School for 3 year olds: Preschool Programs for Ages 3

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The Unintended Consequences of Universal Preschool

One of the hallmarks of President Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan is its ambitious proposal to create something tantamount to universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. The plan calls for a national partnership with states that, when fully implemented, could put five million children into high-quality programs and save the average American family $13,000 per year.

The proposal has a long way to go before becoming a reality. And with the Senate split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, there is a chance the program may not materialize at all. But even the prospect of universal preschool, long embraced by other developed nations, is ginning up a great deal of attention and interest from the public, especially after a hard year that has revealed to many families just how critical early care and education is to a healthy, functioning U. S. workforce, not to mention its importance for young children.

Yet the proposal alone will not close critical gaps in child care and preschool, and experts warn there could be unintended consequences—for families, educators and young children. That’s because the landscape of modern child care operates as something of a patchwork in the U.S., and profitability (or even sustainability) can be difficult to come by. But experts say it can be done well, provided the program is well-resourced in the long term.

We can’t be afraid of the size of the budget that’s required.”

“We can’t be afraid of the size of the budget that’s required,” says Mary King, a professor of economics emerita at Portland State University, adding that compared to what is needed to fund K-12 schools, it’s a drop in the bucket. “It’s just a few years of education, and it’s critical that whatever we do is high-quality.”

Cost/Benefit

The benefits of high-quality, widely accessible preschool go well beyond economics, and decades of research have shown the lasting impact of high-quality early childhood education. A few years ago, a group of researchers examined a clutch of studies from the past 60 years and found that children who attended high-quality early childhood education programs were more likely to graduate from high school, less likely to be placed in special education programs, and less likely to be required to repeat a grade.

As early childhood educators know, from birth to age 5, children’s brains grow more rapidly than at any other time, making those critical years for learning and development. Yet, notably, as the child care system in the U.S. currently operates, some families are able to access high-quality early care and education, while families prohibited by cost and access are often left behind for the long-term.

A number of cities and states have taken note of this, along with research on the impact on the workforce and economy more generally, and have implemented their own universal preschool programs over the years. (They have also, no doubt, seen the studies showing that for every dollar spent on early childhood education, there is a 13 percent return on investment year-over-year. )

Truly universal pre-K programs—those that are open to everyone, though enrollment is not mandatory—exist in New York City, Vermont, Florida, and the District of Columbia, among other places. Joining their ranks are Colorado and Multnomah County, Ore., thanks to measures approved in the November 2020 election, though these plans will take some time to become truly universal.

Experts say that past efforts have not always gotten it right. But they do offer a useful roadmap for the challenges ahead. EdSurge interviewed experts in early childhood education and child care markets to understand what the Biden administration must consider—and ultimately include—in its plan to make good on the plan’s promise that a federal universal preschool program would be high-quality, accessible and inclusive.

The Impact on Infant and Toddler Care

Biden’s plan would provide care and education for 3- and 4-year-olds. But what about infants and toddlers, who also experience profound benefits from early childhood education and for whom seats are already in short supply and costs are incredibly high?

The expansion of public preschool options may reduce—and in some cases has reduced—the availability of infant and toddler programming in that area. In New York City, universal pre-K options include both private providers and public schools, with private providers compensated by the government for enrolling students. When the city expanded its universal preschool program to include 4-year olds in 2014, it produced a shift, as existing child care programs that previously had toddler and infant spots raced to serve newly-eligible pre-K students.

That led to fewer seats available for children under age 2—about 2,700 fewer, according to a working paper published four years later by Jessica Brown, an assistant professor in the department of economics at the University of South Carolina. Worryingly, the effects were concentrated in the lowest-income areas of the city. Those losses account for a reduction in about 15 to 20 percent of the total availability of infant/toddler care in the city, she says.

The expansion of universal preschool also affected the quality of infant and toddler care. In her research, Brown found that private child care programs located near new universal preschool sites had incurred more inspection violations and received more public complaints, often related to incomplete health records, failing to run background checks on staff, hiring staff with criminal records and improper cleaning and sanitation practices. This trend, too, affects the poorest neighborhoods the worst, further exacerbating inequities by race and socioeconomic status.

What’s going on here, Brown explains, is that as private child care programs lose older children to public pre-K sites, they also lose revenue. Eventually, they have to make a decision: either reduce costs by lowering quality, or shut down the business altogether.

