EARLY CHILDHOOD
6.2 THE PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Despite the growth in the range of parenting programs and home-based pre-school support available to parents, it needs to be recognised that some parents are unable or unwilling to take advantage of them. There are homes which are physically or socially restrictive or where there is a sole parent who must support the family unit by working full-time.
The social and economic context of Australia is changing the circumstances in which many children are being reared in their pre-school years.
Increasing numbers of mothers are entering the workforce before their children begin school.
In Australia between 1981 and 1986 there was a rise of 23 per cent in the proportion of two-parent families with children under five years of age where both parents work. 10) In 1954, only 13 per cent of married women were in the paid workforce, but by 1986 it had reached 57 per cent. The current rate of participation for those with children in the
0
- 4 age group is 40 per cent; 23 per cent are working full-time and the rest part-time.«11>Labour force participation rates for mothers increase as children get older: 62.5 per cent of mothers with children in the 5 - 14 age group are in the paid labour force, 31 per cent of them working full-time.«2)
It is vital that all parents should know and accept the skills and responsibilities of effective parenting. Schools are currently undertaking many duties which are properly the responsibility and duty of the family. The school cannot and should not be the surrogate parent. A partnership between parent and school will be of greatest benefit to the child.
Many of the current efforts towards educational reform appear to be targeted to the wrong end of the continuum. The present practice of spending increasingly larger amounts of money on children's programs through 12 years of schooling, beginning at age 6, is inconsistent with what we know about human development.
Programs such as the Parents as Teachers program (PAT), aimed at parents of the 0 3 age group, have taken a significant step in the other direction. Providing families with timely, practical information which they can use in teaching their young children and fostering optimal development may be the wisest and least expensive investment that can be made to improve schools.
6.2 THE PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD
in the first three years of their children's lives has been highlighted by studies which have aimed to discover how the home environments of highly competent and less competent children differed in early childhood. Researchers have examined both social and non-social competencies in two such groups of children.<14)
Social competence was defined as abilities which are necessary in a social context, for example, a child's ability to attract and maintain the attention of adults and peers in socially acceptable ways. Non-social competence included language skills, intellectual ability, decision-making skills and the ability to concentrate. Children at the age of six were observed in order to derive the definitions of competence. This preliminary study was followed up by an examination of the means by which the different levels of competence were produced in the home environment. Results revealed a major difference in the quality of mother/child interaction from as early as the end of the child's first year of life. The study found that mothers of the more competent children interacted more with them, taught them more often, encouraged them more often and initiated activities with them more often. 15>
In many countries, governments are demonstrating an awareness of the serious effects of early childhood disadvantage by sponsoring high quality programs which include community- based parenting and pre-school programs. Governments have recognised how early childhood experiences can influence later achievement and socialisation and have identified the key role of the family and of effective parenting skills in the development and education of chilďreп. It has been suggested that governments in this country should take a similar approach and support the development of early childhood centres which involve the education of the parents as well as the child.
National early childhood projects in the United States were originally directed at disadvantaged children. "Headstart" of the early 1970s included such a program. More recently the emphasis of programs like "Homestart" has been upon enlisting the support of the family in early childhood education rather than attempting simply to combat negative family influences. This has occurred largely because studies have confirmed the high degree of parental impact on self-concept and on intellectual development. Programs initiated by the Washington (DC) based Borne and School Institute have aimed to raise children's abilities as learners and to build adult competencies as teachers. A core component of all HSI programs is the design and use of home learning activities in collaboration with teachers and schools.
Governments are now taking the view that, given the crucial role of the family in the education process, schools have a responsibility to help parents learn how to teach their children effectively.('
The fmdiiigs of the Harvard University Pre-school Project (1965-1978) provided fresh insights into four areas that are the foundations of educational capacity -- language, curiosity, social skills and cognitive intelligence. The aim of the project was to determine how experiences during the early years influence the development of all major abilities. The extensive observations of children and parent-child interactions in homes representing a variety of educational and economic backgrounds made the Harvard study of particular value. According to the study, the degree of a child's competence in the four areas at age six can be predicted at age three, with few exceptions. 1) The education system, however, essentially ignores the formative years, despite the fact that it is very difficult to compensate for a poor beginning with any means now available.
In Missouri in 1981, the Parents as Teachers project (PAT) was implemented to provide educational guidance and support for parents during a child's critical years from birth to age three. The model program is a co-operative effort of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and four school districts.
