美国“提前开端计划”的特征、经验及对我国学前教育的启示

The Features and Experience of PHS and Its Enlightenment for Pre-school Education in China

"提前开端计划"是美国联邦政府投入最大、历史最悠久的早期儿童教育项目。该项目的基本特征包括:针对"处境不利儿童",提供基于"全儿童"理念的综合服务;针对儿童和家长的两代人干预,植根社区且赋权穷人。从创办之初,提前开端计划一直在挑战中发展:回应政府提高儿童认知成就的期待、平衡"赋权社区"与"儿童发展"的张力、加强对项目质量的监管和问责、完善与公办学校系统的衔接。"提前开端计划"的经验为中国学前教育的发展提供了以下的启示:为弱势儿童提供综合性质的早期教育项目、将促进家长投入纳入学前教育的范畴、理性看待学前教育的功效、加强对早期儿童教育项目的实证研究。

Project Head Start is the largest and longest federal preschool children program in America. The features of this program include： targeting the ＂disadvantaged children＂ as beneficiary, providing the comprehensive service based on the ＂whole child＂ philosophy, focusing on the child-parent intervention, rooting in community and empowering the poor. Project Head Start has faced challenges and developed itself since its start, responding to the social expectation of improving children＇ s cognitive development, maintaining the balance between empowering community and child development, strengthening its quality monitoring and accountability, smoothing the transition from Head Start to public schools. In reference to PHS＇ s experience, China should launch a comprehensive early childhood program for disadvantaged children, and encourage the evidence-based studies in the field of early childhood education.