The Crisis Is Real

Yes, Virginia, there really is a childcare crisis in the US. Teachers can't afford to stay. Parents can't afford to pay.

As a result, childcare quality is suffering. That means the youngest children in our society are suffering. It's time for parents and providers to join together and take action.

Parents are struggling to find care.

Both women and men work. A full 68% of our youngest children have at least one parent in the workforce. That's at least 16 million children in need of care. Yet, only 10-15% of childcare is of high quality. That's unacceptable.

Providers are struggling to find high-quality jobs, and currently, they have little hope for a lucrative long-term career in the field, despite holding advanced degrees and having extensive experience.

But what will help? Here are two ideas:

one

Identify the elite caregivers, both parents, and providers among us.

Connect them. The are many ways to do this. Join Community Change Action www.ecrocks.org, childcare union,

naeyc, the registry, Harvard Center for the Developing Child

two

Identify the best practices in the field and build on them.

Setting appropriate boundaries is one such practice. Boundaries keep us all feeling safe like being surrounded by a picket fence in a yard filled with creativity, fun and laughter.

The other day, when I was playing with an 18-month-old, she brought me an empty gallon of glue and asked me to remove the lid. I did. Then she brought me a full gallon. Oops! I wasn't about to take the lid off of that one. And I didn't have the time to set up a glue area for her to experiment with. I used an "I" message instead.

"I'm not going to take that lid off." When she started to whine and stamp her feet, I added, "I'm not going to change my mind."

"Sure!", she said sarcastically, but stopped her fit and walked away!

Once, 26 years ago, when I told my wailing 2-year-old that I wasn't going to change my mind he responded by stopping crying immediately and saying, "Mama, I like it when you don't change your mind." I was so shocked I made him repeat it. Limits can be good.

So how about setting limits with adults? Same. Here are some examples:

• I don’t let anyone hit me.

  
  

• I don’t use low-quality childcare.

  
  

• I won’t let myself or my children be abused emotionally or physically

  
  

• I use and teach assertiveness and problem-solving, both of which allow me to be a part of the solution to bullying.

  
  

• And I'm not changing my mind about any of the above!

There are both parents and providers who understand the importance of our work.

Let’s connect and refuse to accept mediocrity when it comes to our youngest children. Here’s why:

In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second. After this period of rapid proliferation, connections are reduced through a process called pruning, which allows brain circuits to become more efficient. In light of these findings, focusing on early childhood only makes sense. -Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University-

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY! She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.