Early childhood is one of the most fundamental stages in life. Childhood development occurs in the first five years of life and with adequate and quality exposure to issues that may help these children develop with interest in various fields, it is an opportunity to help them grow into better people. Education is one of the key elements that children are supposed to be exposed to in early years of life so as to help them develop interest in issues such as science and technology. Today, there are many issues and trends in early childhood education in the United States and many other countries throughout the world. This paper will focus on professionalization as the main issue in Early Childhood Education (ECE).
Professionalization involves increasing skills and competence in any given field; in this case, early childhood education. All stakeholders in the education sector have a key role to play in the field of early childhood education to ensure children get the best of foundations in all learningaspects such as literacy, Mathematics, Social Skills, Problem-solving, among others. For many years, ECE educators have been viewed as people who do not add value to society with many of the people thinking they are just babysitters, a day care sort of business. But preschool age educators are more than babysitters. They care for, teach, train and instruct a very delicate group of people, who need special attention so as to grow into the people we want them to be in the future. A strong quality foundation is key to academic development and success in future learning activities. In 2013, Atinc and Gustafsson-Wright reports that; “school systems that have a 10 percentage-point advantage in the proportion of students who have attended preprimary school score an average of 12 points higher in the PISA reading assessment”. As Dr. Cheney states, there has been a need for change in the way education is delivered to preprimary school children. Then it was just a teaching profession. With time that has changed and there is more to ECE educators than before. This has been little progress especially on the side of educators as they are not ready to be flexible and take up new roles (Cheney, 2015).
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Professionalization of early childhood education is one of the main trends in the United States today. This has been brought forward in a bid to improve the quality of education. Many stakeholders in the field of education have realized the need to impact children with quality in their primary developmental stages. As Dr. Martha Cheney puts it, there is much to hope for in terms of profession in the field that for long has been disregarded. Just as other stakeholders Early Childhood Educators have a big role in developing their own career and making a permanent mark in their field. This can be achieved by them taking “next step” where they are on the forefront for achieving the many desired qualities and changes in early childhood education. This next step involves being proactive and advancing ones education, skills and teaching techniques so as to be all equipped with all desired qualities to provide the best. This they can achieve by enrolling in many colleges, both public and private that offer varieties of courses on early childhood education. Another platform for them to gain such knowledge is by use of the online learning programs (Cheney, 2015). Research also recognizes the role of education in the first years of life. Education at such a tender age helps improve the child’s wellbeing, a firm foundation for future learning is built and there is equitability in learning outcomes in countries and the world generally. Such issues impact on the learning abilities of the children and eventually impact on their lives later on. (McCuaig, Bertrand & Shanker, 2012)
Exposure to innovation and emerging issues is another major trend in the United States and most of the countries in the world today. Innovation is one of the ways that have been used at all levels of schools to enhance quality education. Childhood innovation and emphasis on emerging issues helps broaden the child’s way of thinking about issues affecting them in day to day life and provide a platform for them to learn to solve the issues on their own. Governments and education stakeholders today are putting more emphasis on incorporation of innovation in teaching children in Early Childhood education centers. For example, between 2003 and 2009, the New Zealand’s ministry of education funded a program on childhood education centers of innovation (COI) in the country. It was a policy to open pathways for the future as proposed by the ministry. It was aimed to establish quality practices between learning and learning.There were two main actions included in the program: “Research aspects of quality to provide information for development of quality practices, and establish six Centers of Innovation on a three-year cycle to showcase excellence and innovation in ECE” (Meade, 2010). According to the New Jersey Department of Education, there are many ways of improvising learning to enhance quality through innovation. They include: Creative Curriculum System for Preschools, Curiosity Corner, tools of the mind and high scope pre-school curriculum. These systems are meant to equip the children with what matters most in their early life stages. They provide children with literacy, computation (mathematics), cognitive, interpersonal and emotional development. The process encompasses active participatory learning in which children are allowed to solve problems on their own with the guidance of teachers. Teachers and institutions offering early childhood education need to provide time to play which helps refresh the minds and allows children to learn how to control their own emotions (New Jersey Department of Education, 2014). This has been used in many states in the in the country to help create an interesting learning environment for children and help them develop interest in life issues other than education.
