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Excerpt
Flaro
and Associates Ltd.
Psychological
Services
EVALUATION
OF THE PROJECT HEADSTART PROGRAM
RESEARCH
BASIS
A
lot of work has gone into the development of this early
intervention and head start program. The individuals who
developed the materials were well aware of the research on
child development and learning theory. Indeed, the
manufacturers and developers knew what would work in the early
years and built it from this foundation. At the same
time, their focus on developing beginning reading and math
skills through a number of avenues is noteworthy. In
terms of neural development, the child’s exposure to many
types of stimulation and experiences provides the means for
the child to make the necessary connections in the brain to
become successful learners. With guidance,
instruction, reinforcement, modeling, training and teaching
as well as play, most children will benefit from this program.
It is based on solid research and utilizes a number of
learning principles and strategies for making the learning
process informative, exciting and generative. The amount
of resources available in this program for parents and
children is astonishing and unbelievable. Every
parent should be provided with this program at the birth of
their first child and taught how to use it and to interact
strategically and instructively with their child to build a
successful future learner.
FURTHER
RESEARCH
There
is no question that the HEADSTART program would be an
effective tool for any parent to use with their children.
And there is no doubt that exposure to this program in a
consistent and organized manner would bring about substantial
academic gains and improved cognitive functioning. This
program provides a solid basis for parents to work with their
children and provide the means to learn the basic building
blocks of learning competency. Moreover, there is no
question that exposure to the material and its content will
produce significant gains in a number of subject areas
including math, reading, spelling, social studies and science.
As it stands, this program is well constructed, based on solid
research and consistent with developmental stages of cognitive
development and learning theory, [and] the research component
will greatly add to its validity and its overall
effectiveness. This program certainly stands on its own
and merits being placed in every home in Canada. Any
time children can have access and exposure to such materials,
the consequences of these experiences and learning
opportunities will create better learners and better citizens
of the world.
I
rate this program very highly and would suggest that more
people be made aware of its content and its material. At
the same time, I would greatly urge the promoters to do
whatever it takes to make it available to a larger portion of
the population in Alberta and across Canada and the United
States. It has a lot to offer children in all walks of
life and this potential should be made available to as many
people as possible. Hopefully, one day this will happen.
There is no question that children provided with this material
would benefit substantially from its exposure.
Dr.
Lloyd Flaro, C. Psych
(Clinical
Psychology and Child Neuropsychology)
