Early childhood education makes a valuable contribution to society by advancing children’s learning and development, enhancing their path toward success in school and beyond. Because of this, and tied to the belief that tangible contributions, both immediate and long-term, will be forthcoming, public investments in early childhood education are rising at federal, state, and local levels. But these results won’t be achieved if we don’t also invest in the preparation of early childhood educators and the field’s development as a recognized profession — a profession that is respected for its contributions; held accountable for providing reliable quality early education; and its professionals appropriately compensated for their specialized knowledge and skills.
At present, this is not the case. As has been highlighted overand over, early childhood educators vary considerably in their preparation. They also lack clear expectations for what they should accomplish in their interactions with children. As Elizabeth Gilbert dramatically expressed it in a recentEducation Week article: “so many early childhood educators who are trying to educate millions of children are our least educated professionals.”
[For more of this story, written by Laura Bornfreund & Stacie Goffin, go to https://psmag.com/early-childh...bd6680cc5#.9vukvrcx2]
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