What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?
The specific information that seemed particularly relevant to my current professional development was the articles I read about businesses investing in quality child care programming. There are some programs that invest in child development centers in my area, and I am currently in the process of trying to get some grant money to upgrade some things in my center. There were many points in the articles I read that would help me gain strategies as to how to network with these businesses. Yes, we all want to only focus on the fun part of education, but we also have to realize that these programs do not function without monetary funds.
Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?
A controversial issue that has hit my area was competitions for Head Start Dollars
"Though it got little attention in the mainstream press, the world of Head Start was shaken last fall when the federal government announced new standards for funding and notified 132 organizations that run Head Start centers that they weren’t measuring up. The “re-competition” guidelines, as they are known, list seven trouble spots. If an organization receiving a Head Start grant has problems in one of those seven areas, it will have to compete for renewed federal dollars against other organizations that want to run Head Start programs in the same geographic area.
In 2013, this means movement is likely on at least two fronts: Newcomers – whether school districts or community-based organizations – will be preparing to win grants in the cities and towns where the 132 grantees have stumbled. And the other current grantees – at least those with their wits about them – will be double- and triple-checking their financial systems and ramping up the training of their teachers to ensure that they are offering a high-quality experience to the pre-kindergarten students in their care. The Classroom Assessment Scoring System – the tool used to determine the quality of teaching in the new federal guidelines – will continue its surge as a standard-bearer for good interactions between adults and children in Head Start." (earlyed.net) I know many centers panic about the assessment scoring systems in my area, and that they are fighting for the same funds because of state funding shortages.
I believe that this is the reason behind the importance of businessmen/women investing in quality childcare. This week we research some articles about this subject. Here is what I found....
“ ICW firmly believes that investments in high-quality early learning programs for children from birth to age five yield high returns. In fact, research shows that for every dollar invested today, savings range from $2.50 to as much as $17 in the years ahead. Arthur J. Rolnick, then-senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Robert Grunewald, associate economist, calculated an annual, inflation-adjusted rate of return of 16% for high-quality prekindergarten for disadvantaged three- and four- year olds. These returns are based on long-term educational, social, and economic benefits, including increased earnings and tax revenues and decreased use of welfare and other social services, resulting in lower expenses for states and communities.” (uschamber.com)
When companies invest in quality early childhood programs they cut their future costs almost in half. It does this because children that are afforded the opportunity to gain knowledge through these programs, ultimately become responsible adults that utilize the resources and knowledge that they learned as children. This way, companies do benefit from investing in children’s futures.
Ashley Wilkins-Miller
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