European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and strikes Reader says Home Best for Early education i am writing in response to the writer who wrote to clarify the super baby ethic article. While t can appreciate her position i have a different perspective on the matter and believe she made some questionable statements. The Points 1 question Are 1. That research and prac Tice clearly demonstrate the benefits of High Quality Early education Tor All children 2. That Quality Early childhood education reduces special education place ment and retention in the Early grades 3. That Quality Early childhood education for All would be Cost effective and 4. That comprehensive educational programs should be made available for All children younger than same of these statements May inadvertently cause parents to feel inadequate in providing the foundation for heir children s intellectual development. There is in fact much evidence that shows children develop Best in a stable Home environment As compared to Early childhood education programs of even the High est Caliper. Would like to recommend two very enlightening books thai show that Early childhood education  Grams have proved not to be of any lasting academic Benefit to most children belter late than Early and school can  both by or. Raymond s. And Dor Othy a Moore. They Are available through Hewitt research foundation . Bos 9, Washougal Wash. 98071. Although do not agree with he authors Opin ions on infant care too rigid1 have nonetheless found these books to be very informative and Well researched. The authors discuss Many aspects of child development examine the Early childhood education move men in depth and draw from a wide Range of sources to support their thesis that the Home is the optimum environment for the Young child to learn in. They make the Point hat placing All children in Early child Hood education programs just because it is needed by the  is like sending All healthy children in the Hospital to nuke sure they gel the same benefits is those who arc sick the recent writer is certainly not alone in her View. There Are Rainy people who arc pushing Tor earlier and earlier education for All children but this most assuredly is not the View of David Elkind As her letter implied nor of Many others in the held. To quote from one of or. Moore s books we have mentioned prominent clinicians and researchers who once strongly advocated Early schooling. But who now believe that the Home is the Best place for Early education whenever possible. Nor contrary to com Mon Assumption do Moil school administrator agree that Day care or Early schooling should be provided for All children. Many teachers agree that Early schooling May be harmful also from or. Moore the consensus of scientific evidence on the Home is. The pre Sehou is Clear for the majority of children. They re Cicic a better foundation for future development and learning from a secure and responsive Home environment where understanding parents Are the teachers while research has not shown any lasting gain made from Early education programs for children it docs show that the most powerful stimulus to a child s development is warn intimate and continuous Moth ering. The findings of Many researchers most notably John Tow by Rente spilt and Mary Ainswort have pointed to the child s attachment to has parents As lire key Factor throughout his development. Or. Silvia. Bell of John Hopkins University Hai stated. The closer and belter he Quality of the Mother child relationship the greater the ability of the child id least Young children who have t Strong attachment to heir Mother and re not pushed to Independence or to academic achievement before they have reached thai maturity level will typically be the More stable secure Independent and higher achieving children at a later age. Some children perhaps More than we realize sense placement in a preschool program As rejection by their Mother and this can weaken the important Mother child attachment. Even the highest Quality preschool cannot provide this relationship and children do not learn Best in an environment where they do not feel secure. Children arc More emotional than cognitive and this is Bow they should be approached. Without a doubt a concerned Loving Mother can do More for her child than any stranger regardless of training education or ability. The real need for Early childhood education has been created by the Gap left when we mothers left the Home in Muse on our quest for status Money and Persona fulfilment while our children have been left behind. In the animal kingdom a Mother wiil instinctively sacrifice her life if necessary to protect the life of her Young. Ii is a sad commentary on the human race that among humans who have been Given the gifts of reason and free will a Mother will often not even Sacri fice the acquisition of the new car for the Sake of her Young. Perhaps mothers do not realize that although the physical life of their Young is not at stake their intellectual moral emotional and spiritual life is. Our nation has not yet seen the results when the Day care generation grows up. This is serious we need to Lake a hard and close look at the faces of our children and Stop pretending thai every a g is of. Where arc we going to find All the people needed la take our place child development centers nationwide cannot even meet the needs of the handicapped and severely deprived children. How could our nation pos Sibly find the masses of warm Loving patient and altruistic people hat Are needed to nurture train and educate our children even is this were possible is that How our tax Dol Lars should be spent As it has been said Many times the family is the Backbone of society and the society can Only be As Strong As the individual families of which it is collectively comprised. Many Oci Logitu and historians know that the present condition if our society to include the Transfer of responsibility for children from the family to the state increasingly parallel those of ancient Rome prior to ill collapse. Instead of spending our us Dollar on Universal Early schooling for Young children t have seven Tiff Gest Iotti How those dollars could be used in order to strengthen both the family and society and also  vide More solid foundation for the optimum development of