Abstract

The Pre-Kindergarten program is a program that consist of students that are 3 years of age and that qualify under some of the requirements such as disadvantage; homeless, son/daughter of a deployed soldier followed by other accepted criteria. Pre-Kindergarten program does not only help students with education growth, but yet it helps them with their soft skills. Pre-Kindergarten allows the students to socialize, gain trust, learn manners and all of the skills that are going to reflect throughout the future. It is the concrete foundation for the children to understand how things are done in the world. They are now taught to read, create sentences, say yes ma’am, no sir. Throughout our research we have found that many of the kids unravel in Pre-Kindergarten, because in Kinder they are expected to understand the communication between one and another. Research shows that children who attend a pre-kindergarten programs brain activity increase by 37 percent then those who did not attend the program. Overall the benefit of students who attend the program have the ability to increase the future outcome and results of their success.

Keywords: Success , Brain activity , Pre-Kindergarten , soft skills

The Importance of Educate Future Generations

Career Pathway

Monnette Villarreal

Many people in this world want to be a certain thing growing up, but never really understanding the description of the job. I had always wanted to be a lawyer but when I was exposed to the world of law I hated it. Now that I am older I want to become a neurologist something that I will describe and have researched.

Neurologist are amazing human beings they do the unthinkable and things beyond their capacities. Neurologists participate in neuroscience research meaning they get to look at all kinds of brain diseases. They provide training to medical students and staff members. They participate in and continue their education throughout their career. They interpret MRI and CAT scans. Most importantly they diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and disorder of the nervous system. They are always around people and their environment revolves around a hospital. Many hours of work but yet many days off.

Neurologist have a long road throughout education. They need to obtain a post-doctoral such as bachelors in psychology, or pre-medicine anything related or to help you in all the pre-questions that you will need for medical school. After that you can get a masters in biology followed by a clinical residency that will get you a fellowship in any area that you would like to study in. Many of the softs skills that have to be brought to the table such as inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, problem sensitivity, oral expression followed by many more.

Neurologist have a major task in providing for all of their patients, they also have to be technicians because of all of the technological resources they use to read imaging or things to help diagnose a patient correctly, they also prescribe and administer medication such as anti-septic drugs and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects. 2015 statewide hourly wage was around $94.91 and the employment rate of jobs increased by about 25%. So it is estimate they will add 347,200 jobs in this coming year.

I am very interested in this career and I am so excited to have been given this assignment and be given the chance to spend time researching about my dream job. Everything I find out about this career makes me want to be more and more. This career is well suited for me because I am very oriented into what I want and I know that I want to be able to help people who are in need of help. This is what I would love to do and I know that could be good at it.

Steps to take towards this career first of all not to give up, because this career is one of the longest but in the long run I know that I am going to enjoy it o much because I know this is what I came to this world to be. I have to start off my graduating high school and getting my associates from STC and then after that I will be going off to college and starting my degree in biology, and then masters to my doctor degree in psychology. Clinical, residency and all of hat good stuff. I am positive I will do my best that I can to complete my dreams and to pursue my dreams. And most importantly overcome all of the antelopes.

Kasidy Garza

In the state of Texas teaching is a very popular job. Teaching kindergarten is a job for the patient and kind hearted. These children are four to five years old and constantly in need attention. Meaning this job requires thinking creatively and coming up with ways to entertain the children while teaching them. At the young age the child is supposed to be learning basic skills, such as, colors, shapes, numbers, letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.

To become a kindergarten teacher, it typically expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree. The major can be basically be anything, there have been teachers that major in engineering, biology, and education and there is always a way to enter the field. Kindergarten teaching is a growing field and is expected to increase by 28.21%. There were approximately 159,400 employed teachers in 2014 just in Texas. By 2022 there is expected to be 17,680 more teaching openings just in the kindergarten area.

As I said before kindergarten teachers are expected to be very creative and be able to think on their feet to keep the children’s attention alive. They also need to know how to spot children they may have a disability such as autism or dyslexia and then know how to adjust the teaching process so they are able to learn and comprehend everything that is required of them. They also need to know how to receive information from children or parents, who may be wary of leaving their child at school for the first time.

