The value and importance of providing early care and education for young children and their families in the United States has become increasingly important over the last decade. The reason for the importance can range from preparing the young child for school to it is necessary because parents are working and are relying on the care children receive in the child care setting to allow them to work without worrying about their children.
I believe the value of the programs is dependent on the background and education of the parents. Parents that have an understanding of how the young child develops may prefer the childcare service because they can see that the social, mental, and physical development skills that are learned during these important years are vital to the success of their child’s future. However, those parents that have not had the opportunity to learn about the development of the young child may grasp that those children that attend a quality child care program have the opportunity to learn skills that they would not learn in their own home or while being taken care of by a family member. Therefore they prefer the child care setting versus family care. For other parents the value of the child care setting is simply that it provides a safe place for the child while they are working.
As an educator, I believe the value and importance of early childcare is that it offers children from all families the opportunity to learn important social and development skills that foster their ability to learn in the future. The child care setting teaches children how to play, talk and accept people that are different from themselves and that are not family members. Children in child care also learn the social norms that allow them to be successful when they arrive into the school system. Unfortunately all parents do not understand the true value of child care to children and in many situations they simply cannot afford the quality care they would prefer for their child. In my opinion, this is where providing resources centers and opportunities to parents come in. By providing parents with this information perhaps then they will view the child care programs with more value than when they think of it as just a place to send their children while they are at work.
Influencing my opinion are conversations that I have had with other parents and many articles that I have read on the early childcare field. Below I am listing several sites that discuss the value of early childhood education.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI think early care and education should be expanded to give all children and their families an opportunity to learn in environments which fosters children's healthy development. Most often, many people tend to think play is not important. But, if children are not allowed to play, they miss out on many social and development skills. Parents and educators have to be strong supporters of public policies on issues surronding access to high-quality early care and education.