Child care programs actually bring in the most revenue from their oldest children, Brown adds. While infant care is the most expensive for families, the low teacher-to-child ratios and safety requirements make it a less attractive option for providers who must balance tuition payments against labor costs.

The U.S. has never really considered providing universal care and education from birth to age 5. So the solution may lie in giving subsidies or financial incentives to child care providers who offer infant and toddler care. This is the approach that Multnomah County, which encompasses the city of Portland, Ore. , is taking.

The Multnomah County universal pre-K plan includes an Infant and Toddler Slot Preservation Fund that can offer up to $25 million a year in incentives for providers who retain spots for younger children and who increase their wages for educators who work with children ages 0-2, helping to preserve the workforce.

Such an approach would need to be factored into Biden’s funding package, and it would raise the already eye-popping price tag on his plan. But experts say it would be the responsible way to implement universal preschool.

Pay Increases for Early Childhood Educators

Public preschool can hurt the quality and availability of infant and toddler care in other ways. Namely, many public programs offer more competitive wages and benefits than private options can afford to do, drawing more-qualified educators away from their current roles and adding to the field’s already-high turnover rate. This affects children of all ages who aren’t served by or enrolled in universal preschool sites, not just infants and toddlers.

“It connects to quality because having experienced teachers and continuity of care are so important, especially given how important bonds are between caretaker and child,” says Gregory Brender, director of public policy at the Day Care Council of New York, a federation of child care providers. “Consistency of caretakers is a marker of quality.”

Raising pay for teachers hired by universal preschool programs is well-intentioned and necessary, experts say. But it could run private child care programs out of business, as skilled educators flock to the more lucrative positions and private programs are left with no room in the budget to offer financial incentives to encourage staff to stay.

“The biggest challenge in New York City was losing staff. They’d go where they could be paid higher, at the teacher and director level,” says Brender. “We’d hope we could also see an investment [in Biden’s plan] that could support staff—teachers and directors—in infant and toddler programs. ”

Any well-designed universal preschool program, he adds, would lay out a path to establishing salary parity industry-wide.

The average pay for child care workers in the U.S. is currently $11.65 an hour, and for preschool teachers it’s $14.67, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley. Biden’s plan would seek to create a $15 minimum wage for child care workers and preschool teachers.

That’s an improvement, but it is also an insult, says King, the professor emerita at Portland State University, who is involved with the Multnomah County universal preschool program. “It’s very upsetting,” she says emphatically. “That is not enough for people who create a really valuable public service with so many positive impacts. No, they need to double preschool salaries, as they are doing in Multnomah County.”

Multnomah County’s program includes the implementation of a wage adjustment for assistant teachers to a minimum of 75 percent of lead teachers. It’s a model King believes should be copied nationwide, a sentiment that others share.

With a big public program like this, if it pays too little, it will cement low wages into this labor market.”

Whatever age group they teach, early childhood educators ought to earn salaries on par with elementary school teachers, King says, noting that elementary school teachers “do not earn a lot, in the scheme of things.”

“With a big public program like this, if it pays too little, it will cement low wages into this labor market,” King says. “Paying $25,000 a year—that’s just wrong. And it doesn’t keep skilled, dedicated people in the classroom.”

King’s research bears that out. In a recent publication for the Scholars Strategy Network, she noted that only 18 percent of women who earned college degrees in early childhood education are working in early childhood education. By contrast, 78 percent of women with nursing degrees are employed as nurses.

“That’s absolutely because you cannot support yourself and your family on wages earned in early childhood education,” King explains.

Pony Up, or Don’t Bother

For universal preschool to be done well, it can’t be done halfway or half-heartedly, experts say. That’s because a variety of factors contribute to program quality, including appropriate staffing, fair teacher compensation, curriculum, credentialing requirements, staff professional development and child assessments. All of these elements come with a price tag.

Several states have implemented or expanded public pre-K without putting up adequate resources and funding, King says. In those states, the “government option” is seen as a lower quality one than private child care programs. To avoid that happening with a federal program, the Biden administration and Congress must be ready to fund preschool meaningfully, she adds.

