Early childhood education pays for itself, TD says By CBC News, cbc.ca, Updated: November 27, 2012 2:18 PM The benefits that society reaps from giving children high-quality education in their first years of life far outweigh the costs of providing it for them, a major Canadian bank said in a report Tuesday. TD Bank said investing in early education programs will help Canada address the major economic threats its facing over the coming decades, including poverty, critical skills shortages and yawning productivity gaps that hold our economy back. While the bank credits federal and provincial governments with providing funding for early childhood education, in most parts of Canada a large gap between the end of parental leave and the start of formal education exists, TD says, leaving parents on their own to bridge that gap. Huge economic return The report presents a compelling economic argument in favour of the notion. At 0.25 per cent of GDP, Canada ranks last among English-speaking countries. Benefits outweigh costs
Elaine Weiss: Education Begins Before School This blog is co-authored by Dana Friedman, founder and president of the Early Years Institute. The blog is the first in a series of BBA blogs on early childhood education that explain the benefits of a comprehensive approach to early childhood and highlight effective efforts in specific states. Most debates about educational reform have not embraced the most fundamental question: When does education begin? It certainly begins before school. In fact, babies are born learning. As stated by Federal Reserve Chair, Ben Bernanke, "Although education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. Some states have gotten it right. New York State used to be a national leader of early childhood education, but has fallen behind. That is why The Early Years Institute is developing a suburban model of school readiness where the schools partner with the community to address non-school factors affecting school readiness from the time they are born.
AJ Spielzeugfreier Kindergarten Development and Considerations The project Toy-free kindergarten was developed in the District in Upper Bavaria in 1992 by members of a study group to prevent addiction. The initiators of the project, were guided by following four considerations: For three month all toys and materials for handicrafts (as crayons, paper, scissors, tools) are removed from the rooms of the kindergarten. Only the furniture, blankets and pillows are remained. To prevent misunderstanding: the Toy-free Kindergarten is a temporary project. The Toy-free Kindergarten is not a Project against toys. Implementation, Coordination and Spreading In 1992 the Toy-free Kindergarten project was carried out in a municipal kindergarten in Penzberg for the first time. They also organised and carried out a lot of trainings for the professional educators and also for those who accompany the project. Accompanying Study In 1996 there was also carried out an accompanying study by Dr. top
Social and emotional wellbeing - early years Fast, easy summary view of NICE guidance on 'social and emotional wellbeing for children and young people' This guidance aims to define how the social and emotional wellbeing of vulnerable children aged under 5 years can be supported through home visiting, childcare and early education. The term ‘vulnerable’ is used to describe children who are at risk of, or who are already experiencing, social and emotional problems and need additional support. The guidance is for all those responsible for planning and commissioning children's services in local authorities (including education), the NHS and the community, voluntary and private sectors. It also for: GPs, health visitors, midwives, psychologists and other health practitioners, social workers, teachers and those working in all early years settings (including childminders and those working in children’s centres and nurseries). The recommendations cover: Strategy, commissioning and review Early education and childcare Delivering services. Patient
Are We Over-Stimulating Young Children? The impact of media is a growing topic of research. And for good reason. In 1970, the average age at which children watched television was four years old. Today, the average age is four months. The typical child before the age of five is watching 4 ½ hours of television per day, 40% of their waking hours! Recent studies on the impact of media have linked television to the over-stimulation of an infant’s brain, leading to the development of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in young children. Dr. Impact of Media: The Good News While studies found exposure to rapid image changes harmful to young children, they also found cognitive stimulation to be helpful. The content of what kids watch is key. An excellent source of guidance for parents concerned about the impact of media on their children can be found in the Technology and Media section at Parent Further, a Search Institute sponsored-website. Building Blocks vs. A study on the impact of media conducted in Seattle by Dr.
Limit children's screen time, expert urges 9 October 2012Last updated at 02:46 ET By Hannah Richardson BBC News education and family reporter Too much TV can change the amount of certain chemicals produced in the brain The amount of time children spend in front of screens should be curbed to stave off development and health problems, an expert says. Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman says children of all ages are watching more screen media than ever, and starting earlier. The average 10-year-old has access to five different screens at home, he says. And some are becoming addicted to them or depressed as a result, he warns. Writing in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, Dr Sigman says a child born today will have spent a full year glued to screens by the time they reach the age of seven. "Children routinely engage in two or more forms of screen viewing at the same time, such as TV and laptop." 'Facebook depression' But he suggests the effects go further than those simply associated with being sedentary for long periods. 'Reduce screen time'
14 Blokes Who Blog About Early Childhood – make that 26! | Child's Play Music Males who work in the early childhood field are rare. I mean, really rare. Under 2% of the workforce seems to be the generally accepted figure. And males who blog about ECE and/or childhood seem to be even rarer. The standard is astonishingly high. This was originally going to be a really long post describing each blog, with links to favourite posts, & photos, bios, yada, yada. So here in random order are the 14 29 blogs (no, really random, I used this random list generator, at least for the first 14 – the rest are in the order I became aware of them). Males in Early Childhood You can also find Greg on Facebook at his Males in Early Childhood Education Page. ABC Does You can also find Alistair on Facebook on his ABC Does Ltd Page. Rethinking Childhood You can also find Tim on Facebook on his Rethinking Childhood Page. Brick by Brick You can also find Scott on Facebook at his Brick by Brick Page. Literacy, Families and Learning Marc Armitage Identity crisis? The People Garden Jeff’s Blog Like this:
The Impact of Early Years Professionals Research team: Michael Jopling, Mark Hadfield, Martin Needham, Tim Waller, Liz Coleyshaw, Mahmoud Emira & Karl Royle Overview The Longitudinal Study of Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) was a three-year study commissioned by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) in 2009. It set out to investigate if EYPS was achieving its aims by examining the following areas: View the full report and video case studies We have a dedicated website to host the resources and videos relating to this project allowing you to explore the report in detail. Impact This study is cited on the Dept for Education website in their announcement to continue the EYPS qualification, as delivered by CWDC.
Early Years Matters - For everything that matters in early years Bright children should start school at six, says academic Dr House, who was due to present his findings at a major conference in central London on Wednesday, called on the Government to launch an independent inquiry into England’s school starting age. He said: “The conventional wisdom is that naturally intelligent children should have their intellect fed and stimulated at a young age, so they are not held back. “Yet these new empirical findings strongly suggest that exactly the opposite may well be the case, and that young children’s run-away intellect actually needs to be slowed down in the early years if they are not to risk growing up in an intellectually unbalanced way, with possible life-long negative health effects.” At the moment, most English children start school in nursery or reception classes at the age of three or four and are taught using the Early Years Foundation Stage – a compulsory “nappy curriculum”. They then move into formal lessons at the age of five.