Chapter 1: An Overview of the Field of Early Childhood Education

Overview

Welcome to the field of early childhood education and to the profession of working with young children! You are beginning the path to the rewarding career of teaching and caring for young children and connecting with the adults and families that care for them. In this first chapter we will explore what it means to be a caring and nurturing educator, discuss the field of early childhood education in general, and learn about some of the historical figures and events that impact the work we do today.

1.1 The Nurturing Teacher

The most important task asked of you as an early childhood teacher is working directly with children. Yes, you will play with them. You will also teach them, talk with them, guide their behaviors, provide for their physical and psychological growth and development, document their progress, model appropriate interactions, and nurture them. You will interact with the adults in their lives, and the connection you build to each child and their families you serve will live on in your professional life for however long you continue to work in the field of early learning. One of the primary goals of the early childhood educator is to be a nurturing teacher: one that promotes respect among everyone involved in the classroom, and this level of respect is underlined by a sense of the joy in teaching children. You may have an image in your mind of what a nurturing teacher might look like, and it could include some of the behaviors and tasks listed above. It also includes building a caring, learning community that involves a positive classroom community that involves many elements beyond bright colors and having the appropriate number of math manipulatives. In fact, creating warm inviting classrooms is among some of the most important work that we do for children and families. Positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do as teachers and the messages we send leave lasting impressions that will lay a foundation for children’s approaches to learning for the rest of their lives. All the children you will teach in your career will come to your classroom with a diversity of experiences, backgrounds, and family structures.

In addition, each day you walk into the classroom, you will bring with you a set of personal and professional values that will guide your work. Although there is no “one way is the correct way” or one personality that lends itself better to the teaching profession, there are tendencies, personalities and skills that contribute to the daily success you will have working in the profession. We will begin the book by exploring what all teachers of young children carry with them as they enter the classroom each day.

1.1.1 The Teacher as a Person

Who you are as a person will be the foundation of the daily work that you will do with children and families and will impact the professional that you are aspiring to be within the field of early learning. You will bring with you the skills and knowledge that you have about children and child development, your life experiences, your personal values and morality as well as your own temperament and personality. Attitudes that you hold about diversity and inclusion of children will factor into how your classroom is set up and managed.

1.1.2 Skills and Knowledge

Every profession has a set of skills and a knowledge base that individuals within that profession use to define the field of study (or profession itself). For example, a dentist should have skills to check your teeth and fill cavities, whereas a car mechanic has knowledge about how to diagnose a faulty carburetor. Working as an effective teacher means that you should have knowledge and a specialized skill set about many topics within the profession of early childhood education. It also requires that you stay current in the knowledge base of early childhood education and work to apply professional knowledge and skills for the benefit of young children and in partnership with their families.

A recent study entitled Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores implications of research-based child development practices that influence those who work with children (Committee on the Science of Children et al., 2015). National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) [/GL] has relied on this book and its findings to inform the Power to the Profession movement dedicated to improving the well-being of all children focusing on the educational development services for children, birth to age 8. NAEYC has a set of national standards for early childhood professional preparation programs described in [crossref:2]chapter 2[/crossref} of this text.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families ( Washington State Department of Child, Youth, and Families (DCYF) ) has published a set of core competencies and frameworks (2022) to guide decisions and practices carried out by professionals in all early care and education settings. These competencies coordinate and design courses for certificates and degrees as part of the skills and knowledge Washington State feels is important for teachers to possess and are described in detail in [crossref:11]chapter 11[crossref].

Washington State also has a set of certificates called Washington State Stackable Certificates that build on one another and can lead to an Associate degree in early childhood education and beyond. The certificates are offered at community colleges throughout the state and are the starting point in Washington to begin a career in early learning. This course, ECED & 105 Introduction to Early Childhood Education is one of the courses listed in the Initial 12-credit certificate, so you are on your way to acquiring the skills and knowledge recommended by our state.

