THE POLITICAL WILL TO IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEMS

The blog assignment for this week concentrates on the political will to improve early childhood systems.  We were asked to share one or more strategies we have discovered as we worked on the assignments during this course, and particularly this past week, that are currently being used by advocates or organizations to influence the political will toward improving early childhood systems in order to foster the well-being of young children and their families.  We were also asked to share our thoughts on what part of this work appeals to us the most and why?

As I have stated before, in a prior class I focused on this current issue and I find it just as relevant at this time.  What I found while researching as well as applying my own experience in the field was that one of the most important focuses in the early childhood field, in my opinion, is the need of a system designed to assess, improve and communicate the level of quality of early and school-age care programs (Neugebauer, 2009, p. 66), as well as finding quality and affordable child care. Individuals have diverse abilities and these abilities account for a substantial portion of the variation across individuals in socioeconomic success. These gaps across children from different socioeconomic groups emerge before their formal education begins (Heckman, 2008, p. 307).

In the last twenty-two plus years, there have been a lot of changes to the licensing processes in the state of Massachusetts as well as what is now being expected from licensed providers. One of the processes for improvement being explored and designed in my area is the quality rating and improvement systems standards (QRIS) (Neugebauer, 2009, p. 66).  To say being involved in this process is frustrating is an understatement.  I have been involved in the QRIS rating system over the last three years as well as the UPK grant since 2009.  During the course of working with the QRIS system I have been called a glorified babysitter who is uneducated and has no knowledge of how to match standards with goals, etc…  Suffice it to say this was not a good experience for the person who made these statements.  I do not throw my educational background in the mix when dealing with different agencies but did so this one time.  It was my pleasure to point out how “uneducated” I definitely was not (both book learning and experience).  This issue made it up to two supervisors over this woman.

Then it is time for the legal and political systems come into play. We need the political system to intervene and assist in passing legislation in order for the quality of the early care our children receive from unrelated individuals to continue growing. We need the legal system in order to pass the new regulations and put them into effect.  It would just be wonderful if those who are making these regulations and passing the legislation had any experience working day-to-day in the early childhood field.  I have offered over the years to open my child care to anyone who would like to come and spend a day or a few days seeing how it is run.  So far there have been no takers on the offer.  In order to make changes, we need to use strategies such as methods of how to use our voices, invest in our work, and join networks.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  It takes many, many voices to advocate for change – but what a difference these voices can make.

The work that appeals to me the most is definitely the advocacy portion.  I love to do research and use my voice in order to make a difference.  Advocating is an ongoing process that keeps evolving as each new situation occurs.  Knowing my nature, this is a challenge I gladly will take on.

References

Heckman, J. J. (2008). Role of income and family influence on child outcomes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, pp. 307-323. doi:10.1196/annals.1425.031

Neugebauer, R. (2009). Quality rating and improvement systems. Exchange (01648527), (188), 66-68.

PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

For this week’s blog assignment we were asked to consider one system element that is a foundational strength of Head Start.  Parent and Family Involvement is the assigned element we were given to consider.  We were then asked to review and reflect of the life stories we read on the website of the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC), which is part of the Office of Head Start (http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/about/stories/pfs).  We were then asked to blog about what we learned from these Parent and Family Stories and to address two or more of the given topics.  The topics I chose are:

1.  Why do involvement opportunities for parents and family members benefit young children, families, and the early childhood field?

Head Start/Early Head Start places a large emphasis on family involvement.  Unfortunately, educators do not currently have a comprehensive way to measure information from families concerning the types of learning experiences they provide for their children in the home environment.  This information is important due to the fact that one of the primary missions of Head Start/Early Head Start is to prepare children for school (Hindman and Wasik, 2010).  These experiences with their families are very important as the preschool years are a critical time for children’s language and literacy learning (Hindman and Wasik, 2010).  Families are a child’s first teacher and educators cannot accomplish what needs to be done without the families’ interaction (Hindman and Wasik, 2010).

