking about making early childhood education a priority.
鈥淓arly childhood is viewed as childcare, and not early childhood education, which it really is,鈥� says Dr. Susan Neimand, director of the School of Education at Miami Dade College, which runs a nationally recognized early learning center called Education Station.
鈥淲e know that the brain starts developing from the time the child is in the womb鈥攁nd the proper attention for that is not given,鈥� says Neimand.
LISTEN: Why Early Learning Matters To Florida Educators
From the infant room to the pre-K class, children at Education Station start their day with a hug and a book. It鈥檚 part of an evidence-based approach to cultivate learners. The center is staffed by professionals trained in child development and students from the school of education.
Research has shown that children who get high-quality early learning鈥攚here instructors are trained in child development and reading and learning are encouraged through play鈥攁re more likely graduate high school and go on to college. They鈥檙e less likely to end up in jail. As a result, the federal government estimates that every dollar invested in early learning can save about seven dollars in the future.
Sammy Mack / StateImpact Florida
It looks like finger paint, but it's really a display of motor skill development at Exploration Station.
鈥淚n order to be able to compete in a globalized world, it is very, very important that we鈥檙e able to provide this foundation in early education,鈥� says Dr. Eduardo Padr贸n, president of Miami Dade College.
But that foundation is not cheap. Full price for Exploration Station costs $650 to $900 dollars a month鈥攖hough most of the families receive a school discount or some kind of grant. The college subsidizes the building and all the facilities.
贵濒辞谤颈诲补鈥檚 program offers financial assistance to low income families for early learning programs across the state. But the wait list for that help is longer than 60,000.
Even if families can secure a spot, not all daycare centers offer the same early learning opportunities鈥攖hough there鈥檚 movement to improve early education quality in Florida. reports 贵濒辞谤颈诲补鈥檚 Early Learning Advisory Committee has backed a series of recommendations that would standardize training for daycare and pre-kindergarten staff and provide incentives for high-quality programs:
Rep. Marlene O鈥橳oole, R-Lady Lake, declared during an Oct. 10 House Education Committee meeting she intended to focus on daycare and pre-k programs during the spring session. 鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work to be done,鈥� O鈥橳oole said. 鈥淚t is more imperative than ever that we work together as a team to discuss what needs to be done.鈥� 鈥�
Members of the ELAC subcommittee zeroed in on the training requirements for people working with children in the various programs. The committee agreed to recommend a minimum age of 18 for people who lead/supervise a group of preschoolers. And, it also reached a consensus on age-appropriate training for people working directly with children.
Early learning is on the federal legislative agenda, too. President Barack Obama has proposed a plan that would cost $75 billion.
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