Early childhood teachers with students

 

Early Childhood Education

Investment in Early Childhood Education:  $30,000,000

Studies clearly demonstrate that children enrolled in pre-K programs not only get a head start, but also get the best start on their education. But, in Dallas County, more than 39,000 eligible three- and four-year-old children are not enrolled in any pre-K program.

That’s primarily because there aren’t enough qualified teachers. Dallas College is set to aid in the teacher shortage  with the Fall 2021 launch of the School of Education's Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching.

Dallas College plans to expand our early childhood education program to make high-quality, affordable education available to those who want to serve in our local school districts.

 

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55% of children currently enter Kindergarten ready


Without Early Childhood Intervention, an At-Risk Child is…

– More likely to drop out by 25%

– More likely to become a teen parent by 40%

– More likely to be placed in special education by 50%

– More likely to never attend college by 60%

– More likely to be arrested for a violent crime by 70%


Children from low-income families enter Kindergarten at an average of 12-14 months behind their higher-income peers. It takes over 3 months to remediate a child for every 1 month that they are behind. 67% of Dallas County’s population is considered at-risk.

The window for intervention is tight: Low-income children reading below grade level at 3rd grade are 6 times less likely to graduate from high school.*

Early Childhood Education at Dallas College serves a dual purpose. Not only does the program train early childhood educators, it also provides an option for childcare for Dallas College students.

 

The Benefits of Early Childhood Education at Dallas College

  • Helps address our sizeable shortfalls in Pre-K quality and Pre-K access
  • Provides quality Professional Development for current teachers needing to build ECE expertise
  • Reduces barrier to entry and completion for Dallas College students without quality care for age 0-5 option for their own children
  • Provides unused early childhood center seats to surrounding neighborhood children without a Pre-K option at a local ISD elementary school.
“If you miss the opportunity to shape a child's early education experience with safe relationships, enriched/age-appropriate academics, and strong social emotional health, you are playing catch-up for the next 15 years.”
–Michelle Kinder, Former Executive Director, Momentous Institute

*Information from Commit!

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