As you work in the field, you will gain a set of skills not only through college courses, along with earning your annual 10 hours of professional development training requirements through the Managed Education and Registry Information Tool (MERIT). Your day-to-day interactions with children and families, your work with colleagues and leaders in the field, membership in professional organizations, additional reading you enjoy about a particular topic, or you may choose to pursue advanced degrees. Each of these experiences, along with many others, will contribute to your own personalized knowledge and skills that are unique to you and your work.

1.1.3 Life Experiences

Whatever career a person chooses, they bring with them into their work their whole history as a person including all life experiences from early childhood and beyond. Each day when you walk into your classroom environment, you are bringing your personality/ temperament, attitudes and values that grow from your culture, community and your own individual influences on your own early childhood experiences.

Remembering your childhood and how those early experiences shaped you as a person are worth thoughtful reflection as you enter the field. It is important to recognize that your experiences will not be the same ones that you provide to the children you work with and that both the positive, as well as the not so positive, parts of our past influence our work. Being able to compassionately care for children requires that you know and acknowledge those experiences, remembering that self-care is critical. As the saying goes, “you cannot pour from an empty cup” and reviewing your past in non judgemental ways as you observe and work with children is paramount. Recognizing that everyone experiences negative feelings and experiences can provide you with a critical lens as you assist a child struggling with their own self-acceptance. Part of the reflective process (a process that is a critical component to working with children) is to think about every interaction you have with children and families and determine who you want to be as a teacher.

1.1.4 Personal Values and Morality

Personal values are the things that are important to us. They are the characteristics and behaviors that motivate us and guide our decision making. Our values are comprised of the moral code that guides our action and defines who we are. Some values follow a universal rule of conduct, and others are personal and are defined by our family of origin, culture, religious beliefs, and the communities in which we live and work. In addition, our life experiences will also impact the values we hold as a person.

It is possible that you have chosen to work with children and families because you value children. You could also be motivated by social justice, equality, a passion for learning, or an experience you might have had as a child. Awareness of your own values and recognizing that not everyone will have the same set of values that you have, are very much the foundation of what makes you, you.

Personal morality has roots firmly in early childhood education. At a very young age we learn what is right and what is wrong in a multitude of ways through the adults that care for and guide us as children. This could be found in homes, classrooms, neighborhoods, places of worship and communities as we navigate how to treat others and respect differences. It becomes the basis of how we make decisions and choices daily. The NAEYC code of ethics, which you will learn about in the next chapter, is a professional document that can offer guidance as we work with children and families, especially if situations arise that cause us to question or think about the situation as it is related to our own individual set of values and morals.

1.1.5 Temperament Personality

Temperament is defined as a set of inborn traits that organize the way we approach the world. These traits are instrumental in the way we learn about the world around us. Researchers Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess (1977) have studied temperament related to ways in which we respond to the environments where we live and work (and for children, play!). Figure 1.3 below illustrates the nine individual traits as related to adult learning shown in a continuum model. It is important to remember that these traits should not be viewed as “ good” or “bad” but do provide information about how we interact within our environments.

 

Looking at the continuum above, you could place yourself at the higher end of the continuum for example in activity level (very high/active), or anywhere along the continuum to “low/inactive”. Some of these temperament traits are good “fits” for individuals working with children daily: positive quality of mood, and higher activity levels for example.

Generally speaking, traits are seen as a “goodness of fit” when a person’s temperament aligns with the tasks necessary in a job or career. That is not to say that if you don’t possess certain traits for a career, that the career might not be for you! It is a starting point for thinking about how your personality fits into the field of early learning.

1.1.6 Attitudes about Diversity and Inclusion

Messages we get as young children about groups of people whose culture, language, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, appearance, ability, or religion that differs from ours as well as the experiences from our own lives influence our attitudes as adults. We develop expectations about people, and it is important to recognize this within yourself and the community where you work. A bias is “a tendency, inclination, or prejudice toward or against something or someone” (Psychology Today, n.d., para. 1). Some biases are positive and helpful (like choosing to eat foods that are considered healthy). However, bias is often based on stereotypes, rather than actual knowledge of an individual or circumstance and this can often lead to prejudgment or discriminatory practice.