2.  What is the value that hearing such stories has for early childhood professionals, for the public, and for policymakers and government officials?

Listening, really listening to the stories for this assignment has reinforced what I have written in prior assignments.  One of the issues I know I need to continuously work on in regards to changing demographics and diversity is making sure everyone feels respected and included in their community and their child’s education.  I say this because as the demographics and diversity change in my child care and community, so must I.  Fortunately, working with exchange students has really opened my eyes to this issue and allowed me to understand that I can keep growing and learning along with the families/students/community.  The students are always willing to educate me on their cultures, customs, etc…  All I have to do is ask.  If I do not know something I make sure I ask the families to educate me.

According to Santamaria (2009), challenges inherent in serving multiple students with diverse needs (i.e. academic, cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, etc.) have been the preoccupation of educators since the identification of academic achievement gaps in research studies and by school districts (Santamaria, 2009). 

In order to be an effective educator, regardless of what field of education we are working in, we need to be culturally competent communicators.  According to Le Roux (2002), education is not just about understanding the curriculum and achieving good grades.  It is also about teaching and learning about values, assumptions, feelings, perceptions and relationships (Le Roux, 2002).  

It is very important to look at our own biases as we have learned in order to make sure we can ask the questions needed to educate ourselves as well as make our classrooms, child cares, etc… the best environments for learning that we can.  If we do not address these attitudes/biases, we will not be able to establish an environment that is welcoming for everyone.

Educators, as stated above, must genuinely examine their attitudes and assumptions not only about diverse cultures but also about the diverse types of families the children live in.  These attitudes and assumptions will not allow us, as educators, to reach the point of genuine openness to others and therefore, not make our classrooms/child cares an inviting place for others to want to become involved.

Also, once we examine our attitudes and assumptions, it allows us, as individuals as well as educators, to feel comfortable in asking questions and finding out answers from others in how to improve our programs, curriculums, etc… (Gestwicki, 2007).

References

Gestwicki, C. (2007). Home, school, and community relations. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

Hindman, A. H., & Wasik, B. A. (2010). Head start families sharing home language and literacy experiences. doi: 10.1080/15240751003737919

Le Roux, J. (2002). Effective educators are culturally competent communicators. Intercultural Education, 13(1), 37-48. doi:10.1080/14675980120112922

Parent and family stories. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2012, from

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/about/stories/pfs

Santamaria, L. J. (2009). Culturally Responsive Differentiated Instruction: Narrowing Gaps between Best Pedagogical Practices Benefiting All Learners. Teachers College Record, 111(1), 214-247.

QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR ALL CHILDREN

It is the mission of the early childhood field to provide developmentally appropriate practices which promotes a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development in order to support the desire to become life-long learners.  These practices also place a focus on the importance of family and community involvement in the early childhood years and beyond so the children can reach their full potential as productive members of our society. 

In a prior assignment I reflected on current influences on the early childhood field.  What I found was, but not limited to, one of the most important aspects of working in the early childhood field is keeping apprised of the current influences as well as current research in order to perform our jobs to the best of our abilities.  Once armed with this information, we need to apply it to our programs.  Finding the right balance in the curriculum, especially with children of mixed ages for my child care program, is probably one of the biggest challenges I face.  Three resources were summarized in this prior assignment, but I feel they are relevant to the blog assignment for this week as well.

Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Although childhood is the most rapid period of development in an individual’s life, children develop at their own pace.  With this in mind it is important to factor in what is the best way to assist in their physical, cognitive, and social/emotional growth.  This is where our investment in the early childhood comes into play.

The benefits for the children last a life time if we, as early childhood educators, fully invest in well-conceived ECD programs.  Research has shown that participation in well-conceived ECD programs results in children who are more competent socially/emotionally, show higher verbal/intellectual development in their early childhood compared to those children who were not enrolled in a high quality pre-school/childcare program.  A high quality program needs to include, but is not limited to, areas which focus on the children’s physical, social/emotional, cognitive, nutritional, and health needs (web.worldbank.org).  These needs need to be reassessed as the children grow or, as in my case, new children enroll in my program. 

