Yaa..Well...There's Always Mashed Potatoes.

I was excited to help in my granddaughter's first grade class recently. She has a great teacher, but I still thought about telling her to go home and let me take over. I do miss the daily interaction with young children. I really wished I lived closer because one particular boy instantly bonded to me. When I found out he was a struggling reader, I really wanted to be there every day to help.
My granddaughter, along with her sister and brother came to stay for the weekend. I was cooking an early Thanksgiving for my family and the kids stayed at my house to 'help.' After two days of cooking we sat down last Sunday to the feast. My granddaughter wasn't impressed by all the fancy dishes, but she was happy because at least, there were mashed potatoes. Like playing with the gift box at Christmas, sometimes the simpler things are better.

Working Together

Based on recent comments, know that nothing brings out the passion in people like politics (and religion). It would be nice if everyone would take all of their passion for such topics and aim it toward improving things that will really improve the life of citizens. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I am hopeful that the new administration will hold to their commitment to early childhood. I worry because there are some serious situations right now, like the economic situation and the war in Iraq, that will take a lot of time. My hope, however, as I stated last time, is that our local governing bodies can work together to make sure our children are taken care of and nourished. Research says that $1 spent on quality early childhood programs would eventually save the taxpayers $14. We just must make the initial investment.

School and Money

We are in such a shaky economic time right now that I worry about the effects it will have on educational funding. Almost 50% of funding for education comes from state money (the rest comes from local taxes and a small amount from the federal government). I knew funding was always a critical issue when our state legislature meets each year, but I didn't realize how much of the pie they must provide. With our current financial crisis I worry what will happen during this year's legislative sessions. Unfortunately, in years past, some of our lawmakers have spent an incredible amount of time debating moral message laws or other non-essential topics (example: Should we really have seat belt laws? What if we have too many children to fit in a car? etc.). Meanwhile, we have children without health care, single mothers without child care assistance and the lowest per-pupil expenditure in the nation. It is my hope in this coming financially-tight year, our lawmakers can concentrate on the humane and important issues. I'm worried because recently a lawmaker expressed concern that we are adding a new area code to Utah. Everyone will now need to dial all 10 digits of make a call. He wants to introduce a bill so that people won't be inconvenienced by needing to dial 10 digits. Please...

It Is History!

Like many Americans, I had a hard time sleeping last night after hearing President-elect Obama's acceptance speech. His speech was filled with a challenge for future healing and a hope that America can get back on track as a land of promise. I felt the promise that we can make our country an even better place for our future generations. It is my hope that we can stop bickering about who can or cannot have basic civil rights. Instead, I think we should concentrate our efforts on making sure our children are fed, clothed, have basic health care and a quality educational system that provides the nourishment for being responsible and productive citizens. I'm encouraged that in many speeches Mr. Obama frequently stated that it is critical to have quality early childhood programs. I am currently in Dallas at the NAEYC National Conference. Thousands of early childhood educators are here for that very reason: to provide quality early childhood progams for children.
Yes, I didn't sleep much after that speech. It was historical in many ways and one that I hope will help the country rise to the occasion. We certainly need to do so for our children and grandchildren. I want the world to be an even better place for the generations of the future.

Hot and Cold

This past week, I had the opportunity of doing workshops in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California as well as Atlantic City, New Jersey. When I boarded the plane in Anaheim, it was 92 degrees. When I deplaned in Philadelphia, it was in the 40's. Burrrrr...what a difference. Going from hot to cold made me think of all the visits I make to early childhood classrooms. The warmth and safety I feel when I visit a well-run appropriate classroom is exhilarating. The fear and anxiety I feel when I visit a classroom that is struggling leaves me with a cold, uncomfortable feeling. I am assuming that children feel the same way. We all know children who do not want to go to school. My fear is that they feel that same cold, uncomfortable feeling when entering the classroom. I would love to see all young children running to school because their classroom exhibited the warmth and safety that each child should feel.

Quality Child Care

In the last weeks we have been talking about quality child care in my Introduction to Teaching course. Research tells us that quality child care contributes to the cognitive and emotional development of children. This results in lower levels of delinquency, teenage pregnancy, drug use, and dropout rates resulting in high earnings later in life and greater marital stability. Whew! Why isn't everyone on the bandwagon for quality child care? I guess the answer is money...but not the only answer. Many critics emphasize that children are better off with mom (or dad) staying home rather than looking for quality care. Unfortunately, that ideal is unrealistic for many families. Single parent households do not have the luxury of choice in the matter. Quality child care is an issue for most single parent households and at-risk families. Many state governments (including my own state) have failed to adequately fund child care for families in need. A study published in Education Week in 2004 found that every dollar invested in quality child care would prove an economic return of 13 dollars in the child's future education. I think it is worth the initial investment.

We're in this Together!

I did a math workshop in Nashville this week and it was wonderful. What a great group of teachers and caregivers! It is always such a treat to go around the country and meet other early childhood professionals. The commonality is that we all want what is best for young children and strive to be appropriate in our approach. Young children constantly need advocates since they cannot lobby for themselves. We are a great group in the early childhood field and it feels good to make those connections wherever people are working with young children.