Many people struggle to recognize their own biases, and it is important to note that everyone has some bias as our brains attempt to categorize people and things “like” us and people and things “unlike” us. If taken to the extreme, this type of categorization can bring about feelings of an “us versus them” mentality which can lead to harmful prejudice. Bias is a universal human condition and even the most dedicated and well-meaning teachers hold beliefs that may affect their students. Sometimes, these beliefs can be harmful-if they are left unexamined. Identifying your own biases will help you to resist having a negative effect on the children and families that you work with. When you recognize a bias; it might help you to dispel feelings you have that could lead to negative reactions.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor once said, “Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see” (2001, para. 23). This recognition of bias holds true in the field of early childhood education as well.

Inclusion is the “act or practice of including: the state of being included” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Sometimes in the field of Education, the term inclusion is reserved for conversations around special needs children and the importance of including all children in work and play. Inclusion can also be seen in day-to-day practice when children might leave a child behind in play or say something like “you’re not invited to my birthday party” in an attempt to exclude a particular child. It is important that teachers support all children in helping them to understand that they are an important part of the school community. Our job is to foster a development of belonging that will prepare them for life in their community as they grow.

1.2 The Teacher as a Professional

In a bold strategic initiative called Power to the Profession , NAEYC made the statement that “positive relationships are at the core of quality, investing specifically in early childhood educators is the best thing we can do to improve early childhood education” (2020, p. 3). Because you are enrolled in this course, it is safe to say that you are interested in becoming a professional within the field of early learning and recognize that positive relationships are at the core of our work. The Power to the Profession initiative is attempting to recognize that the work we do in the classroom each day is recognized as a very important profession within our society. It is critically important that the behavior we engage in each day reflects the professional ideals of the field.

Being recognized as a professional goes beyond the personal traits discussed earlier in this chapter. It also requires the typical “soft skills” a good employee might need (being to work on time, having a positive attitude, communicating well, keeping personal grievances outside of the workplace among others) and also includes following the values and ethics outlined by the profession itself.

Early childhood professionals are divers with different perspectives. This is why we turn to the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (2011), to provide an understanding of professional behavior. The code can also serve as a guide to help resolve ethical dilemmas.

1.2.1 Code of Ethics

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (2011) provides the field with a set of professional beliefs and commitments. As previously mentioned, this code can guide our daily work, as well as assist as a reference when faced with ethical dilemmas in the workplace.

The code is composed of Ideals and Principles, but at the very foundation of the code is a set of core values. These core values express central beliefs, commitments to society and the common purpose of our profession.

Core Values

• Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle
• Base our work on knowledge of how children develop and learn
• Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family
• Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society
• Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague)
• Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues
• Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect (NAEYC, 2011, p. 1)
• Most people within the field of early learning find themselves in agreement with the core values set forth in the code. As you grow within the profession, you might begin to see alignment of your own personal values reflected in your daily work. [crossref:2]Chapter 2[/crossref] of this text will provide a deep dive into the code of ethics published by NAEYC.

1.2.2 Advocacy

Many people believe that the smartest investment a country could make to their society is to advocate for quality early childhood education, and an advocate for early learning is a person that would support the field of early learning. A recent UNICEF report indicates that “children enrolled in early education [programs] are more likely to stay in school and to attain minimum reading and mathematics competencies extending beyond primary school” (Wisthuff, 2019, para. 2). That makes it seem as though advocating for early childhood education becomes not only an investment in our future as a society in general, but an easy decision at that! However, according to the UNICEF report, 175 million children are currently not engaged in any type of early childhood education programs. In low-income countries, nearly 8 out of 10 children are missing out on early childhood classrooms.

