Thursday, December 29, 2005
An interesting opinion article published in the Pioneer Press. Probably nothing that you haven't already heard, but this once again voices the opinions that quality child care is a key ingredient to success in starting school. This article references a study by Child Trends that has been criticized as being alarmist, but in my opinion is still believable.
How would your child care rate? In the top 5%? If not, why not? Early care for children is rapidly moving towards being professional by not only providing a safe and caring setting, but by providing educational opportunities to properly prepare children to begin school. If you are looking to improve your child care, check out some programs like the Not By Chance training.
By the way, you can check on the proposed rating system that is being considered. I know that I have written about it before, but I feel that it is very important and that you will continue to hear more about it as time goes on.
Take a look at the article... As always your comments are welcome.
Posted on Fri, Dec. 02, 2005
Focus on the smallest among us
We'll say it again. And again. Children absolutely and positively need high-quality daytime care while their parents are at work. Why?
The kids who are the most academically, emotionally and behaviorally prepared for kindergarten arrive there from child care programs that teach rather than baby-sit. Yet in Minnesota and Wisconsin, few children receive what they need and crave, mostly because the effective programs cost more.
An evaluation by Child Trends, a nonpartisan research organization, shows that nearly all of Minnesota's 3- to 5-year-old children attend licensed child care centers that meet minimal thresholds for excellence. Only 25 percent were rated "good." Four percent were below minimal standards. The remainder of the centers fall into a vast middle ground of mediocrity. The children are safe, yes. They're fed and protected. But their caregivers are not trained to help them develop academically and emotionally.
A comparison to a Wisconsin study of a year ago isn't perfect, but it does give a snapshot of the overall quality of child care in that state. In December the Wisconsin Child Care Research Partnership and the University of Wisconsin released rankings of 1,392 child care settings. Forty-six percent were ranked as "mediocre" in quality. Only 5 percent were ranked as superior; 23 percent were above average. The study was the foundation of an initiative by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle to rank child care centers on the basis of quality, and provide monetary awards to the best centers. The proposal was defeated along party lines.
It's not like any of this should come as news. Fed economist Art Rolnick has shown us the return on investing in early education. The drumbeat about quality early childhood programs has sounded from pulpits and podiums across the state. Archbishop Harry Flynn and Lutheran Bishop Peter Rogness focused on quality early education programs in their "Focus on Poverty" tour early this year. Educators, business owners and elected officials in the Itasca Project developed the "Mind the Gap" report that advocated for an improvement in early childhood programs. Several Itasca members, joined by members of Greater Twin Cities United Way, produced "Close the Gap: A Business Response to our Region's Growing Disparities." There, too, quality early childhood education was emphasized. University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks, long an advocate for high-quality early childhood programs, heads Itasca's early childhood task force.
Yet in the next breath, someone will scream about that pesky achievement gap between white and minority children. Why is the state and its public education system failing its kids of color?
Young children in the care of trained child care teachers who hold college degrees in early childhood education learn more. Child care programs that include professional curricula teach more. What appears to be play can double as an enriching academic exercise, if the right people are in charge. And yes, childcare centers with trained professionals do cost more.
The Ready4K child advocacy group is working toward a rating system now that informs parents of the quality of programs. The Ready4K plan could recommend that parents who pay the child care sliding fee would pay less if they chose a high-quality child care program. Or the group may recommend that the state advocate for higher federal child care tax credits that would benefit middle-income families.
Does Minnesota really want to close the achievement gap? A part of that solution surfaces only if the smallest learners get the help they deserve.
