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Only 10% of child care in the US is considered high quality. That's the sad truth.
I hope that you're working in or sending your child to a program that's in the top 10%. But I understand if you're not.
Who supports the child care teachers? Parents, administration, the government, employers?
The graphic on the right is the way a healthy system might look. In the US, we have a failed system. The parents can't afford to pay and the teachers can't afford to stay.
The following is an excerpt from the Hechinger report which is a publication that focuses on education. I recommend reading the entire article, because it's one of the best but in case you're in a hurry today, I copied some of the best parts
"Decades of research, experts explained in more than 20 interviews, show why quality child care — care that prioritizes low child-to-staff ratios, caregiver experience and a stimulating environment — matters. Inside a child’s brain are billions of neurons, which form connections with other neurons and ultimately create pathways for various brain functions. In the time it takes to read this sentence, a baby’s brain will create around 9 million new neural connections, including sensory pathways that help with vision and hearing, as well as language skills and other complex cognitive functions.
The experiences and environments of young children determine which neural pathways become stronger and which become weaker.
“This is a really sensitive time to get it right for kids. They need safe, stable, nurturing environments and responsive caregiving,” said Rahil Briggs, a clinical professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the national director of HealthySteps, a pediatric health care program.
Right now, child care providers in the United States are struggling to meet these needs. While there are plenty of loving caregivers who engage children in thoughtful interactions in safe settings, studies show that, overall, child care quality is low in the United States. A seminal 2006 study funded by the federal government estimated that only 10 percent of child care programs provide kids with “very high quality” care. More recent research suggests that quality not only remains a problem but is also wildly uneven, especially when it comes to children from low-income families."
My hope is that parents and providers are able to put aside any differences and work together to demand a better system.
This PLAN is only possible in high quality care and education. Let's work together to make it happen. The future of the country depends on it.
Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, parent, grandparent, 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 education 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
2010. She's presented at national and state early childhood conferences. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.
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