In Washington State, there are many groups that advocate for quality early learning to support children, families, and programs where children are enrolled. Agencies such as Child Care Aware of Washington, Children’s Alliance, The Department of Children Youth and Families, Washington State Family Child Care Association, and Washington Association for the Education of Young Children are just a few.

Advocating for all children is very much a part of the fabric of what we do. Advocacy work doesn’t have to be national, sweeping movements, but rather, it can be showing that early investments in children are important to the healthy growth and development of all children. Working together as a profession in our individual communities to share the important work that we do provides the support that all children should be able to access the early education they deserve. How to create advocacy opportunities will be discussed broadly in [crossref:11}chapter 11[/crossref] of this text. When thinking about advocacy many people have images of talking with politicians trying to convince them of the importance of a passion, or some people might think that advocacy involves lengthy letter writing campaigns. But advocacy doesn’t have to be that difficult and can be as simple as talking with friends, families, neighbors and others in your community about your passion for working with young children and families. Often, this begins by telling your own story of why you chose to be in this profession. Advocacy also includes keeping up with what is happening in the field, both in terms of current trends, and the ties to historical perspective.

1.2.3 Working with Families

Just like each child is unique, every family is unique and the child(ren) you are working with comes to you each day wrapped in a blanket of family values, culture, attitudes, and beliefs. Building positive and good working relationships with families is one of the most important roles that an early childhood educator has. Partnering with parents allows the children that you teach to see that the important adults in their life are working together and can help both them and the family to be comfortable in your classroom environment.

Just like any relationship the family-teacher relationship can be complex and can include many people. This could include the child’s family, the teacher, the staff at the child’s program, and the community that the child lives within. By working together, you can build a rich environment that supports both the child and their family which will serve as models for creating positive relationships within the community.

Early childhood teachers have a wealth of resources to share with families. You may find yourself in the role of bridging resources within the community to the families you serve. This may involve employing a variety of communication techniques to support families. Whether it is a classroom app or other social media, a newsletter or bulletin board, representing all families and including all family members is vital to building healthy relationships.

Some programs, particularly Head Start programs, incorporate a portion of their programming devoted to Home Visits. This allows the teacher to become acquainted with the family in the child’s familiar home environment. In some cases, this can strengthen the relationship with the family, while other families may feel vulnerable when a “teacher comes calling.” Whatever the communication may be, it is important to remember that building positive trusting relationships with the family of children is a core value of the profession.

1.3 The Structure of the Field of Early Learning

When looking at an overview of the field of early learning, it can be overwhelming to consider the huge variety of program approaches, settings, and models found within the field. This chapter will focus on the more common programs for children pre-birth to age 8 found currently in the United States that might be interesting to students beginning the journey to become a teacher of young children. In future chapters of this text, program philosophies (sometimes called approaches, or curriculum approaches) will be addressed.

NAEYC has also presented a document from the Power to the Profession work entitled the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession (Power to the Profession Task Force, 2020). This document recognized that the field in general includes a very diverse range of individuals and settings that contribute to the field. The document attempts to unify the field and discusses how the United States can make significant and sustained investments in high quality early learning programs. Consideration of this document is the foundation for the discussion regarding how the field is structured.

1.3.1 Programs for children pre-birth to age five

The majority of programs caring for children birth, to age five are small private, tuition based childcare centers that offer either part day or full day programs. Licensed childcare centers in the state of Washington obtain their license from the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The number of children that a center can be licensed for depends on the space and ages of the children they serve. Families can use tools found on the DCYF website to search for care in their community as well as review any licensing infractions or concerns the department has about a center.

One framework in place to assure quality of care in Washington State is through the Early Achievers program. This program provides a rating system for childcare providers based on observable elements of quality indicators. In addition, some centers might seek accreditation through NAEYC. This optional accreditation is an independent study of a center focusing on many aspects of a center including the curriculum, environment, education of the teachers as well as many other quality indicators.