The aim of the PAT program is to demonstrate that education can provide children with
the best possible start in school - and life — through a partnership with the home that begins at the onset of learning.
The model program is restricted to first-time parents for two reasons. First, the Harvard Pre-school Project found that first-time parents are far more eager for this type of educational support. Second, the effects of the program can be more clearly assessed with new parents and their first-born children than with parents who had previous child-rearing experience and children who had older siblings.
The program participants represented a broad range of socio-economic and educational levels from rural, suburban and urban communities. They included single-parent and two-parent families, families in which both parents worked and families with either
a
mother or father at home. The ages of the mothers at the time of the child's birth ranged from 16 to 40-plus years.PAT offers services from the third trimester of pregnancy until the child reaches the age of three including:
• information and guidance before the baby is born, to help first-time parents prepare themselves psychologically;
• information about things to look for and expect in a growing child, and guidance in fostering language, cognitive, social and motor skill development;
• periodic checkups of the child's educational and sensory (hearing and vision) development to detect possible problems or handicaps. If serious problems are discovered, help is sought from other agencies or professionals;
• a parent resource centre located in a school building, which provides a meeting place for parents and staff, and facilities for child care during parent meetings;
• monthly hour-long private visits in the home or at the centre to individualise the education program for each family;
• monthly group meetings with other new parents to share experiences and discuss topics of interest.
An evaluation confirmed that, at age 3, children in the pilot program were, in comparison with the pilot group and national norms:
• significantly more advanced than the other children in language development;
• significantly ahead in problem solving and other intellectual abilities;
• significantly advanced in demonstrating coping skills and positive relationships with adults.
The evaluation also showed that parents aid children benefited from the program, regardless of socio-economic status and traditional risk factors. Research is now being conducted with a larger group of parents and children to provide additional data about the effectiveness of PAT.
Families also credit the program with reducing the stress and increasing the pleasure of child-rearing.
Schools have also benefited from the program in a number of ways:
• the carry-over effect on the project children's self-esteem and positive attitudes towards learning when they enter school;
• improved academic achievement and a reduced need for remedial education;
• development of trust and goodwill between parents and professional educators based on mutual concern for the young child leads to a continuing positive home-school relationship during the school years.
Since 1981, the PAT program has grown steadily and now includes more than 50,000 families.
More than 1,500 parent-educators have been trained to provide PAT services and there are now 26 US states which have commenced programs based on the original model.
It is clear that a growing number of families have a need for child care services and that the number of children in formal care is significant.
In June 1987, 253,400 children were attending pre-school in Australia, 154,600 were attending a child care centre and 51,800 were attending family day care schemes. Thus a total of 459,800 were using formal care. 1 B)
With increasing numbers of children in various forms of day care, particularly long day care, it is essential that child care centres are specifically equipped and staffed to provide quality early education programs for young children. All day care programs should have a pre-school education component so that children benefit from the time they spend in the day care centres.
Within quality early childhood environments, children develop self-confidence, social skills, problem solving and creative skills. Their language concepts and vocabulary, mathematical and spatial concepts and physical skills are enhanced. Good quality early child care and education sets the right foundation for children's further development. Such provision should be seen as complementary to what parents themselves do for their children, not as replacing them; for partnership is the only way both the home and out-of-home environment for children can be enhanced.t19)
Well-trained early childhood educators have the knowledge and skills to identify children who are at risk and to make provision for early intervention, thereby lessening the necessity for later remediation. Overseas studies20> have shown that not only does quality early education lead to a rise in achievement levels of children but that, in terms of later outcomes, children get better jobs, are less likely to become delinquent, are more likely to complete their schooling and have lower teenage pregnancy rates. It has been claimed that for every
$100 spent on quality child care in the US, taxpayers are returned $400-700 for their investment.(1) Children who attend high quality pre-schools are more independent, do not give up on tasks and have a more learning-orientated approach. They are overall more functionally competent as human beings.
