$500 Million Obama Administration Program Will Help Kids 'Sit Still' in Kindergarten
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told CNSNews.com on Wednesday that the administration's new $500 million early learning initiative is designed to deal with children from birth onward to prevent such problems as 5-year olds who "can't sit still" in a kindergarten classroom.
“You really need to look at the range of issues, because if a 5-year-old can’t sit still, it is unlikely that they can do well in a kindergarten class, and it has to be the whole range of issues that go into healthy child development,” Sebelius said during a telephone news conference on Wednesday to announce the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge.
Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan jointly announced the $500-million program, which will provide competitive grants to states to address issues affecting educational outcomes for children from birth to age 5.
On the conference call, CNSNews.com asked: “What were the current problems that were found with the health, social and emotional development for children ages birth to 5?”
Sebelius, adding on to comments from Asst. Education Secretary Joan Lombardi, pointed to studies done in her home state of Kansas, where she served as governor. “When we looked at 5-year olds--and we tested about half the 5-year-olds in a relatively homogeneous state like Kansas -- and found that about half of them were not ready for kindergarten at age 5," Sebelius said.
"And some of those skills were missing: readiness for their math or reading," she said. "A number of children were missing the social and developmental skills which would allow them to sit in a classroom or play with others or listen to a teacher for any period of time. So I think it was an indicator that you couldn’t just test curriculum readiness.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, awards in Race to the Top will go to “states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive early learning education reform.”
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A stable envronment
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 2:26pm.
"You really need to look at the range of issues, because if a 5-year-old can’t sit still, it is unlikely that they can do well in a kindergarten class, and it has to be the whole range of issues that go into healthy child development"
One of the biggest factors affecting early child development is a stable environment. Forcing kids away from their home to travel distances to be "taught" by "professionals" can hardly be called "stable." So, what's the Obama Administration's plan for creating a stable environment? Begin that disruptive, unstable livestyle at birth! Yea, like that's going to work!
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
If half the kids are not
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 3:21pm.
If half the kids are not ready for kindergarten at age 5, then maybe it's time to rethink at what age kids should start kindergarten.
Anyone who dismisses
Submitted by HockeyKid on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 2:32pm.
The idea that the left wants to control your life from cradle to grave should be paying close attention.
To the point at hand: if Sibelius and Friends think that a child who doesn't sit still isn't learning, they really need to pull their heads out of their nether regions and study up on learning styles before they throw our money away on these grants. Never mind--they'll throw our money away no matter what they learn. They're libs.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Only $500M
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 2:43pm.
Wow they HATE children! Only $500M? REPs should propose $500 B (not M) to really show how WE care... 1000x more. That's how DC beltway works w/ the LSM right? J.K. by the way, lol ;-)
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Obviously proposed by a childless idiot
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 3:21pm.
There is no normal 5 year old who can sit still for longer than a few minutes. Any who can are either loaded up with drugs or have a serious condition or issue.
Kindergarten was created to help get kids ready for 1st grade. Now we have to get them ready for Kindergarten???
We seem to have been able to send multiple missions to the moon and back all with people who were not prepared for kindergarten as this administration has now proposed. In fact, the more the Federal Government has gotten involved in education since the creation of the Depratment of Education, the worse our education system has gotten.
Now that is something worth studying!
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
And who decides what "ready"
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 3:34pm.
And who decides what "ready" for reading or math is?
I know parents who simply didn't send their kids to kindergarten, and you know what? No one said they weren't "ready" for first grade when they got there!!
It's been shown that any advantages gained from Head Start dissipate by the time a child is in 2nd grade, so what good is getting the government involved with even more kids' lives before school age going to do?
Well, they'll be able to sit still in kindergarten, and that's what counts!
Good evening MB
Submitted by cocodrie on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 3:48pm.
We need that gov intervention to accomplish the social engineering goals of our liberal superiors.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Gotta got to go with you that.
Submitted by mandrake on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 4:09pm.
Nothing teaches you the laws of physics like throwing a baseball or folding a paper airplane..that's what counts.
Mandrake
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 4:42pm.
That and teaching the little ones there are more than two genders.
There is a solution
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 3:32pm.
Fact is, some people are not fit to have kids. People like the ones that can't see fit to feed their kids breakfast every morning.
Of course, the liberal progressives will say, "You can't tell people they can't have kids, even if they are unfit. It takes a village to raise a child so one or two people's failings as parents aren't a factor. We need the government to come in and help."
So we end up with children raised by unfit parents until they become burdens on the state.
Kids who can't sit still...
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 4:48pm.
At five, kids are not made to sit still for extended periods. These "experts" should know that. I contend that one of the reasons elementary age kids have ADD is two fold. First, in the past kids would walk to and from school, expelling some of their energy. Know they are bused or even driven by mom and dad.
Secondly, and more importantly, many children are having the electrical circuitry in their brains altered by watching to much television, computers, and video games. These things train the brain to require constant stimulation. This makes the child uncomfortable and restless when no receiving that stimulation.
More pills by the boat load.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 7:12pm.
or this.
Can we have nation wide voucher program? Nope not a chance.
You Didn't Build That.
If they get their way the
Submitted by Dan Diego on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 9:44pm.
If they get their way the last choice concerning a person we be if it's born. If a person is born the State will take control, non compliance will be a bigger offense than spanking.
BTW - My teachers let me know when I was out of line and I remembered the lessons.
Of course the next step will be requiring State permission for birth of a person.
New Obama Slush Fund
Submitted by stratman on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 10:46pm.
How shocking that kindergarten-aged children would have a tough time siting still for a full day of school. I mean, doesn't everyone's 5 year old hit the books at home for a couple hours after school too?
Day care, pre-school, Head Start, full day kindergarten, and reading/writing/math expected at progressively earlier ages:
The solution? Duct tape. And
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 10:20am.
The solution? Duct tape. And lots of it.
For my services, the Federal Government can pay me the $500 million for my consulting fee.
Everytime I see or hear this
Submitted by killa37 on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 2:28pm.
Everytime I see or hear this idiot Sebilius, I can't help but think that she is another misguided and unqualilfied moron in the Boy O'Barry REGIME..................but I've come to the conclusion that these are the types of people that he looks for, because there are so many of them!!!
My Dad would be rolling over in his grave, and my Mother, who is still alive, could tell this idiot in about 3 sentences how to deal with kids............................but these days, I think a majority of the problem with the kids is the PARENTS!!! I was involved in youth sports for about 15 years, and I was amazed at some of the things I noticed about kids/parents and what DOES or DOESN'T go on at home...................so I wouldn't neccessarily be placing the blame on the kids.
Of course, the Federal Government isn't capable of being any kind of parent..........they're just looking for total conrol.
killa
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 3:14pm.
Well the psycologists and schools have been telling parents for how many years now that disciplining their children is really child abuse. So parents are afraid or brainwashed not to hurt the feelings of their little darlings. So now the government can jump in and raise them for us.
You're not really a parent until you kid tells you he hates you. Frank Barone.
Very true quote.