Issues Facing ECE Professionals in Ireland

During my contact with Iris from Ireland, she revealed that many of the issues that are present in the ECE field here in our country are the same issues that are prevalent in Ireland. 

Poorly paid staff is one of issues that seem to hit home for Iris. She stated that teachers in ECE are the lowest paid teacher in Ireland, much like the United States. She said that this seems to be one of the main reasons for staff turnover in the ECE field. According to Education International, “two main staffing profiles can be identified in ECE across Europe…usually qualified teachers can found working with children over 3 to compulsory school age. These teachers increasingly have a three-year tertiary degree and are often education as (primary) school teachers that may or may not have a specialization in early childhood” (Education International). This seems to be the same case in this country. Another issue that she mentions is the lack of men working within early childhood education.  It is still viewed as “women’s work” in Ireland. The number of men in ECE educational programs is sparse in Europe.

Much like the United States, funding for ECE programs poses a big problem. She also stated that there seems to be an issue with the decision makers deciding what would be what we refer to as a good child/staff ratio in the classroom. There is no consensus on the issue. 

When I mentioned the various program monitors that we have here such as NAEYC accreditation, she stated that they have a program that resembles this. The accreditation program is known as Higher Capitation Eligibility. The link to this organizations website is http://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/childcare-training-and-childcare-education/information-for-students-and-learners/.  A large amount of the teacher qualifications are the same as NAEYC accreditation.

Ireland has no national system of pre-school education and consequently, the fees paid by the parents are the primary source of funding. Costs to parents are among the highest in Europe and average over 30% of disposable income for the average worker.

It would seem that providing quality care and hiring and keeping quality teachers are two of the main issues facing ECE professionals in Ireland. 

References:

http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2009_EarlyChildhoodEducationInEurope_en.pdf

NAEYC

I have yet to receive a copy of the newsletter even though I have signed up for it. But after reviewing the website information that is available, I still consider this organization one of the top resources for professionals in the early childhood field. The focus of the 2013 conference is "imagine, innovate & inspire". I believe this is the job of the early childhood professional. We have the opportunity to open young minds and provide experiences that will do just that.

I really enjoy the area noted as "Voices of Practitioners". This area is a wealth of information from others who are in the same position as I. Reading their experiences and research findings provides various points of view regarding different topics. There is so much information that it was difficult to decide on a starting point.

The issue of Anti-Bias Education was the controversial topic that I found on the site. While some individuals will teach about Thanksgiving from the positive aspects for the Pilgrims, I tend to use this time to introduce my students to Native Americans history. I do not focus on the negativity that some will associate with the Pilgrims arrival in the New World. I focus on the positive information about the Native Americans. Why should we expose young children to the negativity. According to the website, "Unless teachers are well informed and thoughtful, Thanksgiving can become (even if unintentionally) a “unit” that teaches young children damaging misinformation and stereotypes" (NAEYC, 2013).

Introduction of my Contact

My contact, Iris Berger, is from Ireland, a grad student and is associated with the Early Childhood Ireland organization. She has referred me to several different resources which contain a wealth of information. She stated that the main issue in early childhood education is the same in Ireland as it is in the United States, to provide quality early childhood programs for every child. Child outcomes is an important issue in Ireland, just as in the states. Stress and its effects on children is another similar issue. A major study was released on November 4, 2013. "STRESS, depression and money problems endured by thousands of Irish families can affect babies as young as nine months old and harm their development." (Melia, 2013)

According to the Early Childhood Ireland website:

                "Early Childhood Ireland believes that the twin aims of training in early childhood care and education are to:

1. enrich the daily experiences of children and families availing of childcare services
2. to support professional development of the childcare workforce

We aim to ensure that those working with children have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice." (Early Childhood, 2013)

One of the most important issues we have discussed is the recent change regarding children's rights. On November 10, 2013, a referendum was passed. The following is a quote from the website,

" Children’s Rights Referendum

November 10th was a very important and historic day for children in Ireland. It was the day on which the Irish public voted to change the constitution on children’s rights.

(The full wording of the referendum question can be found on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs’ website.)

What the Referendum Changes Mean for Children in Ireland

It is important to be aware of what has been achieved through the Children’s Rights Referendum being passed. Below we have provided you with a summary of the key issues dealt with in the referendum, as well as an outline of what these changes mean for children in practice.

