Five Surprising Facts Abou1t Early Childhood Education

譯/楊心彤

（譯者曾獲第五、六屆“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽優秀獎；譯者單位：四川大學）

June 5 is a National Day of Action for Early Learning. Parents, policymakers, and concerned citizens around the country are coming together to voice their support for early childhood education and demand that Congress and the president act now. Every year that we wait to act, a new cohort of children lose out on the benefits of early education. Here are some reasons to get behind universal preschool that may surprise you:

6月5日是全美學前教育行動日。全國的家長、決策者以及關注兒童教育的民眾聚在一起，表達了他們對學前教育的支持，并要求國會和總統立即采取行動。我們等待著做出改變，但每多等一年，新的一批孩童就會錯失學前教育的裨益。以下是一些支持公立學前教育的理由，可能會令你感到驚訝：

1. Preschool can help combat crime,teen pregnancy, and high school dropout rates.When children have the benefit of a high-quality early childhood education, they make cognitive and social gains that prepare them to start school. These foundational skills allow them to build on their learning and knowledge through school and into adulthood. As a result, a child without an early childhood education is 25 percent more likely to drop out of school,40 percent more likely to become a teenage parent, and 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.

1.學前教育有助于打擊犯罪，降低青少年懷孕率和高中輟學率。如果能接受到高質量的學前教育，兒童的認知能力和社交能力就會得到提升，從而為他們步入校園做好準備。這些基本的能力使他們能夠在學生和成年時代繼續提高學識。因此，未接受學前教育的兒童輟學的可能性（較接受過的兒童）高出了25%，成為未成年父母的可能性高出了40%，因暴力犯罪而被拘捕的概率更是高出了70%。

2. Early childhood education has a better return on investment than the stock market.Some policymakers worry about the upfront cost of early childhood education. However, studies show that early childhood education is one of the best investments we can make — and that includes investments in the financial market. The estimated return on investment for high quality early childhood education is ten percent. In comparison, the average return on investment in the stock market is 7.2 percent.

2.學前教育的投資回報率較股市更高。一些決策者對學前教育所需的前期投入表示擔憂。然而研究表明，與金融市場一樣，學前教育也是我們投資的最佳選擇之一。優質學前教育的投資回報率預計為10%，而相比之下，股票市場的平均投資回報率僅為7.2%。

Why does early childhood education pay off so well? Children who participate need fewer services over the course of their lifetime. The benefits show up almost right away, with reduced need for special education and grade retention, which costs taxpayers an estimated$7,500 per child. Over time, we reap benefits when these children become adults and need fewer public benefits and are less likely to be incarcerated.

為什么學前教育能帶來如此高的回報呢？接受學前教育的兒童一生中所需的社會服務更少。這些收益幾乎立即就能顯現出來：特殊教育的需求減少、留級的情況也更少，而納稅人在這兩處的花費約為每個孩子7500美元。隨著時間的推移，這些孩子成年后，所需的公共福利更少、被監禁的可能性也更小，相應地我們就會從中受益。

3. The U.S. lags behind almost every other country when it comes to preschool, including Mexico, Chile, and Russia.When it comes to access to high-quality preschool, the U.S. is getting beat by virtually every other developed country, including Mexico, Chile,Russia, and New Zealand. Each of these countries — and most of Western Europe and Scandinavia — enroll a greater proportion of four year olds in preschool and invest more in early childhood education relative to the size of their economies.If the U.S. wants to compete in a global market and continue its role as an economic and military superpower, we must keep up with other countries whenit comes to early childhood education.

3.在學前教育領域，美國幾乎落后于其他所有國家，包括墨西哥、智利和俄羅斯。在接受高品質學前教育的機會方面，美國實際上遜色于其他發達國家，包括墨西哥、智利、俄羅斯和新西蘭。在這些國家以及大部分西歐國家和斯堪的納維亞國家，4歲兒童的幼兒園入學率更高，相對于其經濟體量而言，他們在學前教育領域的投入也更多。如果美國想要在全球市場中競爭，并繼續維持其經濟軍事超級大國的地位，在學前教育領域，我們必須跟上其他國家的腳步。

4. Early childhood education is a bipartisan issue.Politicians from both sides of the aisle2過道兩側的政治家們，代表美國民主黨和共和黨兩黨的議員。美國國會參眾兩院召開會議時，兩黨的議員分開就坐，中間由過道隔開。recognize that when we invest in early childhood education,we improve the lives of children and families and save money for generations to come. That’s why 27 governors mentioned early childhood education in their state of the state addresses3州情咨文，即每年年初由州長向州議會發表的重要講話，回顧過去一年的工作進展情況和存在的問題，并概述新的一年的工作計劃。and 14 were Republicans. Governors from Alabama, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania,and West Virginia, to name a few, all advocated for expanded access to preschool.

4.學前教育是需要兩黨共同解決的問題。兩黨議員都認識到投資學前教育不僅能夠改善兒童以及家庭的生活水平，更為未來的幾代人節省了開支。這就是為什么27位州長都在他們的州情咨文中提到了學前教育，其中14位是共和黨人。舉例來說，亞拉巴馬州、密歇根州、印第安納州、賓夕法尼亞州和西弗吉尼亞州的州長們都主張增加幼兒的入學機會。

One reason why both liberals and conservatives support early childhood education is that it’s necessary to ensure our country’s economic health and military readiness. In fact, business and military leaders have called on the president and Congress to fund early childhood education.

自由派和保守派共同支持學前教育的原因之一，是學前教育對確保國家經濟的健康運行以及良好的軍事戰備狀態必不可少。事實上，商界及軍界領袖都呼吁總統和國會為學前教育提供資金。

5. Preschool can save families thousands of dollars in child care costs each year.Early childhood education is an expense that few families can afford.The estimated cost of sending a fouryear-old to a center-based child care ranges from $4,000 per year in Mississippi to $12,000 per year in Massachusetts. For families living below the poverty level with children under five,child care costs constitute 36 percent of a family’s budget each month. In most regions of the country, the cost of child care exceeds every other household expense, including housing, transportation, food, and health care. Few families have access to subsidies to help alleviate the cost of child care; just one in fi ve eligible families receives those benefits.

5.學前教育項目每年可以為美國家庭在孩童照管方面節省上萬美元的開支。很少有家庭能夠負擔得起學前教育的費用。據估計，4歲兒童在保育中心的教育費用各州不等，低至密西西比州的每年4000美元，高至馬薩諸塞州的每年12,000美元。對于生活在貧困線以下且需要照顧不滿5歲的兒童的家庭而言，每月保育費用占到了家庭預算的36%。在全美大部分地區，保育費用超過了其他單項家庭支出，包括住房、交通、食品以及醫療保健開支。很少有家庭能夠得到補貼來減輕保育費用帶來的壓力，符合條件的家庭中只有五分之一可以獲得這些福利。

And while child care is expensive,the quality varies considerably. In many cases, parents are paying for child care that is mediocre at best. In state preschools programs, the states dictate quality standards, such as ensuring that programs are taught by certif i ed teachers with a college degree and mandating a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Thus, children are much more likely to be in high quality settings that are preparing them for school. ■

盡管保育費用昂貴，但教育質量參差不齊。在多數情況下，家長都在為最多只能算差強人意的保育服務買單。而在州立的學前教育項目中，由州政府來制定質量標準，例如確保參與項目的教師擁有大學學位及執業資質，并且規定所教授的課程要適宜兒童的發展。因此，孩子們有更多機會在優質的環境中成長，為他們步入校園打好基礎。 □