Study Finds a Drop in Percentage of Latinos in Preschools

The percentage of Latinos in a 4 year period from 2005 to 2009 has dropped in enrollment because of the steady decline in the economy. Many Latino parents have lost jobs and are unable to pay for preschool fees. When they are compared to their White and African American peers, those two groups have managed to stay in the preschool system even though the life situations are similar. One of the problems that many Latino families face is the accessibility to these services. They may have to rely on public transportation or other less convenient sources of transportation. The article summarizes this point with this, "Until Latino children gain equal access to preschools that display robust quality , it's difficult to see how early achievement gaps can be narrowed."

The argument here is find ways to close the achievement gap within this population and to observe the effectiveness of early childhood education in those precious preschool years. I believe that early childhood education is important for the development of a child to get on the school track at an early age, however, I don't think it's completely necessary. Firstly, the cost of sending a child or multiple children can be very costly especially for low income families and limit them for further growth. One thing that these lower income families could do in stead to save them the cost; they could go to the local public library and check out books and read at home to get a head start in the literacy race, and the best part is, it won't cost them nearly as much as preschooling would be.