This is Not Baby School

Low socio-economic status (SES) African American Latino/a and ethnic minority preschool age children have few options when it comes to enrolling in quality preschool programs that are developmentally appropriate in practice. State preschool programs and pre-K programs that are affiliated with local school districts are a viable option for families who cannot afford alternate forms of care. State-funded preschool programs are increasingly targeted as a mechanism to “close the achievement gap” based on (faulty) assumptions that the K-12 educational performance of African American and Latino children is based in their early home settings. This has led to the adoption of curriculum mandates teaching pedagogies and early academic testing that stress school readiness skills which are defined solely as the mastery of early academic concepts. This assumptions have also caused a corresponding shift away from using a more whole-child-centered approach to “school readiness.”