Family home early learning programs (located in the operator’s home) are the least visible, yet most prevalent form of childcare in many communities. In Washington state, Family Childcare Homes are licensed and can apply to be Early Achievers sites as well.

Family, Friends and Neighbor care (FFN) differs from family childcare in that this type of care might include unlicensed grandparents, aunts/uncles, elders, older siblings, friends or neighbors who support families by providing childcare. FFN is the most common type of childcare for infants, toddlers and school-age children before and after school hours. FFN are not regulated by the state, although some FFN providers can receive childcare subsidies for childcare if they are willing to follow the DCYF guidelines.

Preschool (sometimes called part day programs and can also include cooperative preschools or nursery schools) are unlicensed educational programs that generally offer a school ready curriculum to support children. In many communities, preschools can be housed in community centers, churches, or even outdoors! These programs are not monitored by DCYF, and to date, there are no education requirements for teachers working in preschools.

Other types of childcare available in Washington State include:

• crisis nurseries that provide care for families in crisis such as domestic violence, homelessness, employment, or other crisis situations,
• developmental preschools that are available to some children with special needs often housed at local school districts,
• private preschools offering curriculum for no more than four hours per day.

1.3.2 Programs for children age 5 to 8

There are several types of program options for children ages 5 to 8 including kindergarten (found in both public and private schools), elementary or homeschool or school-age childcare. Most children will enroll in kindergarten at age 5, or shortly after their fifth birthday, depending on the community school district calendar for the community in which the family lives. Historically, kindergarten (a German word translation for “a child’s garden”) was meant to be a bridge between the home and elementary school environment and most kindergartens were housed in local elementary schools. The first public kindergarten in the United States was housed in a St. Louis Missouri, Des Peres elementary school (Moore & Sabo-Risley, 2018), and over the 20th century, kindergarten has changed and been innovated into full day programs with rigorous testing and curriculum. Today, kindergarten looks startlingly like what first grade used to be, and the need for high quality early childhood education prior to kindergarten has been the focus of several studies and summarized by the Alliance for Childhood’s report entitled “Crisis in the Kindergarten” (Miller & Almon, 2009).

Elementary school age children can enroll in either their local community public school, funded by federal tax dollars or a private school in which parents pay tuition for their children to attend. In addition to both of those programs, children can be homeschooled. The numbers of children being homeschooled grew 28.9% between 1999 and 2003, 37.6% between 2003 and 2007, 17.4% between 2007 and 2012. As of 2015-16, around 1,690,000 children were being homeschooled (Coalition for Responsible Home Education, 2017).

School-age care refers to programs that operate before and after school and during the summer and holiday breaks. School-age programs often include a structured routine and allow children a space to complete homework, build relationships with children that attend school different than their own, and can be offered through community groups, the YMCA or other parks and recreation programs or private homes. Not all school-age programs require licenses.

1.4 History Of Early Childhood Education

Many of our current ideas in educational philosophy are built on ideas and theories of the past. The roots of early childhood education goes as far back as Plato (428-348 B.C.E.), who was a Greek philosopher who believed that the teacher’s role was to direct children through play towards “their final aim in life” (360 B.C.E., Book I). Dr. David Elkind (2010) believes that the field of early childhood education is “the most holistic and least differentiated of any level of education” (para. 2) due to the solid grounding in philosophy, theory, and research. What theorists most noted in the field have in common is that what makes early childhood education unique is that it starts with the child, and not with the subject matter.

1.4.1 The Origins of Early Childhood Education

The philosophical foundations of early education includes the early work of may individuals including Czech philosopher John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), British philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) in addition to many other European and American philosophers that will be discussed in [crossref:3]chapter 3[/crossref]. Alongside these philosophical applications, the field is grounded in research through education figures such as Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980), German American psychologist Erik Erikson (1902-1994) and German educator Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) as well as European theorists and educators all of whom have contributed to Western approaches in early learning.

