Assignment Task: Respond to at least two of your peers. In your response, compare your different perspectives. What is similar and what is different? How do your peers' perspectives deepen your understanding of early childhood policy?
Your responses to your classmates should be at least 200 words in length
Discussion 1 (Roberta):
Identify one policy area you are passionate about and, using research, explain why this area is critical to supporting children and families.
In early childhood education, the high cost of childcare has been an issue limiting accessibility and equality for all children and families. Unfair wages and low-wage jobs prevent children from attending high-quality childcare centers. "Throughout history and into the present, childcare has been and continues to be a subject of labor policies. Under the influence of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, the focus of these labor policies shifted from the needs of poor working-class mothers to ensuring equal opportunity policies on the labor market for men and women alike" (Vandenbroeck, 2020). In today's society, women are now earning equal to higher salaries. However, the cost of living, such as rent, food, and other household bills, takes a portion of the wage, which makes paying for childcare a barrier. Equity of universal childcare subsidies is critical in early childhood education because it ensures all low-income children access high-quality childcare and financial relief for working families.
Defend the importance of advocating for children and families.
Advocating for children and families is vital to ensuring they have equal rights to childcare.
Often, children and families face the adversity of limited access to childcare services because they do not know their rights. These rights include access to an inclusive learning environment, rights to affordable healthcare, and rights to childcare subsidies to help pay for quality childcare.
Describe how policy, advocacy, and your role as a professional and leader are interconnected.
As a professional leader in early childhood education, policy, and advocacy are interconnected because they set the foundation for a high-quality learning environment.
Advocacy brings awareness to inequalities of a fair education, while policies ensure the safety and well-being of the children and consistency within the center program.
Reference:
Vandenbroeck, M. (2020). Early Childhood Care and Education Policies that Make a Difference. In: Nieuwenhuis, R., Van Lancker, W. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Family Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Respond to at least two of your peers. In your response, compare your different perspectives. What is similar and what is different? How do your peers' perspectives deepen your understanding of early childhood policy?
Your responses to your classmates should be at least 200 words in length
Discussion 2 (Jessica):
The Policy I chose to write about for this week's Discussion is childcare Policies and their rising costs. I was a stay-at-home Mother for many years because we decided early on that we felt most comfortable with me being with our children during the day. However, this is not always an option for families, especially in single-parent homes. This area is critical to supporting children and families because families need to be able to afford childcare and gain income from working, not just apply it to childcare costs. I have spoken to many families over the years who have said they have a parent who has to stay home rather than work because they cannot afford childcare costs, especially for multiple children.
Measures have been taken over time to put efforts into change. "In 2021, the Biden administration released the Build Back Better Plan (BBB), a proposal to address many of the Democrats' priority issues, including childcare and early childhood education" (Katz, 2024, p.
7). Meaning, that measures were taken to help childcare for families. However, the proposals did not become law. Educators need to advocate for policies like this that have a rippling effect on the overall wellbeing and outcomes for families. As an advocate for children and families, I can do my part to help support families to find and obtain childcare and help them gain resources that are within their reach. Giving a family the ability to find quality childcare will allow them and their circumstances to improve.
Reference
Katz. (2024). NCSL. Trends in Federal Policy on Child Care and Early Childhood Education.