Literature Review

The question is “Should pre-kindergarten be mandatory for all children in the state of Texas?” Pre-kindergarten contains children that are at or below the age of five. Three places around the world offer “Pre-kindergarten programs such as United States, Canada and Turkey”. (Texasgov; 2016). There are two different types of education that are equivalent to the pre-school. There care centered-child care there are about more than 9,000 child care centers that include licensed child and day care in which they are allowed to contribute and have someone teach them what a public pre-kindergarten program will since they are under the same Texas Agency of Education. Under the term centered based child care is the “Public Pre-Kindergarten program in which Texas offers to all the children that fit the requirements of being 4 or younger than that and must be from a low income family. For those who don’t fall under the category of low-income will have the opportunity to pay the tuition for their children to be able to participate in this education.

Throughout our research we have come to see many arguments about Pre-Kindergarten throughout Texas. Why should it be mandatory? Why doesn’t my child qualify for Pre-kindergarten? What are the benefits of our child being in this program? Many questions are brought up when talking about Pre-kindergarten. Some children are able to go and some aren’t able to go. So in reality what is the right answer, should it be mandatory in Texas or should it not. In this capstone project we will present many terms and topics that will conclude to one answer to this asked question: Should Pre-Kindergarten be mandatory in the state of Texas?

There are certain requirements that need to be taken into consideration when applying for Pre-Kindergarten. By Texas Education Agency they hold certain requirements such as be unable to speak and comprehend the English language or be educationally disadvantaged, which means a student eligible to participate in the national free or reduced-price lunch program be homeless, as defined by 42 United States Code. Be the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States.

At age 3-5 the brain is at its finest moments and crucial ones as well. This is the point where the brain is developing at full speed and creating all these neurons and becoming an incredible piece of the human body. According to US News 90%-95% of the brain is developed in the first 5 years. Meaning that these years are crucial to the child’s life. This is not just education wise but yet, the love and attention that these kids receive will reflect on their persona when they are older and will also show in their education and in what they become. Pre-Kindergarten offers the opportunity to increase the development of the child to endure the rigorous pathway that they have yet to conquer. Pre-K strengthens all of their skills (soft skills) such as communication, social skills, learning technique, self- awareness, attention span, planning, problem solving, creativity, compassion, empathy, and a broader spectrum of education. The outcome of a broader and early opportunity of education will increase the development and the course of a child’s education. Since at this early age the brain is at the best point to expand the learning environment being provided for the student will help them expand their horizons and get a head start.

Children of age 3-5 will benefit from the Pre-Kindergarten program they will have a much more efficient head start and be able to start early. For those who in the state of Texas have a language barrier they will be well prepared for what’s to come. Texas no student left behind act is currently in action but, pre-kindergarten still remains to be non-mandatory.

The pre-kindergarten program has changed the lives of many students. The program has taught social skills to many different children starting at a very young age. Pre-kinder gives a child the opportunity of growth. Unless the student has previously attended daycare it will be the first time the child is in a structured setting with a teacher and other students. The child will be given the opportunity to learn to share, follow rules, and start the foundation for elementary learning.

As previously mentioned pre-kindergarten promotes social skills. In pre-kinder a child is learning developmental skills such as trust. A child needs to know that in the classroom are loving students and teachers ready to welcome them. When there is a nurturing environment a child is able to thrive and not fear ridicule. Children learning in a “real world environment” helps them learn with integrity. When the environment is similar to the one at home the child is more likely to thrive. In high quality preschools, teachers appreciate the parents’ feedback and the child is sent home with a daily report.

A structured environment helps young children learn to make friends and play well with others. It may not mean that a pre-kinder classroom needs to have plenty of rules or that there are extremely strict teachers. When in fact a high quality preschool it is hardly noticeable. Due to the way of organization, classrooms are organized to promote social interaction and minimize conflict between students.

The children are also able to make their own choices. When a classroom is well organized, there are plenty of different activities that a child of the age four or five will find intriguing. If the child wanders around the classroom they will find at least one of the activities along with another child therefore increasing the social interaction. The teachers are highly aware of a child wary of entering another child’s play and will confront the child offering ways of interaction.

Pre-kinder also helps young children develop fine motor skills. When a child’s physical coordination improves it allows the child to explore their own environment and to challenge themselves. Young children are constantly in motion and a high quality preschool can provide several opportunities for children to be active during the day, whether they would like to run, jump, or play other active games with other children. Other ways children develop fine motor skills is through treading beads or cutting with scissors. The child’s hand-eye coordination is constantly being challenged.

Methodology

Participants

We plan to interview the people at the specific school that I decided to go and observe. I will ask all of the people such as the principle, teachers and even the parents if given the chance. I would ask them if they think its beneficial for their kids.

