School Readiness

Term Paper # 104916

Canadian Studies
Child, Youth Issues
Education > Early Childhood

This paper examines the differences in the level of school readiness in Canadian preschool children.

1,838 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2008 | United States

Published on: Jun 25, 2008

Paper Summary:

The paper interviews three school teachers and a Coordinator from the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program who all discuss how and why children in Canada come to school with varying levels of readiness. The paper explains the differences in family background and the impacts of socio-economic factors. The paper also discusses how parent education is necessary in order to emphasize that they are their children's first and most important teachers. Additinaooy, the paper notes that children can benefit from high quality preschool programs, which can help to compensate for the limitations of their family backgrounds.

Outline:
Introduction and Literature Review
Description of Participants and Procedures
Summary and Discussion of Interview Data

From the Paper:

"There are many reasons for the differences in levels of school readiness. For example, it is important to bear in mind that family backgrounds vary enormously in Canada, as it is a multicultural country with an active immigration policy. This impacts crucial aspects of the family background. For example, more and more parents do not speak English; and some parents may be dealing with cultural dissonance and acculturation (King and Goodwin, 2002). Further, King and Goodwin (2002) point out that by 2020, 46% of the public school population will be children of colour. They also quote from parents who have difficulty communicating with teachers because they (the parents) do not speak English, or they do not think in English."

Sample of Sources Used:

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Markman, L. B. (2005). The Contribution of Parenting to Ethnic and Racial Gaps in School Readiness. The Future of Children, 15(1), 139+.
Cowan, P. A., Cowan, C. P., Ablow, J. C., Johnson, V. K., & Measelle, J. R. (Eds.). (2005). The Family Context of Parenting in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Henderson, A.T. (1987). The evidence continues to grow: Parent involvement improves students. Columbia, MD: National Committee for Citizens Education.
HIPPYCANADA Home instruction for parents of preschool youngsters. (N.d.). Program Brochure.
King, Sabrina Hope and Goodwin, A. Lin. (2002). Culturally responsive parental involvement: Concrete understandings and basic strategies. Washington: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.