Childless By Choice

The Preschool-College Connection

Jennifer Daniels,* a stay-at-home mom in an affluent Southern California community, will not rest until her three-year-old daughter Kayleigh is accepted into a highly-regarded local preschool. Anthony's childless-by-choice friends find her tribulations fodder for a good laugh over a glass of wine at the women's biweekly gatherings.

But it seems Daniels may be on to something. A study published June 9 in the online version of the journal Science tracked nearly 1,500 Chicago children for up to 25 years. Researchers found that the children who attended preschool were more inclined to finish high school than their peers with no pre-kindergarten schooling. In addition, the researchers noted that nearly 15 percent of the 900 children who were enrolled in preschool eventually attended a four-year college, while only 11 percent of their counterparts who did not go to preschool went to college.

As noted in previous posts, the results of two reports we have been analyzing point to a burning need for better preparation at the primary and secondary education levels in order for students to be college-ready. Today we will spend some time on the apparent disconnect between K-12 learning and the modern college student's readiness for postsecondary education. Our goal is not to point fingers at any particular institution or group, but rather to propose possible steps toward closing the gap.

Let's go back to the report entitled "Postsecondary Education in the 21st Century: Students and Institutions." You may recall that insufficient secondary preparation was identified as the second-greatest obstacle facing 21st century college students. While the scope of this blog post is too small to begin dissecting the reasons our high school system seems to be falling short, it bears noting that a growing number of private and public agencies are touting the benefits of a preschool education.

Take for instance the nonprofit Los Angeles Universal Preschool, whose mission is to provide access to preschool as a means of ensuring that children are ready for kindergarten and beyond. On the other side of the country, the Aristotle Circle in New York City offers test preparation services for pre-kindergarten admissions.

Childless By Choice | Overcoming Disease | Journey of Cystic Fibrosis

There’s a stigma that follows you when you’re born with cystic fibrosis and other life threatening diseases. People tend to judge you and label you without even taking the time to get to know your heart. For instance, my husband and I have been married for nine years this August and we don’t have any kids. I’ve met many people who assume that the reason we don’t have kids is because of my “health issues.” The truth is, up until two years ago, we never wanted anything to do with having kids of our own – or any kids for that matter! Many people have asked me if the reason we don’t have kids is because of CF. The answer – if I’m honest with myself, on some small level there was probably a little bit of fear of how I would handle taking care of myself and kids at the same time. But in reality, 90% of the decision was made because neither my husband nor I knew what to do with kids! Seriously! We didn’t even have the patience to want to learn. That all changed when we started training with Dani Johnson, and I’m proud to say that I no longer avoid children…in fact, I appreciate them, and I’m even drawn to them now because I have a better understanding of my role in their little lives. You see, over the last few years I’ve learned what it takes to groom people for success. That doesn’t mean I have it figured it out – it just means I have tools, mentors, and great friends around me who are on a similar path. Raising kids is no small task. Have you ever heard the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child?” Well, it’s true. I’m here to tell you today, that you have influence on children whether you’re a parent or not…and your life matters whether you have kids or not!    I have three very close friends – call them BFF’s if you will – who all have kids under the age of five. Two of them actually just became parents within the last seven months. I’m astounded at the strength that these moms have, and I’m so honored to be a part of their lives. What warms my heart even more is the way that they cherish my influence in the lives of their kids. In the last two weeks, each of them has told me how important it is for me to be in their lives, and in their children’s lives because they see me as someone who will help groom their kids for success.

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