Biden’s plan calls for a $200 billion investment in free, universal preschool over an unspecified period of time. By comparison, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) proposal calls for $700 billion over 10 years. Other estimates, including ones from the National Academy of Sciences and the National Women’s Law Center, suggest that a successful system to support children from birth to age 5 requires between $140 and $495 billion per year.

Account for Working Families and Non-traditional Schedules

One of the real drawbacks of universal preschool programs—especially when the new preschools are embedded in K-12 public schools—is that they tend to follow K-12 schedules, meaning shorter school days and abbreviated school years.

For an increasing number of families, this arrangement does not align with their realities. Many need early-morning and late-night hours, as well as year-round care and education.

“A lot of parents need a longer day of care,” says Brender of the Dare Care Council of New York. “Pre-K that has the flexibility to support that is important.”

If you leave out care and preschool for those days and hours, you leave them out.”

Programs that simply adapt to K-12 schedules will inevitably leave out the families who stand to benefit the most from a free, public preschool program. These include low-income families, single parents and Black and brown families, all of whom are overrepresented in industries and jobs that require overnight shifts and weekend work.

Restaurant and hotel workers, health care professionals, home health aides—all of these jobs come with irregular and unpredictable work schedules, King explains. “If you leave out care and preschool for those days and hours,” she says, “you leave them out.” Some public preschool options, she believes, should be set up to operate with “drop-in” hours. This might require overtime or incentive pay for the early childhood educators who agree to work those hours, King acknowledges, but it is the only way to implement universal preschool equitably.

“We really need to make sure that any big public program is centering the needs of people with the least access now, so that their families are included,” King says.

English for children and teenagers

English for children

A house is built from the foundation, and the foundations of the language are laid from childhood

From a period when everything happens like a game and a self-evident process – easily and naturally. It is at this time that the human brain is most receptive to information, which speeds up the learning process. You should not miss this moment, because the child learns English at the level of acquaintance with life: enthusiastically and smartly. And knowledge of the world language is the road to the future: with excellent grades at school and good manners, with travel and impressions, with a prestigious job, foreign friends or life abroad

English for children in ILS is divided by age

It is better to start at 2-3 years old

when the child’s hearing is adjusted to the perception of English speech. The kid absorbs every letter and pronunciation without any effort. Children do not translate from Russian before speaking, but immediately speak English. Immerse yourself in the language environment through daily activities, developmental programs and acquire a life-saving skill

It’s not too early to learn if it’s English for toddlers at the ILS Language School:

From 2 to 6 years old

2-3 times a week

40 minutes

Price: 700₽/session

English for the little ones is a whole world that kids love to explore

Little kids love to listen to fairy tales , but how glad they are to be in the role of heroes. And there is such an opportunity in the classroom at our schools in Moscow and other cities. Rhyming rhymes, teasers, songs, cartoons – everything that girls and boys love, we use in training. Thanks to the acting skills of ILS teachers, the lessons are held like a holiday – emotionally and dynamically. A teacher in class is like an animator on a stage – in the process of playing, children grasp spoken words and simple phrases, easily repeat and express themselves in English

Experts from the International Education Center ILS recommend offline learning in a group for 2-3 year olds

The child learns to communicate with his peers and other adults. When entering a kindergarten, adaptation will be easy, because the team for children will not be the first time. In lessons on topics: holidays, traditions, customs, natural phenomena – the children get to know the world and broaden their horizons. After an English course at ILS, parents will not have to hire a tutor, because the children will come to a comprehensive school with sufficient knowledge for good grades.

By investing in your children’s education today, you will save yourself from future expenses.

It’s no secret that the prices of goods and services are getting more expensive every day, and an hour of lessons with a private teacher will cost much more over time films in the original, this is an opportunity to communicate with foreign friends and guests, this is the path to success.

Online training in groups, no more than 6 people

For the convenience of parents who cannot always bring their child to school according to the schedule, there is online training in groups of no more than 6 people. Experienced ILS teachers know how to find a common language with children and treat each kid with attention and care. On a convenient interactive platform, the child orients himself and presses the necessary buttons. While the baby is learning to read and speak English in the game, mothers can relax or do household chores. No need to spend money on expensive study guides – everything you need for training is available.

Learn while saving time and money with ILS Online!