Children’s Emotional development is Built into the Architecture of the Brains

The growing amount of scientific evidence is showing those who work in the early childhood field the importance of emotional development as a critical aspect of the development of overall brain architecture (developingchild.harvard.edu).

Children rapidly develop their abilities to experience, express emotions, and learn to cope with and manage a variety of feelings right from their birth.  These developments occur simultaneously as other, more visible skills (e.g. gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, and language).  The development of an individual’s social competence which is developed in the first five years of development is linked to how an individual develops into adulthood, thus becoming an important foundation which needs to be focused on right from birth.  If this critical aspect is neglected or ignored the consequences later in life will more than likely not be positive in nature.

Bev Bos Blog

Bev Bos and her focus on play as a learning tool was brought to my attention when I first started my educational journey into the early childhood field.  Her blog is a great source of information on the importance of this method of teaching children and is full of resources that I have found very useful over the years I have owned/operated my home daycare.

The above-mentioned articles have reminded me of the importance of the whole package that is needed for children to thrive and grow.  I am also reminded of the importance of making sure the parents of the children in my care are fully included in the day-to-day goals I set for my program as well as the long-term goals for the children’s development.  I am at the point in my professional/personal life that my focus now can fully be on my goals and what I would like to accomplish.  Keeping up with current issues and re-assessing my program plays a large part in creating and maintaining a high quality program for the children in my care.

This being said, my hope for the future is that public opinion continues to gain more momentum in a positive direction towards the importance of the impact of each of the early childhood educational strands, systems, policies, and advocacy.  A positive beginning to life means a positive foundation for future development, health and general well-being throughout a child’s life.  Regular care by other individuals other than the child’s parents has become more of the norm for children prior to school entry.  Part of this is a result of the increased need for two-parent incomes (Doherty et al., 2006).  By creating and implementing high-quality and effective early childhood programs, policies, and child care programs, children will have a solid foundation for a productive future (developingchild.harvard.edu, 2008).

A child’s daily experience plays a large role in the social, emotional, linguistic and cognitive development.  Children who are enrolled in child care will benefit from attending a high-quality program which focuses on a combination of nurturing relationships, a focus on the children’s health and safety, and offering a developmentally-appropriate program focused on the developmental needs (social, emotional, linguistic and cognitive) of the children in attendance (i.e. providing stimulating activities and experiences) (Doherty et al., 2006).

From an economic perspective, the higher the quality of program, the more positive the lasting impacts will be in the future (Galinsky, 2006).  Effective early childhood programs generate benefits to society that far exceed program costs (deveopingchild.harvard.edu, 2008).  According to Olson (2005), economic analyses show that for every dollar that is invested in high-quality programs the return to society can be anywhere between three to seventeen dollars (Olson, 2005).  High-quality also help children have better school readiness skills, yield benefits such as higher graduation rates, fewer school dropouts, less need for special education, and less crime (Olson, 2005).

References

Bev Bos Blog : … It's the Very Best Thing I Do! (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2011, from http://www.bevbos.com/blog/

Doherty, G., Forer, B., Lero, D. S., Goelman, H., & LaGrange, A. (2006). Predictors of quality in family child care. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21(3), 296-312. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2006.07.006

Galinsky, E. (2006). The economic benefits of high quality preschool: What makes the difference? Retrieved from http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/ced.pdf

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004, Winter). Children's emotional development is built into the architecture of their brains (Working Paper No. 2). Waltham, MA: Author. Available from Center on the Developing Child, Harvard    University website http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp2/

Olson, L. (2005). Early childhood education: Investing in quality makes sense. Research Points, 3(2).

The World Bank. (2010). Early childhood development. Retrieved June 9, 2011, from
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTCY/0,,contentMDK:20246241~menuPK:4697089~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:396445,00.html