Scott Moore

Scott Moore is the senior policy adviser at Preschool California. Photograph: Mongeau/EdSource

Moore emphasized the need for a greater investment in early childhood didactics at the state level. Funding levels for early childhood education would remain flat nether Gov. Jerry Brownish's proposed budget, and Moore has said he would like to see a total restoration of the $1 billion that has been cut from early on childhood programs since 2008. Moore said the academic skills children gain in preschool are a key element of their later on success in school and career. That, he said, makes preschool an excellent investment, even in tight financial times.

Hither are the highlights of the chat:

EdSource Today: Just to start with a big-moving-picture show question, what does your platonic preschool system look like in California?

Scott Moore: Well, the ideal preschool system is one that'southward high quality and prepares all children for success in school. It'due south 1 where nosotros accept a clear sense of the skills we desire children to accept so that they're gear up for kindergarten and it's one that no affair where yous grow upward, no matter what the income situation of your family is, y'all're able to attend. That'due south critical. When y'all think virtually the opportunity for success in school, the inequity that we have now in California around access to quality preschool is a big barrier to that.

EdSource: There are people who've brand the argument that starting universal preschool standardizes childhood learning way as well early and gets kids into the system before they need to be. What exercise you call up?

Moore: Any preschool program that is standardized is not a quality preschool programme. Quality preschool is all about tailoring learning to where a child is and helping to scaffold their development. Skillful early childhood educators actually understand where their kids are, they know how to chronicle to them, they know how to accomplish them and encourage their passion for learning.

During that time of life, children are learning at very different levels and very different rates. And so it's critical to be able to support children'southward development where they are and to really help foster their love for learning because kids just naturally come with that.

Moore_success EdSource: At that place's a lot of talk now almost early math and early literacy and making sure kids take these really physical bookish skills earlier they start kindergarten. Can that only end upwards as drill and impale for petty tiny kids?

Moore: That's always a concern no matter what you lot're looking at. What we do know is children take a great chapters for learning at a young age. Drilling and killing isn't the correct thing to practice with iii-year-olds, just like information technology'south not the correct thing to do with 10-yr-olds. It'south of import that in early babyhood programs you accept developmentally appropriate do. You would never want to see drill and kill.

EdSource: So you retrieve you can teach those academic concepts without the method of drill and kill? You can use other methods to become there?

Moore: Oh, admittedly. And that's the all-time way to do it. Yous know, drill and kill, kids forget what they've learned. They're not agreement the concepts that are behind what they're learning and that'southward really what'due south near important. In that location are so many fun games that children can exercise that teach them early on math and early literacy.

EdSource: Practise yous experience the state is currently putting enough accent on early babyhood education both with programming and funding?

Moore_funding Moore: There are a lot of folks in California who are defended professionals in early babyhood. We have over 100,000 preschool teachers and early childhood professionals who work hard every day. Unfortunately, at the land level with the funding that we've had, nosotros've seen a very, very sharp refuse in the investment that California makes in our youngest learners. One-third of preschool programs take been cut. Over $1 billion has been cutting and over 100,000 children have been shut out of early learning programs. When yous look at developing our economy for the futurity, well, it'due south our children who are our hereafter.

We know through a vast number of research studies that the most effective, all-time render on our investment is early childhood educational activity. Nosotros actually are mortgaging our future when we make those cuts to programs for our youngest kids.

EdSource: What are the ways to change that?

Moore: Yous practice need the economy to get ameliorate. You tin can only spend what'south coming in. We very much respect that and empathize that'due south a reality. We're in recovery. We have seen revenues for the land go up significantly and we are seeing proposals for where to reinvest those funds. To make upward for the cuts that have been fabricated over the last five years, nosotros would debate that there'south no better expanse to reinvest than in early on childhood.

Fortunately, so many legislators – many of them new to the Assembly and Senate – already understand that preschool is a large advantage for children. We [at Preschool California] obviously desire to keep helping our elected officials understand the importance of early learning.

EdSource: If you could talk most one misunderstanding you lot hear over and over most preschool and you would like to accost, what would it be?

Moore_play Moore: It would be the false dichotomy betwixt play and academics. People think it'southward a selection between the two. In fact, children learn through play. It's intentional play. It's play that's planned and teachers do have curriculum. But children come up in, especially young children, with such a joy for learning. The greatest early childhood educators are the ones that are able to help children learn through that joy of their play. The idea that you have to choose between academics and play is completely false. What nosotros ought to be striving for is both.

EdSource: Do yous take annihilation else you desire to say on behalf of Preschool California?

Moore: As nosotros look to rebuild the hereafter of California, we can't ignore early childhood education. This is where nosotros tin can make our all-time investment and we tin't miss that opportunity. So, that's what we'll be working on this twelvemonth.

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