It wasn’t until after World War II that early childhood education came to be seen as an important foundation to every child’s educational pathway, the roots of which are based in humanism. This thought process has the concern for the developmentally appropriate practice, a concept discussed in [crossref:2]chapter 2[/crossref] of this text.

The infographic in Figure 1.3 illustrates the progression of thought from some notable theorists that have contributed to the field of early childhood education from Ancient Greece to the first Kindergarten funded in the United States. As you look at the timeline, think about how the philosophies of each time period have influenced current thinking.

1.4.2 The Origins of Childcare in the United States

In the United States today, most women with young children are employed outside the home. The necessity (or choice) to work outside the home has created a need for care for young children during working hours. The term “day care” was used historically to refer to the working hours teachers were in classrooms. Today, professionals prefer the term childcare as it is more inclusive and reflects the important work of nurturing the child.

In 1620 when the white European settlers were taking land from the American Indians, and starting the colonization of the land they stole, the women slaves were expected to maintain the home and care for thier owners’ children (Lloyd et al., 2021). Part of the duties may require them to nurse the owners’ child if needed, depending on the age and if the mother was not able to nurse her own child. They were caring for the children on their owners’ property.

Childcare can be traced to starting in New York in 1893 when the National Federation of Day Nurseries, the first nationwide organization devoted to childcare, began. The care at the time was hardly labeled “quality” and so a set of progressive women began the U.S Children’s Bureau in 1912 to set policy for quality childcare (Michel, 2011).

The Depression had an impact on childcare as unemployment rose. During Roosevelt’s New Deal, a program of Emergency Nursery Schools (ENS) grew but was open only part of the day. By the end of the 1930s high staff turnover rates forced the closure of many of the ENS. With the approach of World War II, the unemployment crisis dropped, and many women went to work for the government to support war efforts. However, it was not until 1943 that support allocated $6 million dollars to reopen ENS. In 1944, only 3,000 childcare centers were operating, yet the capacity for 130,000 children was needed. This lack of care during the day began the spread of the “latchkey child,” and often children were found sleeping in locked cars in company parking lots while mothers worked (Michel, 2011).

In 1954, the childcare tax deduction allowed low to moderate income families to deduct expenses for childcare from their income taxes and a program entitled New York Women (led by Elinor Guggenheimer) helped to establish a licensing system for childcare in that city that eventually grew across the U.S.

In the 1960s, federal support for childcare was tied to “policies designed to encourage poor and low-income women to enter training programs” and the workforce until a group of “labor leaders, civil rights leaders and early childhood advocates worked with Congress to legislate universal childcare policy” (Michel, 2011, para. 19). These efforts failed under President Nixon, and as a result, direct federal support for childcare was limited to low-income families.

In the 1980s, President Reagan shifted funding and the passage of the Social Services Block Grant Act (part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981), which allocated funds to support individual states for child care and development. The issue with this was that even though there were increased funds for childcare, problems with supply and quality for lower income families became difficult, and middle-income families faced childcare centers with high turnover rates of child care employees due to low pay and poor benefits.

In the 1990s, funding through welfare reform initiatives such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (1993) provided some childcare relief dollares for families, but existing federal childcare policies have gone largely unchanged since the 1950s and do not meet the needs of the working families of today.

There are hundreds of private advocacy groups in the United States that are interested in early childhood education and the policies that support quality and equity for all families today, but most research agrees that the system of childcare is a fragmented system. In the next section of this chapter, we will explore how the government has supported early learning.

1.5 Government Funding that Supports Early Learning

For more than 80 years, the federal government has invested in childcare and early childhood education programs to support parents and children and help them to succeed. Over time, as society has changed, so has the amount of funding and the names of the funding programs. There is no doubt that as our society continues to change, so will the need for funding children and families across the United States.

