Experts debate the benefits of tutoring preschoolers

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- While Jacob Hall pronounces the words on his flashcards, Neha Gulrajani works with a numbers board nearby and Jillian Sommerauer talks to her teacher about a picture book.

It sounds like kindergarten, but these children gathered at a Kansas City strip mall to get extra help that some say is placing increasing pressure on youngsters.

The children at the Kumon learning center are part of a national growth in such preschool programs -- and a debate over whether they help children.

While some educators say no evidence exists to show preschool tutoring has long-term benefits for children without learning disabilities, other educators, and parents, say the programs give children confidence and important building blocks for school.

Kumon, which has existed for 50 years for older students, began opening Junior Kumon classes in North America in May 2003 and had 304 of the centers by February. Sylvan Learning Centers started offering reading programs for 4 1/2-year-olds in April. Kaplan Inc. has offered its SCORE! program for youngsters since 1992.

Some suggest that the federal No Child Left Behind initiative and changes in the public education system have made parents feel pressured to push their children into learning at earlier ages.

"That has created an atmosphere where it is better to do it sooner, because they are going to be tested on it sooner," said Sara Wilford, director of the Art of Teaching graduate program at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.

Wilford said she fears some programs may actually turn off youngsters to education, if they are too regimented.

"Children learn in a very hands-on, very active way," she said. "I do think 'sooner means better' completely loses everything we know about how children learn."

Except for children with learning disabilities or other factors that make learning difficult, tutoring has not been shown to have any long-term benefits, said Gedeon Deak, an associate professor of cognitive science at the University of California-San Diego.

"My suspicion is that a lot of parents that are doing this for preschoolers, unless there is some other reason like a doctor expressing concern, are simply overanxious and putting their energy into something that is maybe not effective, except at enhancing the revenue of certain companies," Deak said.

But Andrea Pastorok, an education psychologist who helped design the Junior Kumon program, said preschoolers can learn better if they master pre-literacy skills, such as phonetic awareness and understanding the alphabet.

"Many, many children will not pick up these skills automatically," Pastorok said. "If we can intervene at an early stage and prevent years of struggle for children, what's better than that?"

Nearly everyone agrees the best programs for preschoolers emphasize individual instruction that targets each child's learning level. They also must be fun, hands-on and given in short spurts.

Kaplan, Kumon and Sylvan programs all emphasize those factors. Most preschoolers are at the centers from one to two hours a week, with some work at home. None of the programs push children to read fluently or do math problems before they enter kindergarten.

And all three emphasize the importance of parents in their youngsters' learning.

"We have known forever that what moms and dads do at home is very important," said Pastorok, who worked with children for 30 years before joining Kumon. "And children learn best through play. No one is arguing with that."

Back at the Overland Park Kumon center, Jacob's, Neha's and Jillian's mothers are convinced their children are benefiting from the program. All the children joined the program before they entered kindergarten.

"If you want to have a long term success, you have to have a strong foundation," said 5-year-old Neha's mother, Vandana Gulrajani, "She has gained from here. She has confidence to talk to teachers and give answers."