In Australia there has been an enormous change in early childhood services since the first Lady Gowrie Child Centres were established under the auspices of the Commonwealth Department of Health in 1938. The postwar baby boom, large-scale immigration programs, urbanisation and the growth in the number of women in the workforce have contributed to the growth of early childhood services. Since 1970 there have been two major influences upon the area of early childhood ěducation: first, the involvement of governments on a much larger scale which has resulted in a great expansion in the number and types of early childhood services available; second, the changing role of women and the influence of lobby groups representing the interests of women.(22)
Governments at all levels are now involved in providing funding for and exercising a range of controls over services for pre-school children and their families. The original kindergarten organisations have in some cases been subsumed by government departments. In 1968 Federal grants were made to kindergarten training colleges and since then there has been a rapid growth in demand for funding for early childhood teacher training and services at local, state and federal levels.m) As the number of women with young children entering or re- entering the workforce has increased, there have been further demands for more early childhood services, particularly long day care.
In NSW most pre-school and child care services are administered by community organisations
funded through the Family and Community Services Department or by private individuals as a commercial undertaking. Family and Community Services provides an advisory and supervisory service for those centres, all of which are required to be licensed under the Child Welfare Act 1939 (as amended). Health services for pre-school children and their families are the responsibility of the NSW Department of Health.
Table 6.1:
Children's Services: Statistical Summary Community Based Services
Pre-Schools 633
Long Day Care 349
Occasional Care 121
Family Day Care 99
Mobiles 30
Outreach Workers 8
Seasonal Care 2
Before & After School Care 399
Vacation Care 311 1952
Department of Education
Pre-Schools 65
Department of TAFE
Child Care Centres 15 Commercial Services
Pre-School 259
Long Day Care 204
Occasional Care 1 464
Total of Community Based and
Commercial Services 2416
Source: NSW Department of Family and Community Services, August 1988
Table 6.2:
Budget Estimates 1987/88: Children's Services
Pre-Schools 35,151,000
20% Long Day Care plus
Occasional Care 8,765,000
*Vacation Care 2,155,000
**Early Childhood Projects 3,589,000
$49,660,000 Source: NSW Department of Family and Community Services
* includes Commonwealth Block Grant for Vacation Care $1,211 million
** includes Mobile Services, Outreach Workers etc.
The Department of Education is responsible for the administration and curriculum of pre- school groups which have been established in 65 government schools in New South Wales.
Children may enrol from the age of 3 years 9 months, provided their 4th birthday falls before 1 August. Most of these centres operate on the basis of attendance for five half-days per week, but 17 take children for the full school day — 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. In 11 of these centres a midday meal is provided at a cost of $22 per week; in the other six full school day centres the children bring their own lunch. No fees are charged in the half-day session centres but a voluntary contribution is requested to assist in buying materials and equipment.
The program in government pre-school centres provides experience and activities suitable for the growth and development of children in this age group, allowing them opportunities for language enrichment, exploration and discovery learning and the development of creative ability in a planned environment under the guidance of trained teachers. Participation of parents is a key element of this program.
In addition, there are 32 Early Childhood Support Classes for children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and б years. The goal of these classes is to provide experiences which allow the children to develop skills which approximate or equal those which children without disabilities develop.
A pre-school correspondence program is provided for children in isolated areas of the State.
The thrust of this program is to assist parents as the educators of their own children.
The expansion of early childhood services over the past two decades has raised a number of important issues which need to be addressed. These include:
• the provision of an agreed set of principles on which policy decisions relating to early childhood education services are based;
• the desirability of bringing all early childhood services together within the Department of Education ;(24)
• the problem of the inequities of eligibility and access to services;
• the provision of adequate numbers of early childhood teachers who have been appropriately trained to give high quality education and care, and to be able to liaise effectively with the home, the school and the community;
• the problem of the pedagogical and curricular discontinuity that exists among the programs of pre-schools, day care centres, infants schools and primary schools;
• the development of a coherent set of aims, expectations and values relating to early childhood education programs;
• the problem of the most appropriate location for early childhood education programs
— whether they should be separate units or whether they should be school-based, community-based or linked to both.as>
Such issues need to be debated and resolved in the interests of all parents, teachers and children. The most fundamental issue, however, is the need to ensure access to education and parenting resources for all who wish to take advantage of them, including education for parenting, infant and early childhood education programs, family support services and a wide range of accessible child care options. In the interests of the individual, the family, society and the nation, there can be no higher priority than the provision of quality parenting and early childhood education programs.
Particular attention should be paid to the area of greatest educational potential and long- term cost efficiency: the 0 - 3 years age group which is currently poorly co-ordinated and largely neglected educationally.