“From a historic point of view, the United States is in the midst of a second child care revolution, as more and more children under the age of six are cared for by someone other than their parents” (Kilburn & Hao, 1996, p. 46). Historians have known for at least two centuries that the well-being of all children depends on the quality of care received in the early years. Some people believe that as a system, we have failed to act boldly on that knowledge within the government arena, and money to support all children is inequitable.

During the 19th (and early 20th) centuries, a two-tiered system of early childhood education types of programs evolved in the United States. One tier had roots in social welfare systems while the other was rooted in the education system providing “preschool” education for middle-and upper-class children (Cahan, 1989). During the last century, the federal government has vastly expanded its role in early childhood education (Yarrow, 2009). In this chapter, we will focus on government involvement in terms of funding.

As previously mentioned, in 1933 the first federal investment in childcare was made in response to the Great Depression. The Emergency Nursery School program provided childcare for the children of people working government paid jobs and by 1935, the Aid to Dependent Children program was included in part of President Poosevelt’s New Deal. During this time, many childcare centers were open seven days a week for 12 months a year and even provided infirmaries for sick children and hot meals for families to take home after work. This all sounds wonderful, but one must remember that it took two wars and demands on the workforce for the government to make such meaningful resources for working families (Kiesling, 2019).

After World War II, expansion of public kindergarten began, and the government funded programs for low-income children through Head Start funding and federal childcare subsidies (Economic Opportunity Amendments of 1965). The goal for the funding was to prepare children living in low income households for elementary school, and now Head Start offers a range of comprehensive services to strengthen families. In 1994, Early Head Start was created to support pregnant women, infants, and toddlers through age three (Human Services Amendments of 1994).

In 1974, federal dollars helped to create the Social Services Block Grant (Housing and Community Development Act of 1974), to support parents in the workforce by supporting childcare service, and in 1990, this program was extended to families with incomes that did not qualify under previous income guidelines. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, that brought welfare freeform to working families under a program called Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) program.

Over the past two decades, as we learn more about children’s brain development and research into quality early learning experiences filter into the government scene, Congress is increasing funding for already existing programs. Head Start has had an increase from 6.8 to 10.6 billion dollars to serve 1.3 million children and 769,000 families each month (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2019).

The role that an individual state plays in childcare comes from state involvement in both federally funded and state-initiated programs. For example, not all states match federal funds allocated to some federally funded programs and states can determine the eligibility criteria for participation in federally funded programs.

Every state regulates child care in some form, and all states license child care centers. In Washington state, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is responsible for licensing and the monitoring of licenses for childcare and family child care centers.

1.5.1 Washington State Involvement in Setting Standards for the Field

In Washington State, the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is the agency that supports adult educators who care for and teach young children. The mission of the DCYF is to provide a “comprehensive framework and delivering of services for [professional development] that includes adult learning and workforce development to ensure improved outcomes for children, youth and the adults who provide education and services” (n.d.-b, para. 2).

The agency supports state approved training through professional development known as STARS recorded in a registry program entitled MERIT. The guiding framework for providing training is found in a document called the Core Competencies. More about this system can be found in [crossref:11]Chapter 11[/crossref].

What the state recognizes is that child outcomes can improve when children attend quality early learning programs and when teachers’ skills and education levels are supported. To that end, Washington state offers an ECE Career Planning Portal to assist students as they begin to plan their career in early learning. Most community colleges in the state of Washington offer the State Stackable Certificates, of which this class ECED 105 Intro to Early Childhood Education is a part, within the initial ECE certificate. Assistance to go to school is provided at most community colleges through the Early Achievers Grant program which can often fund tuition, books and other costs for students working in the field at an Early Achievers rated child care site. In addition, financial assistance can be given to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree through Child Care Aware of Washington’s Scholarships for Child Care Providers. In addition, DCYF works with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to support professionals working with school-age children.

