Right now in Vermont there is a critical under-supply of early childhood education programs. In the last eight months alone, articles about the shortage have been published by Seven Days, VTDigger, KidsVT, Vermont Business Magazine, and U.S. News and World Report. And it's not just Vermont: Slate recently published a piece on "America's Child Care Deserts." So clearly there's a big problem here, and I'm sure that many families on our waitlist would agree. They need care and education for their children in order to successfully re-join the workforce, and at the moment the spots just are not there.
So what's going on with early childhood education? Why can't we meet the demand for our services? Much of the answer lies in resources: as a field our value to children, families and society has not always been as clearly understood as it is today, and early childhood education programs have been historically under-funded and under-resourced in our country. The first publicly-funded early childhood programs were created so that impoverished parents would be able to work and make better lives for their families; little thought was given to the child's experience or the effect the program might have on their development. But current research couldn't be more clear: early childhood experiences have major effects on academic success and other life outcomes, and the people who largely determine the quality of early education experiences are the teachers. Strong relationships with teachers enable children to build self-regulation skills, social skills, self-confidence, resilience, and a healthy self-image. We want all children to start kindergarten with this array of skills in their tool belts.
But the lack of resources available to most early childhood education programs means that many of the teachers we can afford to hire are poorly prepared, with minimal background in child development and lacking the skills necessary to successfully teach young children. We do our best to train and develop them on-site, but sometimes it's not enough: being responsible for a group of young children but not having the skills to teach them can be extremely stressful, and combined with low pay and few benefits, many teachers decide the job is just not worth it. So within the field there's a high rate of teacher turnover, which negatively affects both the teachers who stay and the families we work with. Every time a teacher leaves, their relationships with the children in their class–which are so critical for healthy social-emotional development–are severed. So the quality of early education suffers, and there is room for outsiders to criticize our effectiveness as a field, and the resources which are becoming available to early education get directed to big research studies, high-level policy meetings, and flashy one-time initiatives. In the meantime, we who are working in the field can't seem to get out of this cycle of low pay, high stress, high teacher turnover, and an incredible amount of personal effort to provide the highest-quality early education possible with the resources we do have. We can't open more classrooms to accommodate the families on our waitlist because we struggle to staff the classrooms we already have, and to blindly open more spots without increased funding would be to let the quality of education suffer. That's not a choice we're willing to make.
This is a complex policy issue and for those of you still with me, I appreciate your taking the time to read my thoughts. This problem won't be solved overnight, but there are some things you can do to help us. Language matters; if we are ever going to be respected and included in the broader public education system, we need to be named correctly. Please call us a "school" or an "early childhood education" program, and we grown-ups in the classroom are "teachers" or "early childhood educators." If you know your state legislators, tell them about your child's school. Tell them that we love our work but we need help. And use your vote to support local and national politicians who are committed to this issue. Every little bit helps; over the past few decades our field has steadily gained attention, and I sincerely believe that we will see more positive change in the near future.
Thank you again, and have a wonderful sunny Sunday!
Megan
News and Reminders
These are great training underwear for potty training, made by Kanga Care. Here's their website: Kanga Care, they are currently on sale!
 |
| Ecoposh OBV Training Pants |
There will be a Parent Collaboration Committee meeting this Wednesday, June 6 at 6:30pm at MVS. Come for the snacks and beverages, stay for the great company!
Kitchen Update
This week many of our meals were an exercise in portability as picnic snacks and lunches were incorporated into several walks. Definitely worth it! The children also enjoyed house-made oat bars, peaches and strawberries, and a delicious pesto pasta salad with tomatoes and hard-boiled egg.
Classroom Updates
Infant I by Megan
This week many different noisemakers caught our interest: shakers, tambourines, bells, and even tapping spoons. Our older children often shake or drum these items with a steady rhythm, and sometimes we join in with a song or a chant. They also closely observe how their peers use the instruments and imitate or build off of each other's techniques. Outside we have been spending lots of time around the water table. Beyond the water play itself, the experience presents many opportunities to work on social skills, practice emotional regulation, and build self-confidence– often older children are playing with us so it can get pretty noisy, splashy, and crowded! As teachers we watch closely and step in if someone becomes overwhelmed, but our children seem very motivated to build these skills and keep playing. I can't count the times a child has just needed a minute of rest time in my lap before he or she went right back into play. A new child also joined us this week. Welcome, C! Your new teachers and friends are so excited to get to know you better.
Infant II by Amanda and Hannah
This week we got out for two walks with some children from the Toddler classroom! The children had a blast together. We visited a small stream and the children loved running, splashing, and watching small fish and crayfish in the water. The children have also really enjoyed watching the landscapers and the crane moving back and forth; from out front we can just see the top of it moving behind the building. We also saw someone swinging from the crane with his chainsaw– very exciting! Reminder to parents: Please make sure your child has outside shoes. Thank you!
Toddlers by Carly
What an exciting week in our classroom. We were fortunate this week to go on many new adventures. Our older children went on several walks to Campfire Forest for the first time and they were thrilled! They worked hard on holding hands with peer partners and following safety rules for being outside in a group. Our second group of younger children had a ball going for long walks to the SES playground with Amanda and Hannah's classroom. A dip in the stream was a wonderful treat. What fun we had this week! We would also like to welcome MV to our classroom. Welcome, MV, we are so happy you have joined us!
During weeks like this one, it's a wonderful surprise to see how flexible we can be with our routine while staying focused on meeting our needs and making helpful choices. On Wednesday, five of us joined in on a hike up Sunset Rock with a group of children from PS2 and PreK. We verbally expressed our excitement about this privilege and then demonstrated immense strength, both physically (our legs were tired but we kept movin' up that rock) and emotionally. We asked for a hand when unfamiliar places seemed a bit scary and celebrated our achievements together. Those of us who grouped with a few toddlers and took them to Campfire Forest were able to offer a hand for support to our younger friends, willing to help them feel comfortable exploring the rocky terrain. Although it's been hot this week, we succeeded in making some refreshed lemonade with the lemons we had! Plus, the crane out our window was really something to behold, so it was a win-win. Thanks for reading!
Preschool II by CG
It was a week of being flexible and going along with other people's ideas, for children and teachers alike. Everyone went with the flow! We all got time to visit other classrooms and take walks in the community with children from all the classrooms. Following rules and directions can be difficult, but this week's experiences reminded us that when we listen, we can go more places and do more things. We hope to remember this next week! P.S. Parent-teacher conferences are on my mind. Stay tuned!
PreK by Jen
PreK had a great time this week helping out with some of the younger children on some fantastic adventures! Mixing classrooms can be a little difficult, but it creates wonderful opportunities for us to gain new perspectives. There were many moments this week when children reminded teachers and each other about rules and routines that were new to those visiting with us, and they were able to share some of their "customs" with us. It took a lot of teamwork and determination to hike to Sunset Rock (where we were able to observe some of the SES Memorial Day Parade!). Our mixed group on Thursday hiked around the Woof Trail. On Tuesday PreK also visited the Rec Path where we watched a large crane begin to dismantle the art exhibits there. Of course, that was nothing compared to the ENORMOUS crane that took down the trees in the back yard. It was quite an exciting week! We ended with Fruit Salad Friday and a trip to the stream!
Comments
Post a Comment