Early Care & Learning Council: April 2012

On Monday night our very own Asil Ali Özdoğru, PhD, Evaluation Specialist here at the Early Care & Learning Council gave the keynote address at the 5th Annual Turkish National Day Reception to celebrate the 92nd National Sovereignty and Children's Day of Turkey. Asil's speech, "Children of the Earth" focused on the earth, her children and what we can do to care for both. Asil is the former president of the Turkish Student Association at SUNY Albany where he received his PhD in educational psychology. Read Asil’s address below:

Yesterday was the 42^nd annual earth day in the United States and the 4^th annual international mother earth day. It is sympathetically called the mother earth as it is the land that we live on, the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and use, the fauna and flora that we eat and use. The planet earth is our home in this vast space that provides the perfect living conditions for us. We don’t know any other planet that can sustain life even in our tiny solar system. However, we are not very kind to our mother.

First of all, as the children of this planet, we keep growing in numbers.

Just last month, we reached 7 billion people and another 2 billion people are projected to join us in the next 40 years. We all need quality air, water, food, housing, transportation, and more like iPhones J We expect earth to provide it. In just the thirty years between the first earth day in 1970 and the turn of the millennium in 2000, we increased the oil that we drew from the earth by 70%, natural gas extraction by 179%, and global vehicle population by 197%. We also increased our carbon emissions by 64%. Our aggressive demand is deteriorating the planet. For example, whether you call it climate change or global warming, it is taking place.

Earth's average surface temperature has increased by 1.4 °F since the early 20th century. Last month was the hottest March on record in the United States. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events around the world such as heat waves, extreme allergies, winter weather, drought, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. Remember the Hurricane Irene last fall in our region?

However, it is not our sheer numbers that is the problem. It is the way that we interact with the physical world around us. Our inefficient use and unequal share of our natural resources leading us to a dim future.

Our oceans, lakes, and rivers suffer from our pollution and overfishing. A third of humanity lives in poverty deprived from the many resources that we take granted in this part of the world. Are you feeling guilty? I did, especially after seeing the documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth and the Food, Inc. Do we want to exterminate our own species? Is that the kind of a world that we want to leave for our children and the next generations? I would say no.

Now let’s look at our first issue, the children.

Since today is Turkey’s international children’s day and this week is the Week of Young Child in the United States, it will be appropriate to look at the conditions of children in our planet.

Our designated charity for today’s event UNICEF publishes an annual report called The state of the world’s children. You can read it online for more details, but I would like to give you some highlights from the 2012 report.

Nearly half of the world's children live in urban areas and urban population growth is greater in less developed regions. Urban populations are growing fastest in Asia and Africa. In urban areas, access to improved water and sanitation is not keeping pace with the population growth. HIV is more common in urban areas. There is a great rate of income inequality in urban areas. Poverty is the single greatest threat to children’s well-being. Children of the urban poor are more likely to be undernourished.

Odds of survival for children under the age of 5 in urban areas decreases with poverty. Urban income disparities also mean unequal access to water. School attendance is lower in poor communities.

And don’t think that poverty is an issue in other parts of the world. Here at home in the United States, nearly 15 million children, which is 21% of all children, live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level, which is 22 thousand dollars a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 42% of children live in low-income families. The percentage of children living in low-income families has been on the rise.

Percentage of children in low-income families is higher in younger ages. And sadly, during those early years we can make the biggest difference.

As this graph shows, most of the brain development related to sensation, language, and cognitive development takes place within the first three years of human life. Research tells us that for every $1 invested in high-quality early care and education, our communities save between $4 and $17 in future costs of remedial and special education, the juvenile crime system, and welfare support.

If these numbers make you dizzy, here is a look at the cold reality of the child poverty

After participating in today’s celebrations in Turkey, 12-year-old Süleyman, as you see in this photograph taken today, pulls his cart that is bigger than himself to collect used paper products to contribute to his family’s income. Süleyman is not alone. Child labor is wide spread in poor communities around the world. Children in developing countries spend more time in paid labor and less time in free play than those in developed countries.

After all these bad news, here is the good one. We can change this all, if we want. As the hope-filled message of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign put it, “yes we can.” We can heal the earth and improve the conditions of our children. How? Simple. With our individual and collective actions. By taking small steps in our lives and supporting organizations fighting for the good cause. We can be the change and change the world around us.

You can find better and more creative ways to do so but here are few ways that I can suggest. For example, individually we can do the 3 Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce the amount and toxicity of trash we throw away. Reuse containers and products. Recycle as much as possible and buy products with recycled content. We can prefer and invest in sustainable and renewable energy sources and technologies designed to improve energy efficiency such as hydroelectricity, solar and wind energy, wave power, and geothermal energy. We can volunteer for causes that help children and the environment. Our support for those initiatives makes a big difference. Don’t even think that one dollar that we donate to a certain charity or one hour we volunteer for an organization will not make a big difference. We, collectively, make a huge difference. And there are plenty of organizations working towards these causes at every level: Locally, statewide, like my agency, nationally, and internationally, like UNICEF. If you can’t find one, let me know and I will direct you to one. :)

That’s all I got to say. You may have not heard anything new or creative from me tonight but I hope I might have ignited even a tiny flare in your conscience at least to make you think about these global as well as local issues that we are facing all.

We, the children of the earth, have the power to solve the problems of our children and our earth.

