What is happening in ECEC nationally and globally?
How do we study the ECEC workforce?
Childcare Resource and Research Unit. (1997) In the public interest: The social and economic benefits of high quality child care [Video] available at: http://www.childcarecanada.org/publications/video/97/01/public-interest-social-and-economic-benefits-high-quality-child-care Use 22 minute video to look for changes over time and between countries
Friendly, M., & Prentice, S. (2009). About Canada: Childcare. Black Point, N.S: Fernwood Pub. The
Introduction is available at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/about-canada-childcare to
Logie, C. & Roopnarine, J.L. (2015). Childrearing practices in the Caribbean: Lesson and implication from a national assessment in Trinidad and Tobago.
Who is the MA early childhood education and care workforce?
The MA early childhood education and care workforce
The Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children Inc. (2015) About Early Ed In Massachusetts Available at http://www.btwic.org/about-us/about-early-ed-in-ma/#
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. (2016)
Whitebook, M., McLean, C., and Austin, L.J.E. (2016). Early Childhood Workforce
Index – 2016. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University
of California, Berkeley.
IOM (Institute of Medicine) and NRC (National Research Council). 2012. The early childhood care and education workforce: Challenges and opportunities: A workshop report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Impact early childhood workforce on of children’s development
Positive interactions between children and the important adults in their lives, including the teachers and other caregivers are critical for healthy growth and development. Yet we know that around the world, as is the case in the United States, the early childhood workforce has not received the recognition or support it deserves. Does the need for support and recognition impact positive interactions between adults and children?
In the United States, the pay and status of the early education and care c teachers is lower than public school teachers, leading to low satisfaction and high turnover (Whitebook, Phillips, & Howes 2014)—this and many other challenges are true also in the global context.
While there is a very long road ahead, in September 2015 the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) and Results for Development Institute (R4D), with support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation, hosted a meeting of experts from around the world to discuss the need to strengthen the early childhood workforce globally. Building on this meeting, the two partnering organizations recently launched an initiative focusing on those who work with children from birth through age 8 and their families around the world.
The new Early Childhood Workforce Initiative will take a holistic multisector approach, with a focus on a variety of roles, including teachers, home visitors, mentors, coaches, supervisors, trainers, and program managers. Through specific country studies and cross-country dialogue on topics such as competencies and standards, training and professional development, and support for improvement and recognition, this new initiative intends to shine a light on a topic that has been too long in the shadows of public policy. We are able to see a growing understanding of the need for high-quality early childhood education and development, and with that comes the hope that things might change. The importance of the early years to long-term health, behavior, and learning was reflected in several of the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development agreed to by countries around the world in 2015. Specifically, Goal 4, on education, included the following important target:
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
To fulfill our obligation to children worldwide requires a renewed commitment to building and supporting an early childhood workforce that has sufficient professional preparation, recognition, and working conditions; increased compensation; and ongoing support. These dedicated teachers are the heart and soul of a quality early childhood program. They deserve the support and working conditions that lead to effective programs and assure that all children learn and thrive.
Join us at NAEYC’s 2016 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, where a panel of global experts will discuss current research and innovative approaches in low- and middle-income countries.
References
Neuman, M.J., K. Josephson, & P.G. Chua. 2015. A Review of the Literature: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Personnel in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Part of the Early Childhood Care and Education Working Papers Series. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Whitebook, M., D. Phillips, & C. Howes. 2014. Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages: The Early Childhood Workforce 25 Years After the National Child Care Staffing Study. Report. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California.
JOAN LOMBARDI
Joan Lombardi is a senior advisor to the Bernard van Leer Foundation on global child development strategies and to the Buffett Early Childhood Fund on national initiatives. She also directs Early Opportunities LLC, focusing on innovation, policy, and philanthropy.
IOM (Institute of Medicine) and NRC (National Research Council). 2012. The early childhood care and education workforce: Challenges and opportunities: A workshop report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d. ) A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Available at the NAEYC website: https://www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence
Diversity and the Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce
Glynn (2012) reports on the use of childcare programs by families by income. Because most people work outside the home, most children under five years old receive child care from someone other than their family. Almost ¼ of children under the age of five are in some form of organized child care arrangement, which includes licensed childcare programs. The ¼ of children under five years of age receiving care includes one-third (33 percent) of those with an employed mother and more than one-quarter (28.6 percent) of those whose mothers are in school.
Family childcare programs remains the most common type of child-care arrangement across all marital and employment statuses. Families often alternate their work schedules to tag-team responsibilities, a major reason for the high costs of child care.The annual cost of child care for an infant in a child care center is higher than a year’s tuition at the average four-year public college in most states. Low-income families spend a much larger portion of income on child care.
Childcare programs serve diverse populations. What do these tables communicate to you about culture and childcare?
Many childcare programs effectively isolate children by income, and often, by race. Unfortunately, the demographic data on early childhood education programs reveal three troubling trends:
- Children from low-socio-economic Status (SES) families and Hispanic children are less likely than high-SES and non-Hispanic children to be enrolled in center-based early childhood programs;
- Low-income children are most likely to attend low-quality preschool programs; and
- Most children in public preschool programs attend economically segregated programs that are often segregated by race or ethnicity as well. (Reid and Kagan, 2015)
To learn more, we invite you to read Child Trends (2016) available at https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/21_Child_Care-1.pdf
Additionally, to add to the cultural mismatch, “European American teachers still comprise the majority of America’s teaching form (Sleeter, 2008), and the nation’s teachers have become more monolithic, monocultural, and monolingual. The good news is that as Frede suggests that demographic matches between teachers and children are not necessary for effective care and education, and that sensitive and supportive teachers are more predictive of beneficial outcomes. (Monroe & Ruan, 2018)
Consider the preparation of early childhood educators. How are teachers prepared to be sensitive and supportive to a diverse population of children and families.? Here is a self-assessment to determine your ability to promote cultural and linguistic competency. We invite you take the quiz as a way to prepare for our discussion. What areas do you need to develop?
TO DO
Alev’s reading
References
Studying the ECEC workforce
Greenwood, D., Whyte, W., & Harkavy, I. (1993). Participatory action research as a process and as a goal. Human Relations, 46(2), 175-192. doi:10.1177/001872679304600203
Minkler, M. (2000). Using participatory action research to build healthy communities. Public Health Reports (1974-), 115(2-3), 191-197.
Raghavan, C. (2009) East Asia and Pacific Regional UNGEI: Evidence-based advocacy for gender in education, a learning guide Availabe at the UNICEF website: https://www.unicef.org/eapro/advocacy_guide_FINAL4.pdf
Reisman, J., Gienapp, A., and Stachowiak, S. (2007) A Handbook Of Data Collection Tools: Companion To “A Guide To Measuring Advocacy And Policy” Available at the Organizational Research Services website http://orsimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/a_handbook_of_data_collection_tools.pdf . Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
