AKRON, Ohio-Andrea Sanchez, a longtime Akron resident, mother, veteran teacher, and doctoral student in early childhood education at Kent State University, responds to the Beacon Journal’s editorial advocating for universal pre-K in Akron. She urges the Akron Public Schools’ Board of Education and curriculum directors to consider both the developmental needs of young children and the professional needs of teachers in implementing the program.
Sanchez highlights the importance of not solely focusing on “kindergarten readiness” as determined by standardized assessments, but also on unconstrained skills such as social interaction, emotional regulation, verbal expression, and independence. She references a study on the impact of state-funded pre-K in Tennessee, noting that while pre-K attendees performed better academically in kindergarten, by sixth grade they had lower achievement scores and increased disciplinary issues.
