If learning begins at birth, then so does the education beat.
Research shows the first three years are the most important
period of development in what experts call “brain
architecture.” This architecture “provides the foundation for
all future learning, behavior, and health,” according to the
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.
Understanding the issues and policies that affect babies and
toddlers can better inform reporters’ coverage of early-childhood
education and schools in general.
The environments in which young children spend their earliest
years — and the experiences they have with adults caring for them
— have an impact on learning, social and emotional development,
and school outcomes later in life. The
serve-and-return interaction between babies and caregivers
contributes to language and cognitive growth, but the lack of
safe, warm and secure relationships, and
prolonged stress and adversity can compromise later health
and development.
While it’s important to understand the child care sector,
multiple public policies impact very young children, from tax
credits and home-visiting programs to developmental screenings
and access to proper nutrition and health care. At both the state
and federal levels, such programs have varying eligibility
guidelines and often don’t reach some of the most disadvantaged
families.
Caring for the Caregivers
Most infants and toddlers spend part of their day with someone
other than a parent, including relatives, neighbors and
professional child care providers.
Data shows that apart from parental care, young children are
much more likely to be with home-based providers rather than in
center-based programs. Surveys have shown parents often prefer a
home-like environment for babies, and then shift toward
preferring centers as children approach preschool age.
Reporting on infants and toddlers means paying attention to
whether parents and caregivers have what they need to nurture and
care for young children. A mother experiencing depression might
withdraw from her baby. Families in poverty struggle to buy what
children need to be safe and healthy, and a child care center
with high teacher turnover might not be able to give young
children the stability they need to thrive.
Home Ec’s ‘Secret History’
New book explores how home economics influenced American life and public education beyond 'stitching and stirring' (EWA Radio Episode 276)
Often overlooked and misunderstood, home economics is about far more than learning to bake cakes or sew lopsided oven mitts, argues education journalist Danielle Dreilinger. She discusses her new book, “The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live.”