The New Face of Early Care and Education. Who Are We? And Where Are We Going?
Source of the report
The National Association for the Education of Young Children
Article Summary
There have been several changes in early childhood care and education. Currently, the field comprises of both three-year-olds and toddlers. The discipline will require new programs to cope with these changes. Professionals who attend to young children should demonstrate high levels of commitment and competence in their work on a daily basis. Professionalism in child care calls for the ability to give useful instructions that extend and build children’s awareness of the world.
Professionals should also implement strategies that assist young children in developing skills for regulating their behavior. They should come up with a functional and stimulating learning environment. Besides, the professionals need to promote the nutrition and health of young children, maintain and establish workable relationships with their families, and implement systems and policies that ensure proper management of early childhood education programs.
Staff qualifications in early childhood programs in several states are relatively low. The lead teachers require high academic qualifications. These employees receive relevant expertise on the job. Primary grade and kindergarten teachers have higher certification requirements. They need enough time to prepare for the task before them. The certification has to come from their respective states. Most states expect Kindergarten teachers have degrees.
NAEYC now provides a clear growth path where child care professionals can attain masters and doctorate degrees in the field. This field calls for autonomy by participating in the political process. This can be achieved through activism and advocacy.
The pay for early childhood teachers is lower than workers with similar qualifications in other fields. Like other professionals, health care providers abide by the code of ethics. Some childhood professionals are not comfortable with the idea of enforcing the code. There is a need to engage childhood professionals in determining the field’s professional position, what leaders should do to enhance this level and the future definition of childhood professionalism.
What I think about the discussion in the article
In my opinion, this is an excellent article in the field of early childcare and education. This article precisely addresses the opportunities and challenges in this field. If professionals and leaders take the recommendations in the article, it can push the field of early child care and education to the next level.
In Early-Childhood and Care: Quality Counts
Source of the report
Quality Counts 2002: Building blocks for success
Article Summary
Early learning is a joint effort between early childhood instructors and parents. The learning process in children begins right from birth. Millions of children around the world receive early childhood care from other people other than their biological parents. The quality of early education and care that children receive is the foundation for their future academic success.
There is a need to ensure that states accord early childhood teachers high-quality experiences, train early childhood professionals properly, provide adequate pay for early childhood teachers, and evaluate the outcome of these programs. Reports indicate that most states subsidize the cost of early childhood learning. Several states help low-income families purchase health care by the use of federal and state funding. There are wide variations in income limits that families require to qualify for this assistance.
The quality of early childhood in the recent past made sure that children received care in a nurturing and safe environment. The licensing standards for many states take into consideration playground equipment, the caseload of children per caregiver, and the group size. They rarely address the early education and care learning aspects. New surveys have made several states set standards for early childhood learning. Most of them are increasing efforts to enhance the quality of early childhood education by setting precise standards. The challenge with most states is ensuring that early childhood educators have the right training.
Most of them expect educators to possess a certificate in early childhood or elementary education plus a Bachelor’s degree. There are several scholarships in the field, coupled with high pay for educators. This has drawn several people into the profession of early childhood education. Several states are enhancing early childhood education because it is the foundation of future academic performance in individuals.
What I think about the discussion in the article
This article is a true reflection of what happens in most states. The kind of education children receives their future academic success. Most parents leave their children in the hands of caregivers. The article concludes by acknowledging the efforts of the state in promoting early childhood education. This is a true reflection of what happens in society.
Young Children Counting at Home
Source of the report
Mathematics Teaching in Corporation Micro Math
Article Summary
The project is known as ‘Getting children counting’ addresses the activities family members and parents consider exceptional for young children. This project shares relevant practices through a DVD medium. The DVD is also helpful for children attendants, nursery nurses, and early childhood teachers. The project is a result of several visits to children centers. Family members display the activities they engage their children in to help them learn.
The project’s concentration is on the counting activities that children learn about. It came out clearly that most students start learning how to count at the age of two. Family members teach the young ones how to count backward and forward. The film has the element of counting backward.
The practice of counting has no effects from the language. This is because gaining knowledge of the names of numbers is a straightforward endeavor. The other element in this project is the counting of objects. All the counting objects were things children used for playing. They would keep on organizing and disorganizing them as they count. It was hard for children to count drawings because they were unable to move them from one point to another.
The other thing is the count of actions. Counting of events was more helpful for higher numbers than the use of objects. Differentiating some activities as counting actions or objects is hard. There was also a requirement to assist children in putting things right while counting. The design of the film is to make the whole exercise enjoyable, short, and frequent. This encourages parents to continue with what they are doing while coming up with better ways of doing things.
What I think about the discussion in the article
This is an excellent approach to help children gain the art of learning. Both parents and children need to view the film in order to make proper use of their children’s early years. Given a chance, I can suggest the DVD to be part of the learning activities in the early childhood curriculum. This means that early childhood educators should go through the same in the course of professional training.
References List
Griffiths, R. (2007). Young Children Counting at Home. Mathematics Teaching Incorporating Micromath, 203, 24–26.
Freeman, N. K., & Feeney, S. (2006). The New Face of Early Care and Education. Who Are We? And Where Are We Going? Young Children, 61(5), 10–16. Web.
In Early-Childhood Education and Care: Quality Counts. (2002). Education Week. Web.