Five Surprising Facts Abou1t Early Childhood Education

译/杨心彤

（译者曾获第五、六届“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛优秀奖；译者单位：四川大学）

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日是全美学前教育行动日。全国的家长、决策者以及关注儿童教育的民众聚在一起，表达了他们对学前教育的支持，并要求国会和总统立即采取行动。我们等待着做出改变，但每多等一年，新的一批孩童就会错失学前教育的裨益。以下是一些支持公立学前教育的理由，可能会令你感到惊讶：

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.学前教育有助于打击犯罪，降低青少年怀孕率和高中辍学率。如果能接受到高质量的学前教育，儿童的认知能力和社交能力就会得到提升，从而为他们步入校园做好准备。这些基本的能力使他们能够在学生和成年时代继续提高学识。因此，未接受学前教育的儿童辍学的可能性（较接受过的儿童）高出了25%，成为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.学前教育的投资回报率较股市更高。一些决策者对学前教育所需的前期投入表示担忧。然而研究表明，与金融市场一样，学前教育也是我们投资的最佳选择之一。优质学前教育的投资回报率预计为10%，而相比之下，股票市场的平均投资回报率仅为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.

为什么学前教育能带来如此高的回报呢？接受学前教育的儿童一生中所需的社会服务更少。这些收益几乎立即就能显现出来：特殊教育的需求减少、留级的情况也更少，而纳税人在这两处的花费约为每个孩子7500美元。随着时间的推移，这些孩子成年后，所需的公共福利更少、被监禁的可能性也更小，相应地我们就会从中受益。

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.在学前教育领域，美国几乎落后于其他所有国家，包括墨西哥、智利和俄罗斯。在接受高品质学前教育的机会方面，美国实际上逊色于其他发达国家，包括墨西哥、智利、俄罗斯和新西兰。在这些国家以及大部分西欧国家和斯堪的纳维亚国家，4岁儿童的幼儿园入学率更高，相对于其经济体量而言，他们在学前教育领域的投入也更多。如果美国想要在全球市场中竞争，并继续维持其经济军事超级大国的地位，在学前教育领域，我们必须跟上其他国家的脚步。

4. Early childhood education is a bipartisan issue.Politicians from both sides of the aisle2过道两侧的政治家们，代表美国民主党和共和党两党的议员。美国国会参众两院召开会议时，两党的议员分开就坐，中间由过道隔开。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，即每年年初由州长向州议会发表的重要讲话，回顾过去一年的工作进展情况和存在的问题，并概述新的一年的工作计划。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.学前教育是需要两党共同解决的问题。两党议员都认识到投资学前教育不仅能够改善儿童以及家庭的生活水平，更为未来的几代人节省了开支。这就是为什么27位州长都在他们的州情咨文中提到了学前教育，其中14位是共和党人。举例来说，亚拉巴马州、密歇根州、印第安纳州、宾夕法尼亚州和西弗吉尼亚州的州长们都主张增加幼儿的入学机会。

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学前教育的原因之一，是学前教育对确保国家经济的健康运行以及良好的军事战备状态必不可少。事实上，商界及军界领袖都呼吁总统和国会为学前教育提供资金。

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.学前教育项目每年可以为美国家庭在孩童照管方面节省上万美元的开支。很少有家庭能够负担得起学前教育的费用。据估计，4岁儿童在保育中心的教育费用各州不等，低至密西西比州的每年4000美元，高至马萨诸塞州的每年12,000美元。对于生活在贫困线以下且需要照顾不满5岁的儿童的家庭而言，每月保育费用占到了家庭预算的36%。在全美大部分地区，保育费用超过了其他单项家庭支出，包括住房、交通、食品以及医疗保健开支。很少有家庭能够得到补贴来减轻保育费用带来的压力，符合条件的家庭中只有五分之一可以获得这些福利。

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. ■

尽管保育费用昂贵，但教育质量参差不齐。在多数情况下，家长都在为最多只能算差强人意的保育服务买单。而在州立的学前教育项目中，由州政府来制定质量标准，例如确保参与项目的教师拥有大学学位及执业资质，并且规定所教授的课程要适宜儿童的发展。因此，孩子们有更多机会在优质的环境中成长，为他们步入校园打好基础。 □