Children Have Rights The new wording recognizes that all children have rights and that these rights need to be protected and supported by the State.

  Article 42.A1 The State recognizes and affirms the natural and imperceptible rights of all children and shall, as far as practicable, by its laws protect and

vindicate those rights

   

Protecting Children Children have a right to be protected against harm and to be kept safe.Sometimes a child’s parents may not provide enough care to keep them safe, and the State may have to intervene and offer support to families at an early stage, and in some exceptional cases offer alternative caregivers for the children. 

  Article 42A.2 The Amendment puts the best interests of children at the centre of decision-making in these cases. As State intervention will continue to be an exceptional measure, there is continued recognition that the best place for children is with their parents. Any intervention or support will always be proportionate to the risk facing the child. This means that a child is only removed from his or her parents where no other appropriate action can be taken which will protect the child’s safety and welfare in the home 

   

Best Interests of the Child Children’s best interests shall be of the utmost importance when critical decisions are being made about the protection, welfare and care of the child. 

  Article 42A.4 commits the Oireachtas to legislate to provide that the views of the child are heard and taken into account in court proceedings affecting them. It does not mean that the child’s views will be the determining factor in the case, but that child’s views will be considered by the judge and given due weight according to the child’s age and maturity.

   

Listening to Children Children have the right to be listened to, and to be active participants in their lives. The views of the child must be heard and taken into account.

  Article 42A.4.2 requires that the views of the child are heard when key decisions are made about their lives in court proceedings. Strengthening children’s right’s in the Constitution is an indication that children deserve to be listened to and to have a say in their lives."

This is very important for the children of Ireland, according to Ms. Berger. And I feel that future exchanges between the two of us will be beneficial for both of us. 

http://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/policy-advocacy-and-research/every-child-has-rights/childrens-rights-referendum/

Melia, Paul (2013) Babies feel parent's stress. Retrieved from http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/babies-feel-parents-stress-29724003.html

More on NAEYC

The organization that I chose to focus on is NAEYC. You may access their website at http://www.naeyc.org. NAEYC focuses mainly on three broad goals. They strive to ensure professional practice and working conditions. They provide support by helping programs attain high quality system of service to the children and families. They also organize groups of other professionals who are supportive and can provide feedback to other professionals to ensure excellence in early childhood education.

The topic that caught my attention was Family Engagement. This is a prevalent issue also in the Head Start organization. As we know, parents and families are children’s first educators. Research has shown that students, who have families that are actively involved in their early education, tend to do better in later educational years.

NAEYC has provided six principles of Family Engagement on the website. The principles are as follows, taken directly from the website:


Principle 1: Programs invite families to participate in decision making and goal setting for their child
Principle 2: Teachers and programs engage families in two-way communication
Principle 3: Programs and teacher engage families in ways that are truly reciprocal
Principle 4: Programs provide learning activities for the home and in the community
Principle 5: Programs invite families to participate in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts
Principle 6: Programs implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement” (NAEYC, 2013)

The website also provide examples of early childhood programs who are leading the field in Family Engagement.  One such school is the Montgomery County Community College Children’s Center in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.  This school is supporting family engagement in very effective ways, some of which are the same methods that my program is currently using.

Methods of Family Engagement use by Montgomery County Community College Children’s Center:
1. Parent Advisory Council
2. Ensuring diversity by providing bi-lingual staff and staff of color
3. Use of Creative Curriculum online assessment with parent access
4.  Reciprocal Relationships


References:
http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission


http://www.naeyc.org/familyengagement/programs/mccc-childrens-center

NAEYC

I chose the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I have been a teacher in a program that went through the accreditation process for NAEYC. This program helps to ensure that developmentally appropriate practice is occurring in early childhood programs.

Position Statements are available on their website.

Link to the website: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements

Issues & Trends Professional Networking

As part of our assignment this week, we were to attempt to reach out to professionals in other countries. I sent emails out to two different organizations. Unfortunately, I received only one response from my email. I received a positive response from the Institute of Early Childhood Education and Research in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

I have sent additional emails to the individual professionals in the IECER faculty list. The other emails I sent only received an email error message. There needs to be a better system for communicating with professionals from other countries. This would better enable the ability to collaborate and exchange ideas and experiences concerning the issues and trends in early childhood education.