1.6 Today’s Trends Bound to History

Some of the historical trends discussed in this chapter apply to early learning today: the field still believes in the importance of play (Plato), that early learning is the foundation for all education moving forward, and that children grow best in environments that are nurturing and supportive. In some cases, the financial regulations will most likely come into play as society shifts after surviving a global pandemic.

Looking back historically can also help us to predict what lies ahead. The remainder of this chapter will focus on trends of the past influencing the field today.

1.6.1 Educational Trends That Have Influenced Early Childhood Education

In the 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama stated:

In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children… Studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. (para. 39)

This public address started conversation about what the United States values in terms of early learning initiatives as it was the first time that early learning was specifically called out in a presidential address.

If you were to do an internet search for “trends in early learning,” the results would be long and varied with a variety of opinions from an assortment of resources both inside and outside of the field of early learning. In addition, it is likely that you would see lists of initiatives that will shape the future of early learning, as well as trends that impact children directly and those that are in place to support families. Keeping that in mind, it becomes a difficult task to sort out how today’s decisions will impact tomorrow’s children. When looking at trends, however, two things become very clear: it is necessary that a unifying message that includes all children is essential, and that advocacy for this movement is critical.

One way that the United States has moved toward improving consistency and trying to create quality in childcare is through a quality rating improvement system, also called QRIS. This state-by-state initiative attempts to address the priorities that former President Obama spoke about in his State of the Union address (2013). In Washington state, the QRIS system is referred to as Early Achievers. The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance has a state-by-state map of QRIS state profiles (QRIS Resource Guide) where you can learn what each state is doing to improve child care in their state and counties.

1.6.2 Power to the Profession

Turning to the professional organization NAEYC, the document Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession (Power to the Profession Task Force, 2020) provides insight to the difficult current realities of the field and the pathway to unification by taking steps to professionalize the field. Within the document, a clear message about the need to align professional preparation for students studying early childhood education, compensation for teachers working in classrooms, and making the clear distinction that advocating for “the good of our country’s children, families, educators, businesses, and economy” (as cited in LeMoine et al., 2023, p. 59) is the message that so many in the field believe will lead to public investment in early learning.

The goal of the Power to the Profession initiative is clear: to establish unity and clarity around the career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, accountability, supports, and compensation to define the early childhood profession across all states and settings. Much more about the initiative is in [crossref:11]chapter 11[crossref] of this text.

1.6.3 Societal Change

As society changes and as we learn more, so do the issues and trends being discussed within the field of early childhood education. Often, the concerns professionals have in the field historically have been reflective mirrors of those societal changes and sometimes these changes have positive or negative impact. For example, in response to rapidly growing global awareness and the increase of culturally responsive and anti-bias curriculum, teachers are becoming more aware of how their classroom must reflect the communities in which they work. Certainly, the historical nod to play based learning will again become a focus of our work as more and more young children are exposed to technology at an early age. We certainly have yet to see the impact of the 2020 global pandemic and the impact it will have on children and families as we continue to move towards a nation that becomes healthy and safe again.

But the largest focus for the past few years in the field has been the diverse communities in which we work and live and how those communities need to be supported. In 2019, NAEYC released the Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement that clearly communicates that all children have the right to equitable learning opportunities. Many people within the field agree that we must respond to this work. In Washington State, DCYF spent 2019 studying how the early learning system can provide strategies to help all children and families thrive while eliminating inequalities in outcomes for children. In a recent statement published throughout the state, DCYF has reminded us of our vision:

Washington State is a place where each child starts life with a solid foundation for success based on strong families, culturally relevant early learning practices, services and supports that lead to racial equity and the well-being of all children and families. (n.d.-a, para. 1)

References

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Websites you may want to explore further

Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement, National Association for the Education of Young Children

Child Care Aware of America

A Global History of Early Childhood Education and Care, UNESCO Digital Library

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Power to the Profession, Unifying the Framework Executive Summary

Uncovering the Role of Early Childhood in Black Women’s Clubs Work Towards Racial and Gender Justice

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families