In the United States, there has been increased push for education for all the people, inclusive of those with disability. As the saying goes, disability is not inability. These young children with one or two disabilities have a life to live and are entitled to education by the law just as any other child. Disabilitiescan be physical or mental and call for special care to help the children acquire the much needed education. There are teachers who specialize in certain fields such as education for the deaf, the blind, and the mentally handicapped, among others. Physical disability is not so big a problem in many cases and children do learn with the normal ones in most cases. Learning institution and teachers should make a curriculum based on the needs of such children and the facilities within the schools need to be accessible by them too. Where specialized facilities and equipment are required for such children, it is upon the institutions to avail them so that children with disability are treated the same as an average normal child. TheEducation for All Handicapped Children's Act of 1975protects disabled children from neglect by providing for them a right to education via specialized education systems (US Department of Education, 2010).
Learners centered curriculum is one of the ways in which quality is enhanced in the United States. Teachers have to put the interest of the learners before theirs. This provides the opportunities for learners to express their abilities, talents and hobbies. As a result, teachers note the strengths of the learners and together with parents; they help nurture such and thus improve the lives of such kids in the long run. For example where a child is poor in mathematics and excellent in drawing, the teachers would try their best to help in building a liking and improve mathematics. Drawing however would not be dropped, and if anything, it will be nurtured so as to help the child advance their hobbies or talents. The close teacher to child relationship too helps the child to grow in a loving environment where they can express anything as kids and be helped in any way they want. Children need to be loved, either by their parents or by the people who are so close to them like teachers. That way they take interest in learning and eventually improve their skills at school (Reinen, 2016).
Professionalization of ECE is one of the major steps towards the achievement of quality education for very young children and it also provides an avenues for employment of the many people who desire to passionately take up roles of taking care for and educating children. Educators will also be equipped with adequate knowledge, skills and techniques to take the children through the curriculum and in the end meet the expectations of the state, parents and society at large. It also provides for a ground to differentiate preprimary school centers and day-care centers. On the other sides, teachers will be required to be trained in order to take the children through such programs. Even those who are in the field today, there is need for them to continue in employment learning so as to keep it up to date with information and needs to successfully provide preprimary school children with quality foundations. Parents and states have to dig deeper into their pockets to make sure the children acquire what is needed. For daycares, it may spell doom as many people may prefer places where their children will learn some academic issues. For me, I will have to brace myself for a tough but exciting task. Studying from now and then to help improve my skills and knowledge will not be an option but a must.
For the betterment of young children, there is need for a thorough review of the whole curriculum system and incorporation of the many recommendations in the learning process to as to enhance quality. Teachers, parents and governments need to interplay their roles adequately to help draw a road-map for a better system which will build the children into better people educationally. A strong foundation at a tender age is the cornerstone for an intellectually capable child.
References;
Atinc M. T. and Gustafsson-Wright E. (2013). Early Childhood Development: the Promise, the Problem, and the Path Forward. Brookings. Article. Accessed at: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/early-childhood-development-the-promise-the-problem-and-the-path-forward/
Cheney, Martha. (2015). Professionalizing the Early Childhood Field. National Association for the Education of Young Children . Accessed November 13, 2016 at: http://www.naeyc.org/blogs/gclarke/2015/04/professionalizing-early-childhood-field
McCuaig, K., Bertrand, J., & Shanker, S. (2012). Trends in Early Education and Child Care. Toronto. Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, OISE/University of Toronto
Meade, A. (2010). The contribution of ECE Centers of Innovation to building knowledge about teaching and learning 2003–2010. Paper presented to TLRI Early Years Symposium. Wellington, NZ: Teaching and Learning Research Initiative.
New Jersey State Department of Education (2014). Early Childhood Education: Curriculum and Assessment . Accessed November 13, 2016 at: http://www.nj.gov/education/ece/curriculum/curriculum.htm
Reinen K. B (2016). Six Strategies for 21st Century Early Childhood Teachers. Early Childhood Teacher. Accessed November 13, 2016 at: http://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/blog/six-strategies-for-21st-century-early-childhood-teachers/
US Department of Education (2010). Thirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities through IDEA. Accessed November 13, 2016 at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/history/index_pg10.html
