Governmental Funding of Early Childhood Education - Essay Example

Section/# An Analysis, Discussion, and Position ment with Regards to Mandatory Governmental Funding of Early Childhood Education One of the most fundamental questions that government and the society that elects it must integrate with is the level and extent to which limited resources will be utilized to fund limitless needs. The current governmental structure faces a budget shortfall and is looking for any and all means available to cut non mandatory funding to a bare minimum. As such, it is readily seen that seeking to acquire broad bipartisan support for further universal funding of any new governmental mandates would be next to impossible to effect. However, this fact notwithstanding, the following analysis will consider the extent to which governmental funding of early childhood education would be a net good or an overall net bad from educational, economic, and societal standpoints. As a function of answering such a broad question, it is the hope of this particular author that the reader will be able to draw a more well rounded answer to a question that would otherwise evoke a rather emotional response from the perspective shareholders within the process as well as the taxpayers that will ultimately be left holding the bill regardless of what particular approach is engaged. By analyzing these determinants, it is the further intention of the author that the pros and cons of such a broad and overarching funding will be made manifest and allow the reader to come away with a rather clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of such a system might be. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, one must integrate an understanding and appreciation for the economic constraints that universal government sponsorship of early childhood education would portend. Due to the fact that the government struggles to allocate an appropriate amount of resources each and every year to existing educational programs, one shudders to think of the exorbitantly high cost that such an endeavor as the one which has been discussed might imply (Jacobson 13). However, seeking to look beyond the mere exemplification of monetary costs that such an approach may yield, one should consider the levels of societal support that could coerce the government to entertain such an approach. As a function of understanding the means by which the United States government ultimately operates, one comes away with the understanding that the elected representatives are responsible to the shareholder citizens with regards to the legislation and proposed budget. In this way, it is easy to see how, regardless of current budgetary shortfalls, a large enough response from the electorate would force the hand of the federal government to act in a way to provide such services to the electorate. Naturally, in doing so, this would have a strong negative impact upon other vital functions of the government, to include many other forms of needed social programs; perhaps Medicaid, Medicare, and/or Social Security funding (Hart 64). As such, it is necessary for the reader/researcher to consider the fact that without exponentially raising tax rates, it will be impossible to seek to add a broad new level of government services without directly robbing from one program to help to pay for another one. From the educational standpoint, the application of universal childhood education can have a massive benefit to the further development of educational standards within the lifetime of the student and can serve to provide a sound basis upon which the educators involved can seek to build. Within the current system, only some shareholders within the student body have the opportunity and/or the means to engage within childhood education. Although this should not be seen as a definitive disadvantage, the fact of the matter is that it provides an unequal footing upon which the first few grades must integrate with the students. A level of basic assumption cannot be provided with relation to what has been covered and what has not. In this way, seeking to implement further, perhaps universal, childhood education is seen mostly within the education community as a net positive which can maximize the good of nearly all shareholders involved in the process. However, it is only fair to note that some detractors from the process exist within the educational community due to the fact that they believe that early childhood education is not for everyone and may actually have a net negative effect on the means by which a student is ready and willing to integrate with learning. Psychologists are somewhat divided on the topic due to the fact that many believe that the human brain develops in different ways and at different speeds; therefore, attempting to integrate with early childhood education too early may have long lasting and negative effects on the shareholder (Edward 15). Although such is not the norm of belief, it bears consideration due to the fact that it allows the reader and/or researcher to approach the topic from a well-rounded means. The last consideration with respect to universal early childhood education that this analysis will measure and consider is that of the societal ramifications that such an approach might have on the educational abilities and levels of preparedness of the citizens under which it would operate. In such a view, it is the broad understanding of this particular author that universal early childhood education would provide a net benefit to the system in that it would allow for a more educated and prepared group of students to integrate with K-12 (Cordery & Narraway 67). Educators and scholars are mostly agreed that the level of preparedness and educational fortitude that early childhood education can provide for the individual is more than enough offset the drawbacks that it might engage. Yet, one cannot understand the benefit of early childhood education within the educational setting alone. This is primarily due to the fact that the overall net benefit of increasing the educational abilities of the students is not realized within the first few grades of grammar school but is ultimately represented within a more educated society; the benefits of which may not be fully seen for a period of nearly 20 years or more (Jacobson 17). Due to the fact that early childhood education is able to integrate with the individual and prepare them in a more effective manner for further educational requirements and levels of attainment, many of the students and shareholders that it integrates with will go on to college and further post graduate work; only then will the system be fully able to measure the overall effects that early childhood education has been able to integrate with regards to the increased educational attainment level and intelligence of the populace. The tangential benefits that will be manifest in other arenas and aspects of society will also be difficult to gauge within just a few years of instituting such an approach. As such, it is necessary for the researcher to understand that a firm and full commitment by the public with regards to funding such an endeavor must exist for a long period of time in order for it to be ultimately beneficial to the society and the educational community (Cooper & Costa 7). However, the broader question still remains whether or not it is worth the exorbitant cost that it would impose upon the system. With regards to the research that has been performed in this particular arena, it is the belief of this author that the funding of early childhood development is not something that the federal government should seek to universally fund at the given juncture. Although the benefits of engaging with this could be broad and would affect the overall education level within the society, the costs associated with such an endeavor would be inherently massive and could not be realized for a very long period of time; due to the very nature of the means by which the benefits of such a program would be felt. Moreover, in order to fund such a large initiative for such a long period of time, it would require that the government either raise taxes exponentially upon all shareholders within the society, actively rob from other existing social programs, or some combination of both. Though seeking to come to a determination on such an issue is not as simplistic as one might hope, the fact of the matter is that it is difficult to justify the massive expense for the unconvincing amount of gain that might be realized at a later date. Even if early childhood education was proven to have a positive effect on the educational attainment of nearly all members of society, in order to justify the expense, the level of positive effect would necessarily be required to be so high and unquestioned that the government could expect that such an investment would ultimately come back to them in the form of increased tax revenues from an increasingly more educated and better prepared workforce. However, at the current juncture, no such evidence exists. As such, the recommendation of this analysis would be that without such convincing levels of analysis the answer to universal public funding of early childhood education must necessarily be no. Works Cited Cooper, Donna, and Costa, Kristina. "Increasing The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Existing Public Investments In Early Childhood Education: Recommendations To Boost Program Outcomes And Efficiency." Center For American Progress (2012): ERIC. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Cordery, Carolyn, and Gwyn Narraway. "Conceptual Challenges Displayed Through The Financial Reporting Of Early Childhood Education Centers." Accounting & The Public Interest 8.(2008): 66-76. Business Source Premier. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Edwards, Diane. "Public Factors That Contribute To School Readiness." Early Childhood Research & Practice 1.2 (1999): ERIC. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Hart, Diana. "Social Landscape." New Zealand Country Profile (2012): 60-68. Business Source Premier. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Jacobson, Linda. "Early Years." Education Week 22.3 (2002): 13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Jacobson, Linda. "Here's Looking At You, Kid." Teacher Magazine 12.2 (2000): 17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Read More