Becky Felts’ Column
The old saying, “everything I needed to know about life, I learned in kindergarten” holds a good amount of truth to it.
As I scan my bookshelf, I still have the old books my mother used to read to me before I was in school. In my office, are the “Becky” books my aunt bought for me. Bless her heart, whenever she saw a book with my name Becky on it, she bought it and signed it with an inscription that said “As the twig is bent so the tree grows.”
These childhood books remind me of the enriched family environment in which I was raised. An environment surrounded by special books just for me, stimulating places that provided spontaneous learning and rich conversations and words that my three-year-old mind soaked up like a dry sponge. My childhood was filled with love and learning for which I am grateful.
I am proud to say that in Oklahoma, we recognize and acknowledge the value of early childhood education. By January 2011, every district must offer full-day kindergarten and many of our schools will have four-year-old programs.
Economically disadvantaged families are least likely to have monetary or social resources to provide the development every child needs as a BASIC opportunity for success in school.
The problems start early if they are not addressed early. According to PAES, Partnership for America’s Economic Success (www.partnershipforsuccess.org),
• By age 3, children of parents using social services like public housing or food stamps have a vocabulary of about 500 words compared to 1,200 words for children of college-educated parents.
• By age 5, a child’s brain reaches 85% of its adult weight and develops 700 neural synapses every second-the connections that help him learn.
Providing that development through early childhood programs pays dividends by providing better social and economic productivity later in life. Quality early childhood education for at-risk children can produce an annual rate of return as high as 16%, according to Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
All children should have effective early childhood development. Not all families are able to provide that development at home. That’s where, together as a public, we step in.
Here’s what a quality early childhood program looks like:
• A learning environment staffed by four-year degree teachers with specific training in early childhood education.
• Families and teachers exchanging information about the child’s development and learning progress.
• Well-balanced nourishing meals and snacks.
• Small teacher child ratios
• Teachers on bended knee speaking to children at eye-level and showing appropriate affection
• Children receiving a variety of stimuli in their daily routine using indoor and outdoor spaces, appropriate language, literacy, math, science, art, music, movement and dramatic play experiences.
• Children participating with teachers in individual, small-group and large-group activities.
Quality early childhood education is essential and helps give every child the firm foundation needed to be successful at each stage of their education and life. The love and learning I was exposed to early in my life has no doubt helped facilitate my success as an adult. This school year, support a great public school for every child.
- Felts is the Oklahoma Education Association president.
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Comments
Mr. Dutcher seems to believe that working outside the home is a choice for Oklahoma mothers, but for many, it is an absolute necessity. When my ex-husband disappeared and refused to pay child support thirteen years ago, I had the choice of paying either daycare or my house payment. Since I had to work in order to provide health insurance for my children, I chose to continue paying daycare, had to sell my house at a loss, and was blessed to be able to move in with my parents. Many Oklahoma mothers don’t have the blessings of supportive family, college degrees, and a job that offers health insurance. These mothers must either work or rely on the government for support. For many reasons, they are not able to provide the educational enrichment for their children that many stay-at-home-by choice mothers can provide. My mother stayed home with me and my siblings and was able to share her love of reading and appetite for current events because my father was responsible and worked to provide for us. What a luxury! Why don’t we concentrate on doing everything we can to provide support for those children whose mothers don’t have that luxury and support early childhood education rather than concentrating on tax breaks for those who already have the blessing of being able to live on one income and stay home with their children.
I live in a moderately small rural city. The average rent in this community is $450 to $500 per month for a 1 to 2 bedroom apt or duplex. That does not include utilities. A two parent home with two children would require that the household income be not less than $28440/yr in order to survive. Itemized expenses would likely be Rent $450, Utilities $150/mo, Food $400/mo, health insurance, if available – $800/mo at a minimum, auto expenses $200/mo/1 car, gasoline $170/mo, clothing $50/mo, miscellaneous $100/mo, would include deductibles for health insurance and or meds, entertainment $50/mo, If the children were in school there would be many more required expenses. If the children were not in school there would be additional expenses related to accessories for young children. These are minimums and would not be affedted by any tax credits since they probably wouldn’t have any tax burden.
The working parent would have to take home an avg. weekly salary of $546.92. In order to do that he/she would have to make a minimum of $18.00 per hour. Wally World doesn’t pay anywhere near that wage nor does any other business within $50 miles. Where does the wage earner work and how could they live on one income that is likely to be less than half($7.50-$8.00/hr tops) of the minimum hourly rate required by the previous example. With both parents working there is a likelyhood that together they might get to within 90% of the minimum required. Oklahoma is a “Right to Work” state which only serves to drive down wages as well as a “Low Tax State” which only serves to place most of the tax burden on the lower and middle income people as a % of income. This is why there are so many 2 wage earner families in Oklahoma and that funding early childhood education and adequate funding of public schools are essential. Stay at home moms are fictional except to the upper income elites in Oklahoma. Brandon Dutchers of the world live in LaLa Land.
In addition, the situation is not a lot different in the urban areas of this state.
Ironically, the states with the higher taxes have a much better wage/hr and a better standard of living. They also have a much better quality of life index.
Ever cross the state lines and notice how nice the roads are or go to Arkansas and look at the best funded schools in the region? Texans pay 2 to 3 times the property taxes that we do. When you reduce the income taxes there must be additional taxes collected either from property owners, corporations, or sales taxes. Where is the revenue source for Oklahoma? When you reduce government in Oklahoma you are reducing education funding. Hello!
Becky is right. The children need early education. Learning starts earlier with reading and math in kdg. They need to be reading in first grade now. No child left behind leaves no choices. School for working parents and low income parent’s children is a must. Public education for all who walk through the doors is the way it should be reguardless of behavior, handicap, or income. School choice is not a choice if you cannot get your children to the school. Education for all children ages 4 to 21 is a right.
Becky, I agree fully with anything that gives little ones an equal start! My life has been education, I am retired, but I am still subbing part time. I can use the extra money, but my love for children has not vanished at all. Becky I am so proud of you for being the OEA President! What a great leader you are, because your heart is with education. Remember me from The National Democratic Convention in 2000! Have a great year!!!!!!!! Mary Whitworth
Mrs. Felts is absolutely correct that in Oklahoma “we recognize and acknowledge the value of early childhood education.” Indeed, it’s safe to say Oklahoma is a national leader in this area. No, I’m not referring to Oklahoma’s much-ballyhooed efforts to put four-year-olds (or younger) in preschool daycare. I’m talking about our efforts to empower the most important early childhood educator, the kind young Becky Felts had: mom!
In 2007 the Associated Press reported on “what could be a trendsetting state tax break for families” — giving Oklahoma’s stay-at-home moms a credit on the family income-tax bill. And though this tax credit is relatively small, it’s a start. Author Bryce Christensen, author of “Divided We Fall: Family Discord and the Fracturing of America,” said Oklahoma policymakers “deserve high praise” for this trailblazing tax break. LaDonna Meinders, the 2007 Oklahoma Mother of the Year, agreed, saying “Oklahoma has taken the lead” in this area. She says the tax break, though small, is “a step in the right direction and can lead to doing something meaningful in the future. … Oklahoma can be a leader for the nation as we stand up for families, for motherhood, and for the future of our children.”
Next step? I believe “state subsidies and credits for day care should also be available to parents who care for their preschoolers full time, at home,” as authors Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero recommend in their book “The Natural Family: A Manifesto.” They say “a tax credit for this purpose should be refundable to those parents without the income to claim the full credit, allowing for a reduction in means-tested government daycare subsidies.”