Let's Talk ... Child Care » Public Policy

Let’s Talk…Voting

Malisa Rader — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:06:23 +0000

November 6 is just around the corner – the day many of us head to the polls to exercise our right to vote. Perhaps some of you have taken advantage of opportunities to vote early. If not and you are still feeling uneasy or overwhelmed, you may want to visit Project Vote Smart – a non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization giving you access you need to be confident in your vote. I especially appreciated the Vote Easy section where I could enter in my zip code and select issues to see how the candidates in my area compared to me. You can see pictures on stakes and as you work through the issues the candidates that you have a higher percentage in common with with will move forward while others move backwards. You can also call the toll-free Voter’s Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART to find out how your candidate voted on legislation or how they stand on an issue. Another non-partisan resource to use when researching candidates is the League of Women Voters’ SmartVoter site where candidates provide information. They also have a hotline number at 1-808-SOS-VOTE.

Early childhood programs are a valuable resource to the community and fall both in the education realm and frequently in the business world. Your opinions, voice and vote as an early childhood professional matter and are vitally important! Hope you will share with us your experience in exercising your right to vote as well as how you come to decisions.

Malisa

Let’s Talk…Worthy Wage

Malisa Rader — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:50:33 +0000

I say it is time for a change – and I’m not just talking dirty diapers here – to pay early childhood professionals a livable wage! Iowa State University Extension and Outreach recently published a document titled Who Cares for Iowa’s Children? Based on the last workforce survey in 2009, the average wage of teachers and caregivers in child care fell below the federal poverty guidelines for a family of four.

Do the wages early childhood professionals receive really affect the quality of child care? Absolutely, they do! Low pay and poor benefits make it constantly harder for programs to recruit and retain qualified, well-trained teachers, and they fuel high teacher turnover. Researchers in child development have long identified the presence of consistent, nurturing caregivers as one of young children’s primary needs, and studies show that children in centers with high turnover and undertrained staff are less competent in language and social development. Infants and toddlers in particular suffer when their teachers lack specialized early childhood training, and this age group is the most sensitive to constant changes in caregiving staff.

Yet, if you are a program administrator you know the problem all too well. You want quality staff that stay with the program for a while, but your costs to operate your program keep rising. You know parents pay a significant percentage of their income for child care, and you wonder how they can pay more. Early childhood programs accepting financial assistance for families with low incomes know that these fees often fall well below what is needed to operate a high quality program. So what can we do in our efforts to raise awareness and brainstorm ideas to make sure all early childhood professionals working in centers, homes, and schools are earning wages and receiving benefits that will allow them to know they are valued?

May 1 is recognized in many areas as Worthy Wage Day. The website lists activity ideas, a toolkit, and resources for sharing information. There are even stickers you can print off to distribute. I believe we have a duty to help educate parents and our community about the true cost of operating a quality early childhood program. It’s time for a change! Who is with me?

We hope you will share with us! Has the salary you earn as an early childhood professional been a struggle for you to make ends meet? Have you ever shared with others like parents or legislatures your ideas for improving the system? What ideas do you have? To respond, go to http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/wage/

Malisa

Let’s Talk…Professional Resolutions for the New Year

Malisa Rader — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:53:33 +0000

It’s the start of a new year – a time many of us make decisions around personal goals. Most years I do try and make a personal resolution or two – usually something like flossing, eating more fruits and vegetables, and being more organized. I’ll admit that many years I start strong, but return to my usual habits by February.

Here are some tips for staying on track:

Write your goal down and post it in a place visible to you as a reminder.
Break your goal into smaller steps. Chances for you being successful increase when you break that down into smaller amounts over time with specifics of how you will get there.
Don’ be afraid to ask for help. Having someone encouraging us along the way provides some built-in accountability many of us need.
Have a deadline. Open-ended goals make throwing in the towel too easy. So, set a date to strive for and then reevaluate if you will continue that goal for another period of time.
And, finally, don’t be too hard on yourself. We are all doing the best we can. What is important is that we keep a positive attitude and keep trying!

