The
site leads to many PDF’s related to equity and early child care. Looking more in
depth at the article “Birth to 5 and Beyond: A Growing Movement in Early
Education,” published in the July 2006 issue of the Zero to Three Journal.
Across the United States, interest in early
childhood development continues to grow. In creating a more holistic and
responsive system of early education, states and communities are recognizing
that these efforts must start with ensuring a healthy pregnancy and birth,
continue with a focus on the first 5 years and on through the kindergarten and
the primary grades. Although we all know that the early years are critical to
later success in school and in life, there is no magic year that alone can
ensure this success. Instead young children need access to health care, strong
families, and positive early learning experiences from birth to 5 and beyond.
A
comprehensive birth-to-5 system needs a sound governance structure that ensures
that all the parts complement, rather than conflict with, each other. Such a
structure must account for both horizontal alignment across systems that
serve the same age children (e.g. child care, Head Start, state
pre-kindergarten programs, and early intervention services) and vertical
alignment to provide continuity and coordination for children as they
participate in services birth to age 5. Unified governance structures need not
require co-location or merging of all agencies serving young children and their
families, but they will always require cooperation, relationship building,
coordinated planning, and shared vision among the early childhood education leadership
in a state. Public–private
partnerships can help support planning, can engage a variety of stakeholders in
support of early care and education, and can involve local community leaders
and private funds in support of the birth to 5 system.
The
demand for highly qualified teachers across program auspices—child care, public
schools, state pre-kindergarten, Head Start/Early Head Start—creates an
opportune time to strengthen the professional development system for the early
care and education workforce and improve services for children birth to 5 and
beyond. States
can implement programs and policies that make it possible for new parents to
provide and care for their new babies, including at-home infant care, flexible
sick days, and paid parental leave. State strategies for using Early Head
Start (EHS) to advance policy goals related to infant well-being, parent
employment, and improved child care resources show great promise.
The convergence of the
science of early childhood development with the momentum of school readiness
efforts has created new opportunities for states and communities. State leaders
are working to forge new governance structures, develop public–private
partnerships, and create standards-based programs and services to meet the
developmental needs of babies, toddlers, and preschool and elementary age
children. As these efforts proceed, state leaders need to make special efforts
to ensure that early childhood education promotes positive approaches to
learning, is responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of young children,
and supports the social and emotional development so important to later
success. Increased public investment in the early years is essential if we are
to create a 21st century early education system. As states work to build an infrastructure for quality service delivery,
they will need to assure equity for children of low-income and culturally diverse
families and a set of services that fit the realities of working parents. With
focused leadership, public will, and a vision of early childhood development
that spans across the early years, we can move the agenda forward for children
birth to 5 and beyond.
