Regrettably, I was not able to make any international contacts for our class discussions. This week I visited UNESCO's website in search of information regarding the state of our profession, internationally (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/ ). One of my goals in earning my Master's is to gain more knowledge of current issues and trends in our field. One of the issues we researched this week was the barriers to defining quality early childhood professionals. That issue is currently being tackled by many nations as the early childhood profession finds itself in the spotlight with increasing research coming to light on the importance of early childhood education.
In fact, in response to the developing interest in Early Childhood issues, UNESCO's Global Action Week which is organized by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) focused on Early Childhood Care and Education for this year's theme. The theme was entitled Rights from the Start! Early childhood Care and Education Now! The goal of the annual Global Action Week is to raise political and financial support in reaching their goal of Education For All (EFA).
The barriers in defining quality early childhood professionals in the United States are similar to those facing many of the other developed nations. The divide between the responsibilities of child care workers and early childhood teachers makes it difficult to establish standards for the early childhood field as a profession. According to the UNESCO Policy Brief No.27: Terms used in Europe are teachers and pedagogues, the latter providing a more holistic approach to child care (2004). Sweden addressed the divide by bringing the preschool teacher, school teacher, and free-time pedagogue (school-age childcare worker) under one government agency regardless of the educational setting (preschools, preschool classes in schools, schools, free-time services) (UNESCO, 2004). Everyone in the field takes 18 months of post secondary basic education courses followed by approximately 18 more months in their specialized field. Even with this core of professionals in the workforce, there are still workers considered "assistants" who generally have the equivalent of a U.S. high school education. So, even after attempts to professionalize the field, there still remains the question of how much education should an early childhood professional have? According to UNESCO three barriers must be addressed to answer this question:
The image of the early childhood professional must be changed from that of a substitute mother figure to that of a facilitator of learning. Society must place a higher value on early childhood. For example, a high percentage of Swedish teachers choose to teach older children as early childhood work is viewed as a lower status. The third barrier to face is the challenge of paying for the cost of educating the workforce to the standards of other teachers and then fairly compensating them.
(2004).
Another link took me to information about issues facing early childhood teachers in Africa. The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) partnered with UNESCO in launching a series of children's books to address subjects affecting their lives such as war and conflict, HIV/Aids pandemic, and the issue of water resources (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/new/adea_and_unesco_launch_). These issues are not frequently conerns of children in the United States, but the overall lessons taught by the books sound very familiar. The books' characters, Bouba and Zaza, show children how to address issues of right and wrong; the series also provides opportunities for lessons on oral communication; and the books also serve as discussion topics for family members. It would seem the issues of right and wrong, family inclusiveness, and developing language skills are goals shared by teachers worldwide.
UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood. (2004). The Early Childhood Workforce in 'Developed' countries: Basic Structures and Education. No. 27.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI agree that in order for policy makers, educators, parents and the communities at large to truly embrace the importance of our role's they have to better understand what it is our roles entail. I agree they need to take us from the role of mother figure to the role of educator; facilitator of learning.
Interesting point!
Millie
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are barriers in defining quality childcare professionals. The same problem exists in the difference in definitions across the states. As a result, I find that there is no one definition. Therefore, child care professionals have to strive for individual quality and to do the best that they can to improve learning.