Instrumentation

The instruments that we will use for our capstone project is interviews. We will use these interviews to gather information for our research. The idea of pre-kindergarten and how they think it is beneficial for the kids to enter Pre-kindergarten or if they believe that it does not make a difference. We would gather the information to create a hypothesis or conclusion of what the people think. We will also use observation by observing children in their natural habitat at school what do they gain from getting the head start to this long education run.

Procedures

We will have to meet with the principal and ask for her permission to see if we are allowed to speak to staff and get their consent if we can use whatever they say for our research and also be able to ask parents and at least gather 30 staff and ask them their opinion about Pre-Kindergarten in schools.

Results

95 percent of the staff that we interviewed stated that children that attend Pre-Kindergarten enjoy the benefits at a short term and gain skills such as; social and problem solving. It initiates brain activity at an early stage of life and helps increase learning by 37 percent then those who do not attend a pre-kindergarten program.

Product Design and Development

My research for this project has lead me to consider how many children do not have the advantage of attending a pre-kindergarten program. I decided to focus my research on disadvantage children who do not qualify for the pre-kindergarten program. My partner and I want to create a book that contains information and pictures that symbolize the advantage of all the kids who attend the pre-kindergarten program.

We generated the ideas from our online research of how the state of Texas only offers pre-kindergarten benefits to those who fall under certain requirements and only those. Those who do not fall under the requirements stay behind without having the opportunity to attend a pre-k program. We believe that visuals are a very important factor that will catch our audience’s attention.

These books/pamphlets will be distributed between various locations such as pediatric clinics and schools such as Sotomayor. We want to place them in locations where we reach out to the right kind of audience so we can show the importance of the pre-kindergarten program and the benefit that their children will receive by being a part of a great beneficial program.

After collecting all of our methodology and collecting our data, we will input them into the books and create an educational and attractive book that will catch the attention of our audience. After reading the book they will have no doubt in their mind that the best start for their child’s education is the concrete of it all “Pre-Kindergarten”.

Mentor and Observation

Roles and Responsibilities

My partner and I completed a total of 25 mentor hours under the supervision Mrs. Ramirez who is a certified pre-kindergarten teacher from Sorenson Elementary. She attended the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley and is currently returning to receive her master’s in early education studies. She has been teaching for 3 years with P-S-J-A ISD.

Mrs. Ramirez was kind enough to lend us her time and be able to allow us to observe her classroom and even interview her. We were able to see and interview other school administrators as well.

Observation

My partner and I observed for various days, we got the chance to see the kids in action and in their zone. We were able to observe the way they act in learning environment and see the difference between many kids, how all of them have a different learning skills and abilities. We were so amazed by the skills that kids pick up at that age. At age 3 they were socializing, making friends, they knew how to create sentences, learning the nouns, they have time to use technology. I believe that all the station that are provided for the children they get an opportunity to learn a skill. One that I was amazed by is they have a station in which they have certain shapes, they have to create a certain scenario, they explain what is going on, I think that this is very important because it gives them a sense of imagination. While observing these mentor hours, it was a way of understanding the importance of the program. The concrete foundation of an child's education is pre-kindergarten. It’s important and should be available (mandatory) for all children in the state of Texas.

Product

The final product for our Capstone Project is a scrapbook that contains pictures and information. The information is a brief description on what a child will be missing out on if they do not attend a Pre-K program. The information will be portrayed through several pictures of what the children are learning in Pre-K. In the scrapbook the pictures are of the children

Conclusion

We started our capstone project research investigation with the hypothesis that “Pre-kindergarten should be mandatory for all children in the state of Texas because, the earlier the start of education is crucial for the best foundation.” Most of the issue here is that many parents do not understand how crucial it is for their child to get the best and earliest education they can get. If they get the opportunity to understand the benefits of prekindergarten program, they will understand the importance. Throughout this school year my partner and I focused our investigation on studying and analyzing children in a classroom to understand the skills and benefits they earn.

As a result of our research, we are more knowledgeable about the importance of pre-kindergarten and that it is not just coloring. They learn skills such as soft skills and how to use their imagination. We created a scrapbook of all of the things they learn and benefits they gain by attending one of the programs. After displaying and throughout our interviews we helped improve the knowledge by 100% of those who did not know the importance of a pre-kindergarten program.

At the conclusion of our project, we are more committed to our careers and becoming a teacher and neurologist. Kasidy in the aspect of a teacher and Monnette of the aspect as a doctor and brain growth of a child. We want to expand the importance of pre-kindergarten program until Texas has a Universal program which should be offered for all children to have the same opportunities. We are grateful to have such a great opportunity of research.