Thank you. Teşekkürler.

aozdogru@earlycareandlearning.org

Thursday, April 19, 2012

NYS Campaign for Continuity

Imagine moving to new house and having to make new friends every six months.

Imagine getting a new supervisor every 6 months with different methods and expectations.

How would this rattle your comfort zone?

This is what life can be like for infants and toddlers moving through a child care program. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Today, the Early Care & Learning Council’s Infant and Toddler Project will kick off the NYSCampaignforContinuity, a statewide campaign to promote continuity of care for babies and toddlers in child care centers. Continuity of care is a child care program policy that supports the idea that children should have one caregiver from the time they enroll in a child care program until they are ready for preschool. Stable and responsive relationships with parents and primary caregivers are critical for the development of babies and toddlers. 85% of brain development occurs before the age of 3. When infants and toddlers repeatedly age out of their child care groups and move on to different rooms with different caregivers, it can disrupt their social emotional development. Continuity of care allows children to have close caring relationships, a sense of security and trust and the confidence to explore and learn.

Evelyn Efinger, Infant and Toddler Coordinator at the Early Care & Learning Council, will introduce the campaign today at an Infant and Toddler Leadership Forum at the NYS Association for the Education of Young Children Conference in Buffalo. Campaign messages and materials will be distributed statewide by the NYS Infant and Toddler Resource Network, a network of Infant and Toddler Specialists located in the Child Care Resource & Referral agencies across the state.

Practicing continuity of care has been challenging for child care programs in the past. The child care regulations in New York State support the traditional method of center based care where children move up through the rooms as they age. This year the state will be adding supportive language to the new child care regulations to be released later this year.

Efinger said, “Continuity of care is not a new concept but we are taking a new approach to helping child care programs implement better policies for babies and toddlers. Later this year, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services will be adding language to the child care regulations to encourage programs to practice continuity. This campaign is a renewed effort to elevate the discussion and look at infant care through the eyes of the baby. We know the ingredients of high quality child care for our youngest children. And now we must work together to implement best practice.” said Evelyn Efinger, Infant and Toddler Coordinator at the Early Care & Learning Council.

During infancy, children are learning about the world and about themselves. They are focused on security, exploration and identity formation. Developing these competencies is easier when babies are cared for by a responsive adult who knows them well and can interpret their cues.

To learn more about Continuity of Care visit www.earlycareandlearning.org/continuity.cfm

or contact Evelyn Efinger at eefinger@earlycareandlearning.org

Friday, April 6, 2012

New York State’s Workforce Development: Laying the Foundation for our Future Workforce and Educational Success through Quality Child Care

By Marsha Basloe and Fannie Glover, Early Care & Learning Council

Why should businesses worry about child care? There are multiple reasons why child care must become a priority for all employers. First of all, without adequate, safe, and reliable child care many New York State residents simply would not and could not work. Second of all, when employees are supported in finding quality child care for their children, employees are more productive and absenteeism is reduced.

Various research studies have shown that employee absences were reduced by 20-30 percent and turnover by 37-60 percent. 85 percent of employers report that providing child care services improves employee recruitment and 49 percent of employers reported that child care services helped boost employee productivity.

An average business with 250 employees can save $75,000 per year in lost work time by subsidizing care for employees’ sick children. U.S. companies lose $3 billion annually as a consequence of child care-related absences, estimates the Child Care Action Campaign.

The need for child care is high. In New York State, more than 60 percent of children under the age of six live in homes where two parents or a single head of household are employed. However, quality child care is costly. In New York State, the average cost for child care for a 1-year-old in a high-quality setting totals almost $13,000 a year – more than double the cost of tuition at SUNY.

Extensive evidence from longitudinal studies indicates that the cognitive, social and emotional skills developed during a child’s early years play critical roles in the attainment of key adult competencies and positive life outcomes. Research also tells us that for every $1 invested in high-quality early care and education, our communities save between $4 and $17 in future costs of remedial and special education, the juvenile crime system and welfare support.

Although most of a child’s brain development is happening by age 3, our society doesn’t invest in children until they begin school. If children are not ready for kindergarten, they typically are not reading by 3rd grade, often fail to graduate, and cannot enter the work force with the skills for job success.

What can employers do to support their employees? Be an advocate to ensure that all employers understand the importance of investing in a more productive workforce by supporting families and quality child care programs. High-quality early care and education is the foundation of a child’s future success and therefore a community’s future success. Ask how you can support QUALITYstarsNY, NYS’s quality rating and improvement system in your area.
HR leaders understand child development and the crucial role the earliest years play in the development of a future workforce. Local businesses can play an important role in this work here in New York State.

For more information on early childhood and child care, go to www.earlycareandlearning.org.

Access SHRM’s paper on Meeting the Workforce Needs of the Future at http://www.readynation.org/uploads/20100616_PAESSHRM.web.pdf.

Marsha Basloe is the executive director of Early Care & Learning Council and a co-convener of Winning BeginningNY, a statewide coalition focused on early education and development.

Fannie Glover works with Consultant Services and New Initiatives. She is a board member of NYSSHRM. They can be contacted at MBasloe@earlycareandlearning.org and fglover@earlycareandlearning.org.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Early Childhood News

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Happy Earth Day and Week of the Young Child!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

NYS Campaign for Continuity

Friday, April 6, 2012

New York State’s Workforce Development: Laying the Foundation for our Future Workforce and Educational Success through Quality Child Care

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