our children launch a massive education Campaign to urge parents to re Eva talc their priorities and reclaim their parental authority. Fathers should be encouraged to take responsibility for their families and be More involved with their children mothers should be encouraged to return to the Home to raise heir own children on a consistent full time basis. There Are some Moth ers now who Are combining child rearing with a Small Home business pay economically distressed mothers to slay at Home arid raise their own children. Use the knowledge and skills of Early childhood specialists to provide support and education to those parents who need assistance in helping their children develop intellectually and in strengthening the Parent child attachment Bonds. Home visits can be made where needed to guide and assist parents in building self Worth a sense of values and self discipline in their children. Instead of using our tax dollars to provide Oul of the Home education programs for our preschoolers our Money should be used to provide education and assistance to parents. In terms of reducing juvenile delinquency teen age pregnancy drug abuse suicide and the Overall crime Rale All of which continue to skyrocket this plan would prove to be Cost effective f this could be implemented and mothers returned to the Home combined with the knowledge we now pos sess about child development we could turn out ire finest generation of Young people our nation has Ever seen.1. For one am a Mother who sacrificed a career in the military at almost the Halfway Point to retire Mentor the Sake of my child and it has turned out to be the greatest Blessing of my life. If i have convinced just one other Mother to follow her heart and do like Wise j will count it As one of my greatest achieve ments. I am very fortunate to be married to a a cooled father and Good provider who makes it possible for me to stay at Home. I acknowledge there Are Many mothers who would choose this option if it were available a them and my heart goes out to you. May god bless and protect you and your families. Name Mil locution withheld viewers disturbed by children at r movies i have been to several cafes movies recently and noticed something that disturbs me. The movies were rated a and therefore no one younger than 17 is supposed to be allowed in without a Parent or guardian. The audience however con lined about 25 percent children Ages 2 to 12, generally accompanied by parents or other adults. In my opinion this showed very poor judgment on the pan of the parents As the movies in question contained violence nudity and obscene language. Most of the kids were no babies who slept through the movie nor teen agers who Are at least marginally mature enough la handle the subject matter but were children Ages 4 to 10 on whom the Content of this Type of movie will have a great emotional i Impact. My major concern is How viewing these movies which were made to be seen by mature audiences Only will effect the development of the children. Children learn from imitating what they see and hear. Will Vio Lence be the Only Way our children know of to solve problems will obscene language be acceptable speech for fourth graders 1 Hope not. Of minor importance but still disturbing to me As a Money paying customer Are the snickers end giggles from children who do not know How to handle nudity on the screen fences. Another would be to i Anil a raied movies to per sons Al least 13 years of age still with parental consent. This will still allow parents to exercise their judgment Over which movies they allow their children to see while restricting the attendance of a rated films to the More mature audiences for which they were made. Cafes docs a Fine Job of bringing a selection of both family oriented movies and movies for the a lure audiences. It should be congratulated on doing a Fine  Crump Frankfurt recently my wife and attended a meeting of the binding in Community Council. The Community com Mander was called to ask for daring to enforce her restriction an cafes movie goers. Someone even accused him of using the theater As a baby sit Ting service. Somehow that list hit went right Over my head i say Bravo for it col. Mclourin Community commander. He is on the Side of the Angels. My wife and i have been to a handful of movies during our 3vi-Ycar Lour some of them rated  we never fail to see  even element try age children there with and without parents. There is no child on the face of the Earth who needs to tee Al Capone beat a Man to death blood the kids were there. Some laughed Oul loud. Others smaller children cried petrified. Now that baby Silling children raised on these movies arc the ones who answer kill somebody when asked How they plan to Cylc Bralic halloween. They grow up immune to blood insensitive to rape and murder. It. Col. Mcgourin said that his intent was not to make a moral judgment but rather to enforce the regulation. Again i say Bravo but let me make a moral judgment if you wish to let your child watch movies of lie nature described above then keep him away from me he is the psycho Sociopath of the future. Sri. Bruce Holland bad instil Germany editor s note Thomas Hurrod trl Border arcs Exchange replies " we Salute the efforts of the add Injen Community my question to the managers of the cafes movie. __.,. System is since voluntary restrictions on the audiences oozing Over the banquet table As in the unt ouch of a rated movies has proved ineffective should a Ables. Or to see a Young girl lying in a blood soaked More stringent policy be Pul into effect one pos Sibili bed pistol raped by the son of the Devil himself the to would be an advertising plan to educate parents about the effects of mature films on i immature Audi pistol rape f. Offending instrument still in place As in Angel heart blood on the floor the Walls the ceiling. But Sponik Allily ultimately rests cafes uses the rating system adopted by the to Linn picture association of America to provide Advance information to Parent about film Content. We cannot decide far he Parnu which movies they choose to bring their children to. Individuals and parents ban the responsibility la Mike their decisions  Ramie attendance. We thank you for your interest and Tufe this info Milliun will make More pamirs aware of the Impact at the decisions