It can also be a great time to establish some professional goals for yourself – particularly if your position does not receive an annual professional review like the owner of a family child care business. Some ideas to get you started thinking on professional resolutions are:

Join (or become more active in) a professional organization like the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care.
Read a professional journal or book each month.
Start a book club with colleagues.
Participate in your state’s quality rating program or improve your rating.
Become more politically active in children’s issues. If you live or work in Iowa, a great opportunity for this is on Wednesday, February 8 at the 2012 Iowa Early Care, Health, and Education Day on the Hill.

Is reducing your carbon footprint or interacting more with nature a part of your new year’s resolution? ISU Extension and Outreach is offering monthly virtual conferences that you might be interested in! Here is an opportunity to learn from the convenience of your home!! Connecting Families to the Environment

Feel free to share with us what your personal and professional goals are. Remember, writing them down is key as a first step of accountability. We here at ISU Extension and Outreach wish you the best in 2012 and hope to be a part of lifting you up to be the best early childhood professional you can be!

Malisa

Let’s Talk…Census Data

Malisa Rader — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:50:53 +0000

Have you checked on the new census data for your state and community? In Iowa, the census data shows that between 2000 and 2010 our Latino population grew nearly 84 percent. According to the State Data Center of Iowa, Latinos have a higher concentration of preschoolers among the population than any other race or ethnic group. You can find more of these statistics in the document Latinos in Iowa 2011.

Knowing information related to our changing communities helps us to plan and prepare for being open and inviting. We might think we already are, but a recent article in Education Week shared that nationally preschool program enrollment by Latinos is declining. The article speculates that the increase in Latino population numbers, yet decrease in enrollment, is due to a variety reasons such as Latino families relying on relatives for child care more than other population groups. Linda M. Espinosa, a professor emeritus of early childhood education at the University of Missouri, shares that she believes in many communities where Latino families are settling there are inadequate numbers of early childhood programs that are culturally/linguistically appropriate.

So, what can we do? The NAEYC Position Statement: Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendatio ns for Effective Early Childhood Educators is an excellent resource to get us started. I love this statement, “When early childhood educators acknowledge and respect children’s home language and culture, ties between the family and programs are strengthened. This atmosphere provides increased opportunity for learning because young children feel supported, nurtured, and connected not only to their home communities and families but also to teachers and the educational setting.” To me, this means we honor home language, that we take the time to learn what the families in our program value and make changes or accommodations where needed, and that we encourage the engagement of all families in their child’s education.

So, let’s hear from you! In what ways are you reaching out and working to relate to children and families whose language and cultural background is different than your own?

Let’s Talk…Hot Topic of Early Childhood

Malisa Rader — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:48 +0000

When I think about “hot topics” in early childhood in Iowa, it seems just the subject itself is its own hot topic. I listen to the news each day as broadcasters and politicians talk about an issue so close to my heart. They wrangle over budgets and numbers and research data. Even outside my early childhood world, few I know are neutral on the issue. They appear to fall under one of three camps –
·         Parents should be fully responsible for their child’s early childhood services.
·         Early childhood program are a nice benefit, but not in hard economic times.
·         Early childhood services for all children are an investment in our future.

Some of my colleagues think I’m crazy, but I’m happy to have folks around the state discussing early childhood. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Things do not change, we change.” Without open, honest dialogue, people don’t have the opportunity to change. To each of you in the early childhood field, I encourage you to keep your held high. You are doing amazing things and making a difference in the lives of young children and families. Share your success stories with your legislators, your local AEYC boards, early childhood committees, and other community contacts. We are in a people industry and through our voices we can continue to help others understand the value of early childhood.

I would love to hear from you in the field. In what ways are you sharing? How are you reaching out to help others better understand the field?