Gail Blog

OPENING MINDS to early care & education

The Making of a Life by Gail Conway

 

Fathers and mothers know best (part 1 of 2)

Whether a parent, professional or advocate, you need to be asking about the research and quality behind the ratings of your Quality Rating System. In a couple of short weeks, the State Agencies will finally reveal the details of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for Illinois...   

In a couple of short weeks, the State agencies will finally reveal the details of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for Illinois. 

Quality Rating Systems are being developed across the nation. It is important as a field that we recognize the need for benchmarks which can serve as indicators of quality. We must also recognize that there are important qualities behind the numbers, ratings, star levels and color codes that cannot capture a key component to children growing up happy, healthy and ready to learn, that is the human dynamic.

Parents may be interested in ratings and the best schools, districts and programs as a baseline, but for parents of young children, there are additional expectations about quality that Quality Rating Systems will not be able to measure or capture- that is a program that best suits their personal beliefs, schedule, parenting style and culture.

I remember as a parent how important it was for me, to have choice about who was caring for my children as well as how and when they would be cared for.  For me, it was a matter of good fit- for my parenting style, my beliefs, proximity to home, and whether or not I could trust that the individuals on staff would be an extension of my home and care for my children in the same fashion as I did when with them.

Most important was my children’s comfort level. I give thanks for the formal training I had in observation and interview techniques to be able to observe my children, the environment and the strangers who were eager to care for my children in my absence. 

For us grown-ups, we can at least use our words to describe our likes, dislikes, comfort level, feelings and even ask for points of clarification or speak up when something is or isn’t meeting our needs. This is not true for young children who do not have the language or cognitive skills to tell us when something is working or not working.

When it comes to gauging young children’s level of comfort with our choice in a program or school, we can only rely on our observation and interview skills to interpret the numbers, colored levels and recommendations.

In the end, each of my children took different pathways to their formal education. My son did not attend preschool. His very first day of school was his Kindergarten classroom at 6 years old. His Kindergarten teachers marveled at his large vocabulary and advanced math skills. I attribute this to all that one to one time in practicing conversation and cooking the family meal every afternoon. My daughter, too, benefited from our conversations and family activities but unlike her brother, cried because she wanted to go to school like her big brother. She attended preschool at her public school and loved it. Both of my children have thrived and are doing well on their respective paths.

Whether you are an advocate for Universal preschool or not, one fact remains: Young children need quality time and interactions with people who matter to them most- to describe the world, provide life experiences and the one to one interactions that help them to understand who they are, why they matter and how they fit in to this world.

There is no rating to capture the quality of relationships at home or in school that go into the making of a life.  If there were, it would be the highest level on every Quality Rating System.

Whether a parent, professional or advocate, you need to be asking about the research and quality behind the ratings of your Quality Rating System.

We say what you are thinking and would love to hear your thoughts!

Comments

the importance of a single language model

I've heard about research that underscores the significance of having one language model in the early years of language acquisition. I've heard that the tone, cadence, emphasis, vocabulary, conceptual connections, culture and values embedded in the primary language are crucial for children to make sense out of experiences. Traditionally, the mother's role was to talk to and listen to the child and thus build this language model. Yes, the language of the father and extended family are enriching. But might we be mistaken about the number of caregivers in a child's day, with different language models, that we expect a child to manage? I recall that this could set up a child for language delays and learning challenges. With so many language models for the child to decode, many children gave up. Good intentions to have multiple caregivers--but what are the real consequences?

language acquistion

Many and varied forms of language in a child's day does sound like it could be confusing, but think about how many people you interact with each day. How do you manage a difference in speech patterns, etc.? If a child has only one representation of a language they miss the opportunity to build many and varied neuron paths that will help them to decode the world of language that they will be entering into. We aren't asking them to learn a new language only that one language is made up of many individuals with their own unique way of using that language.

Fathers and Mothers

We have come a long way now that it is natural to talk about including fathers as well as mothers in conversations about our children's development and education. It has been ten years since the beginning of nationwide efforts of collaboration between Head Start, Child Support and Child Care. There were many Fatherhood Special Initiative grants given by ACF at that time and more and more agencies began to work toward incorporating fatherhood interests and parenting education. This is the way to go! Parents means both parents...both sets of grandparents and Godparents as well, all working for the best interests of the child. Good effort. Thank you. Lois Rakov

A Good Fit

Nice piece Gail. As an educator and app developer, I could not agree more with her regarding the importance of finding a good fit for a child's experiences. Young children need a responsive upbringing. Finding programs, relationships and activities that respond thoughtfully is key!