The Child Care Action Campaign (CCAC), found that partnerships were challenging because they required a change in beliefs and motivation. This was just as challenging as acquiring or spending more money. They also found that 80% of the partnerships were initiated by school superintendents. Finally, the CCAC found that partnerships between schools and early childhood programs are an effective way to provide children access to high quality childcare, thus preparing them to enter school ready to learn. These partnerships created a system that is "greater than the sum of its parts".
The CCAC made several recommendations based on their findings:
- All children should have access to the benefits of good quality child care and early education, especially in lower income communities.
- States committed to improving school readiness and educational outcomes should invest in bettering the quality of early education.
- Superintendents in all the nation's school districts need to see collaborative early childhood efforts as a vehicle for education reform as well as a foundation for universal prekindergarten.
- Not only should children be ready for school, but schools must be ready for children.
- Community-based early childhood organizations should be encouraged by our findings and approach schools with specific proposals for partnering.
- All early childhood partnerships must take into account the needs of working parents.
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/research
Hi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteI too have found the NAEYC is a great resouce to utilize when researching, discussing early childhood issues. The Child Care Action Campaign offers great recommendations. The two that I admire the most are all children should have access and benefits to a great childcare and early education. I am gald that it considered familes from all socioeconomic level. Also children should be ready for school, and schools should be ready for school is another good one. I too believe that since the school curriculums requires so much from teachers and students, they both need to be prepared for what's to come.
I also find that the NAEYC is a great source of information. In providing high quality preschools is definitely so important especially when there are many states that do not provide preschool programs for children. I have read many research articles that explains that children who attend preschool are more likely to succeed in kindergarten than those who do not. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteThank You for all of the resources and wisdom you have given. I am greatful for the input of research, but I wish their were some kind of accountability, to ensure that evidence based research practices are implemeted in the Early Education classroom.
Magretta