English language courses for children – pre-school and developmental classes for preschoolers at ILS

From 3 to 7 years old

2 times a week

40 minutes

Price: 700₽/lesson to be modern

4 children are initially attracted to foreign languages ​​

They do not set specific goals for themselves and study English because it is interesting for them at this stage of life. However, over time, learning a language, like any business, can just get boring. We take care of parents and support interest in learning throughout the entire English course. Girls and boys do not like to be asked to, and it is important that they study with desire. Our methodology: a game format that is understandable and exciting for every child.

Group English classes for children

an opportunity to express yourself and compete in skills, striving to be equal or better than others. This is the development of memory and logical thinking in the process of joint games, communication with other children and the teacher, new behaviors and a lively conversation in English

Individual English lessons for children

child – sign up for individual lessons. We will select a teacher taking into account your wishes, and he will become a friend for your child. The teacher will build a program, and the pace of the lesson can be set by the children – in case of misunderstanding, you can ask to explain again

Learn in a fun, stress-free way at the language clubs for kids and teens at ILS!

Cooking a delicious cake, watching your favorite cartoon or reading an interesting book and speaking English, listening and understanding your interlocutor — visitors choose the topics of the club according to their interests. In the company of peers and certified teachers: Russian and native speakers to spend time for their own benefit. Children join the exciting process and master the material faster

Conversation clubs

Ages 6 and up

Once a week

60-80 minutes

Conversation clubs help preschoolers and teens ages 7 to 14 learn how to behave in a group

respect other people’s opinions and maintain conversation, express themselves and think in English perceive spoken language by ear. The child always looks at mom and dad, tries to imitate his parents and take an example from them. If you are not yet familiar with English, the moment has come – learn an international language with the whole family in Moscow, without going abroad. Start attending classes, get acquainted with foreign culture, listen to foreign hits and watch English-language series or programs. Connect with English in everyday life and make English a family hobby! Make it a habit to read books with your children before bed – start with fairy tales known to everyone, the content of which you know, or books with explanatory illustrations. Get together on weekends or in the evenings for board games in English.

Choose an educational institution where your children will receive knowledge, not by the price of English courses, but by the rating of the school.

Since 2003, ILS has been teaching foreign languages ​​to children: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese

Own developed network of schools in Moscow and other cities

Communicative approach – learning the language in the process of constant interaction between all students and the teacher

World recognition: dozens of awards and thousands of testimonials

Expert in teaching children

More than 100 teachers: Russian and foreign with international certificates and experience of 3 years or more

Accredited examination center

Individual work with each student, regular testing and monitoring of learning outcomes

The best language camp full stay

More than 30,000 trained students

Childhood is a time of discovery and beginnings, games and fun

Memories of a carefree time pass through a lifetime. So let the study of English at ILS not only remain in memory, but open up a new world for children!

Developing schools for children in Moscow, developing schools for children from 3 years old, from the year

New knowledge, the ability to be in a team, the ability to independently explore – this is what developing schools for children from 3 years old provide, such as our children’s center “Constellation”. For our classes, we have chosen an amazing Montessori method that helps to raise a child as a harmonious and comprehensively developed personality.

Three-year-old crumbs are the heroes of the “disobedience holiday”, capable of bringing parents to white heat. If you have already attended our classes at a developing school for children up to a year, then of course you know that kids really want to explore the world and achieve this using the methods available to them. At the age of three, dealing with little rebels is not easy – but in fact, they need to be given freedom of expression! The educator and teacher will definitely find a way to occupy the attention of the crumbs and give them the opportunity to show their talents. And kids have a lot of them!

Our programs

What do we do in our developmental school for children from 3 years old? We do not have boring lessons and strict teachers, so our pupils love classes and do not want to leave them. Still, there are so many fascinating subjects waiting for them:

• The world around, reading and writing;
• Fundamentals of counting and geometry;
• English;
• Music, fitness and rhythm.

And also – special workshops, role-playing games and much, much more. An early development school for children is a great way to “unload” parents for a few hours, while their children visit the magical land of Montessori with interest and delight, learn new information and learn to work independently or together with other kids. And their progress is monitored by qualified teachers, a speech therapist and a psychologist.

Come to the school of early development for children “Sozvezdie”

Do you need a school for the development of children up to a year? Classes for crumbs 2-3 years old or adaptive preparation for kindergarten? We will always offer you various training programs in terms of intensity and duration.