What If We Neglect Early Childhood Education?

Hello and Welcome! You are my favorite group of people in existence. Those who choose to care for our youngest regardless of the economic burden it causes in your life. You most definitely deserve much more! And I want to focus on you for a change.

Here are a couple of questions I've been thinking and talking about lately.

What's going to happen in early childhood education? How will the general population of people, women especially, continue to work when all that exists is crappy child care with transitional help instead of real teachers and caregivers? By that, I mean people with longevity, experience, and education. People like you, who really care and also care enough to stick it out.

So many good people are leaving the field, due to conditions and pay, how are those who're left supposed to cope? I wish I had some simple answers but the problem is complex. Here's one answer I always come back to.

Quality

Focus on quality. Insist on quality. Highlight quality wherever it exists.

The infants, toddlers, and preschoolers we spend so much of our time with can't speak out for quality as we can as adults.

Here's a great activity for you if you work with toddlers and want to keep them active and having fun. I call it bumper balls and it's a big hit with the children I care for as well as myself. Click on the link here to see it!

Nanci J Bradey 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! (click on the word) 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.