During this weeks reading in Rethinking Early Childhood Education from p. 189-195 "Who Cares for Our Children" the author talked about low income families who may be in poverty, homeless etc, which they are searching for safe and affordable childcare. According to the text on p.191 the author talks about human rights for child care and the importance of creating a "Positive State" for women and children. How do families select a strong family support group or system to help their child get into childcare programs? Today there are child care programs that can help low income families send their child to school such as Head Start programs etc.
As I read, "It's All of Our Business" on p. 197-200 the author discussed the issue of employment on which, the government needs to take action to create business standards that reflect on public values (p.199). I feel that it's our job as educators to help support families as much as possible so that their child can get the education they need.
The last two readings from p. 201-208 talks about a similar issue that discuss wages for childcare and providing improvements on working conditions for educators in childcare programs. Is there an easier way to handle public financial investments on wages?
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Do you believe that the cost for preschool is too high? or Low or just right for the work that teachers do during the week with the children? I always wondered why it costs so much to put your child in preschools. Wouldn't it just be easier to put them in a public school preschool or do they charge too??? Because my brother went to preschool at an elementary school but I don't know if my mom paid monthly or something. I am not sure about this but just thought you would know or someone reading this. I personally believe that the cost is high for families. What are some ways that the government can improve on this part???
ReplyDeleteI actually work for Head Start and there are a variety of ways that they reach out to the community, educate them on Head Start program and services, as well as extend these services when children step into the classroom. They do community outreach and education programs by sending out flyers, application packets, recruitment inside of the program (through staff, families). They also provide families with monies for education expenses, including basic school supplies for children and their siblings who are going to kindergarten or are between K-12. I thought this was amazing that Head Start did all this to reach out to the community. But I can't help but wonder: What good are any of these if families can't take that first step into the classroom?
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn,
ReplyDeleteThe discussion on human rights and its relationship to early childhood education offers all of us something to consider. Do traditional policies and expectations in early childhood environments reflect the rights of children? If teachers were asked to list the rights of children, how might they respond? Should teachers share the same view on the rights of children or is it based in the community the school serves? How can articulating the rights of children help teachers to better define their roles?
Jeanne
Hi Dawn,
ReplyDeletePreschool is a step in the right direction for children. It is the begining to a solid foundation for education. I believe if children are given the possitive support at a young age they will grow to be great leaders of tomorrow. How can that happen if some families are not given the opportunity? What about the people that fall into the in between? The people that make too much money to qualify for state aid but do not make enough money for pay tuition for preschool. I have a hard time thinking about this because this is now the case of some of our families. Some that were using state aid to help with tuition for preschool now either got dropped completely or they are receiving a dramatically less amount now that the state has made cut backs. What do they do now? How do they decide, stay with my child or work?
Hi!
ReplyDeleteDo you believe we need more schools like head start? Is it helping children and families around our communities? I believe we do need to find a system like other countries that education is one of the main financial uses for the countries. Education is very supportive and teachers get paid well in other countries. Why can't the United States do the same? What are some ideas you have to support this issue?
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your positive outlook on things. My blog last week was very negative and I'm almost embarrassed. It's nice to read everyone's blogs so that I can get back into ECE mode and look past my frustrations.
I find that a lot of families are struggling with childcare. It seems like only the rich, poor, or children with Hawaiian ancestry can afford childcare. What happens to everyone in between? Shouldn't childcare be affordable for all children? It's hard to show the importance of preschool when not everyone can afford it. Perhaps the state needs more progams like Head Start to help all families of socio backgrounds.
Hi Dawn,
ReplyDeleteWhy can't teachers have more pay but the other country? In Hong Kong, I found a job in one of the international schools. The pay for a lead teacher is about HK$24,000 about US$3,400. I was so blessed. My salary is actually higher than what I had in Hawaii. Besides, the job duties was less than Hawaii. The school hires workers for changing diapers and doing all the cleaning work in each classroom. The school system in Hong Kong is very different form Hawaii. There's no pressure when I work in the classroom.