Bay Area Report Citing Lack Of Affordable, Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Alternatives Supports National Issue

Moving from national to more local politics related to education, last week I represented Knowledge Universe at the Board of Directors Meeting of Bay Area Council.

This prestigious organization is composed of business leaders from the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area who have come together to improve the quality of life in this area.  With representation of close to 300 businesses, the Bay Area Council has mobilized around several critical issues that impact all the citizenry of these diverse communities.

Not surprisingly, education and specifically early childhood education is one of the key priorities of this impressive group. Led by Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California, the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Committee recognizes that providing quality experiences for young children is not only a social imperative, it is a business issue that will impact not only the children directly served, but the long term economic prosperity of the region and our global competitiveness.

An important work product of this Committee was a comprehensive report issued last May,  Key to Economic Success in the 21st Century: Investment in Early Childhood Programs. This report provides an overview of the research that supports the case for early childhood education as well as an analysis of the current status of ECE in the Bay Area.

Despite the region’s reputation for innovation and thought leadership, the report highlights significant gaps in both the accessibility and affordability of quality care alternatives for children of all backgrounds, with only about one-third of eligible Bay Area children receiving child care subsidies. Unfortunately, this sad state of America’s children is pervasive around the country.

As politicians debate health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, and our economic recovery, please remember that as parents we have a unique opportunity to raise our collective voices on behalf of our children and their future. Please stay as actively involved in your child’s education as you can–whatever the setting, whatever your child’s age. As a parent, I encourage you to contact your State and Local Representatives on this issue. You can find their contact information at: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Only with your advocacy and involvement will the children of today become prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow.

NAEYC Conference Recognizes 2009 Early Childhood Educators and The Importance of Their Work

This was another week in Washington, DC, attending the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Approximately 20,000 educators, policy makers, researchers, and children’s advocates attended the conference this year. The sessions were wide-ranging from national policy discussions to practical tips for teachers.

There were two highlights for me. The first was the opening keynote by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. On Wednesday night, he addressed a packed crowd to talk about the importance of early childhood education and some efforts by the Obama Administration to improve the quality of early care and education. It was particularly significant that this was the first time that a Secretary of Education addressed the NAEYC conference, hopefully signaling a sea change in the way that early care and education is viewed and supported.

His opening comments set the stage for his speech, reaffirming that a child’s earliest years deserve special attention and focus.:

“This is a unique moment in time when early learning is no longer an afterthought, but has come into its own and is recognized as the first and most critical stage in human development. Today we have a special opportunity to build a bigger, better coordinated system of early care and education. It is time to transform early learning from a system of uneven quality and access into a system that truly and consistently prepares children for success in school and in life. And it is time to learn from the success of high-quality programs—even as we take on the challenge of raising the bar for early learning programs in the 21st century.”

The other highlight, which was of more personal significance to me, was the opportunity to participate in an Awards Ceremony honoring the 2009 recipients of the Knowledge Universe Early Childhood Educator Awards.

This amazing initiative, which I’ve mentioned before, is sponsored by Knowledge Universe to recognize and reward 5 outstanding early childhood educators, who exemplify the best of the best among the over 30,000 early childhood education teachers in KinderCare, CCLC, and Knowledge Beginnings programs around the United States. 

Teachers are secretly nominated by the supervisors based on factors such as the quality of the classroom environment; their relationships with children, families, and their peers; the use of appropriate teaching practices, and their leadership. Classroom visits are conducted to ensure that these teachers meet the highest standards of excellence on all dimensions. The actual award is given in a surprise visit to the center, and recipients receive $10,000 and are invited to the annual NAEYC conference. Our 2009 Early Childhood Educators are:

Given that the conference was held in Washington, DC this year, each of the award winners spent time on Capital Hill, meeting with their Congressional representatives and staff, and they also had the opportunity for a private tour of the Capital and the West Wing of the White House.

These outstanding educators represented a range of programs, serving a range of children of different ages and backgrounds, but they all shared a powerful commitment to the children and families. Spending time with them was humbling and inspirational.

While Secretary Duncan talked about raising the bar for early learning programs, they have already set the highest standard for themselves, their peers, and the children they serve. They do not need a proclamation to provide exceptional care and education; they already do it from their hearts and their minds, using their talents, education, and experience to prepare the next generation for the future that awaits them.

I salute the award winners and early childhood educators everywhere for the important work they do, every day, on behalf of all of us.