If not now, when?

Greetings,

This week I learned of a blog post in the New York Times that talks about the important role of parents as their children’s first teachers and I wanted to share it with you.

Wil Okun is a Chicago school teacher who teaches English and Photography. One of his recent blog posts “If Not Now” asks questions about the level of involvement parents have in their children’s learning between the ages of zero to five.

In his post he asks
• Why are some parents not teaching their infants basic skills like numbers, colors, letters and objects?
• If the period between ages zero to five is the most important in a child’s development, why is early childhood education and care not a national priority?
• Should the government play a larger role in early childhood development or should that responsibility continue to rest primarily in the hands of the individual families?
• Can a child who is already academically deficient as early as Head Start or Kindergarten ever catch up to grade level, and if so, how?
• How can we get parents involved in their children’s pre-K education and how can we maintain that educational involvement into college?

Mr Okun’s blog and his questions certainly hit a chord with readers. There are more than 170 comments to his blog post. The views and opinions vary greatly, and I think its exciting to see these questions being raised by an individual outside the field of early learning. I hope you will take a moment to read what he has to say and let me (and him) know what you think. Do you agree, disagree or have something to add?

Let me know what you are thinking. It is always great to hear from you.