Preschool education enjoys different benchmarks and considerations given the fact that children are in most cases immature and need additional observation and special treatment. In that context, it is advisable for the class size to be as small as possible. According to the national institute for early education research, it is advisable that a class size should be small and staff to child ratio should be as high as possible. In other words, it is expected that a high number of teachers are availed for the regulation, monitoring and teaching of the child. This could have been influenced by the fact that children are immature and considered being in the process of growth. According to the same institute, in California, the education policy imposes no maximum limit on the group size for both the State Pre-K and the Child Care institutions. However, the minimum staff- to- child ratio for the same is set at 1:10 and 1: 12 respectively. In other words, although state policy does not impose a limit on the class size, it dictates that one staff should engage in the maximum only ten children at the Pre-K level and twelve at the Child Care level.
At the policy level, the teacher qualification demands that a qualified teacher has a minimum of a four year college degree and an additional specific training in early childhood education. However, other auxiliary qualifications are needed such as an in-depth understanding of child development, the curriculum and teaching methodologies.
The State of California has a high population of children compared to other states in the United States of America. According to the Elias Lopez’s Preschool and Childcare Enrolment in California, the number of children aged between three to five years in 2000 only was 1.17 million. This figure has been growing consistently overtime. This huge population necessitates increasing preschools.
Works Cited
Lopez, Elias and Patricia Cos. "Preschool and Childcare Enrolment in California." California Research Bureau (2004).
