The Florida State Board of Education recently sat in a meeting (likely while you were at work and your child was in child care) and complained about putting your state tax dollars into low performing child care programs. They are right to be concerned about your (and my) tax dollars. But if these Board members are as dismayed as they say they are at the return on the state’s child care investment, instead of asking teachers to do more with less to get your kids ready for kindergarten, why are they not outraged at the dismal wages and low levels of education your child’s teacher has to settle for? Why are they not out in the state advocating for living wages and a college education for your child’s teacher?
How can they complain about putting state dollars into low performing child care programs while at the same time settling for a workforce that on average earns around $8-9/ hour? Your child’s teacher earns less than the warehouse workers who pack and ship your orders at Amazon.com. And many child care teachers have at most a high school diploma as the top achievement in their education tool kit with which to work from to prepare your children to pass tests at five years old.
By virtue of the dismal teacher wages and minimal education this state’s leadership accepts, you as parents are being sent the message that your child’s teacher is not worth much and doesn’t need much education to care for and educate your child from birth to kindergarten. Yet, for this substandard investment in pay and education, they expect your child’s teacher to ensure that your child can pass educational tests when he/she turns five years old.
Would you want your five year old to pass a test to determine whether or not your parenting is adequate? Do you think the value of the skills you need to raise your child from birth to kindergarten is worth $8/hour? Yet, your child’s teacher works with a whole classroom full of children like yours, often for more waking hours than you spend with your child. Perhaps a real investment in your child would reap better results all the way around.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Special Guest Blogger Jayne Hafer: Preparing for the Best, Our Future
In 2002, voters elected to change the Florida Constitution requiring that “high quality preschool education” be available for 4-year-olds residing in Florida, which went into effect in the fall of 2005. The mystery remains on how the state can fund, house and implement this program.
The Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program is being implemented throughout the state of Florida for 4 year-old children, yet state funding decreases annually. The program needs to be “high quality” to make sure preschoolers are ready for kindergarten. We have ethical responsibilities to children, families and educators. Researchers say that higher quality programs with low staff-child ratios, firm safety and health standards, and professional development for teachers will produce better outcomes for children. This translates to better behavior, good development, and productive citizens in the future. The value of early childhood education for brain development along with social and emotional development is an investment that we cannot shortchange. The timeframe of birth through 6 years are critical years for learning experiences. The quality of care of education has a direct link to what children know and how they learn.
I am 56-years-old and have been a teacher for 28 years. For 16 years I have directed the N.E. Focal Point Intergenerational Child Care Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida, serving 2-5-year-old children in a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program. I will soon complete my Bachelor’s Degree of Early Care and Education graduating in December, 2011.
As a mom of four children, I never had a chance to pursue my degree. I had the opportunity of raising them while working in a preschool where they could be with me. In May, 2008, I graduated with honors from Broward College in an Associates of Arts program, thanks to the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood Scholarship Program. T.E.A.C.H. is administered by the Children’s Forum and supported by federal and state funds (our tax dollars). I learned that Florida Atlantic University (FAU) was establishing a Bachelor’s Degree program in Early Care and Education. After a lot of praying and connecting, the doors opened at FAU in October 2008 and the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc.’s early care and education college scholarship program enabled me to enroll in the program.
I take one to two classes a semester. Saturday is perfect for me to attend school since I work full-time. I am learning so much and my professors have been remarkable. My favorite professor so far and the one who has impressed me greatly is Dr. Yashwant Bhagwanji. I was impressed because it is not often that you find a man who has taught infants through elementary-aged children. His classes include instruction on diversity and multicultural issues. He is passionate about young children and has a lot of information to share. Another great teacher has been Ms. Lydia Bartram, Director at FAU’s Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development. I really enjoyed her Typical/Atypical Development class as well as the Leadership class for Directors. I realize that these classes are reflective of content I need to know to enhance the program at N.E. Focal Point Intergenerational Child Care Center. This semester I am taking TESOL class with Dr. Evelyn Torrey on Mondays and Saturdays and Assessing Young Children with Dr. Sharon Darling, both great teachers and classes.
In order to teach summer VPK, one must have a Bachelor’s Degree. This holds true for all preschools. I will be able to do so next summer and N.E. Focal Point will be able to help our community by offering this service.
I am an advocate for young children! I believe that they deserve the best and I know that during the birth through eight (8) years, their brains are like sponges and that the adults in their lives need to lay down a good foundation for them.
I also believe that one must volunteer, so I am a member of the College of Education Student Advisory Council (COE SAC) and President of Kappa Delta Pi. I also teach the preschoolers at my church. I have received several awards: Champion for Children in 2007 from the local child care licensing and enforcement department in Broward County and Child Advocate of the year 2009 through the Broward Association for the Education of Young Children. I was also the 2011 Week of the Young Child Coordinator for Broward County through the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children. I am also involved with the Florida Children’s Movement, a citizen-led, non-partisan movement spreading across Florida that addresses the importance of children’s needs, the relationship to the economic future of our state and the stability of the communities we live in.
My plans are to graduate from FAU in December, 2011, and enroll in the Master’s Degree program for the summer of 2012. I love FAU and the many opportunities that it has provided. I enjoy the friendly students and dedicated staff at the College of Education.
I can tell you that daily, I reap the benefits of my educational investments. I believe that children deserve the best and that is why I continue to advocate for quality teachers and programs for young children. A lead teacher in the classroom with an A.A. or Bachelor’s Degree insures that a developmentally appropriate curriculum and screening are implemented to determine each child’s needs. I am asking that you help us with this crucial need. Please vote to appropriately fund Florida’s early learning programs. One way is to increase funding for the Child Care Development Fund. Another way may be revisiting the penny sales tax. Please write your Florida and Washington legislators today. I want to make a difference and you can too!
Thank you.
Jayne Hafer jaynehafer@comcast.net
The Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program is being implemented throughout the state of Florida for 4 year-old children, yet state funding decreases annually. The program needs to be “high quality” to make sure preschoolers are ready for kindergarten. We have ethical responsibilities to children, families and educators. Researchers say that higher quality programs with low staff-child ratios, firm safety and health standards, and professional development for teachers will produce better outcomes for children. This translates to better behavior, good development, and productive citizens in the future. The value of early childhood education for brain development along with social and emotional development is an investment that we cannot shortchange. The timeframe of birth through 6 years are critical years for learning experiences. The quality of care of education has a direct link to what children know and how they learn.
I am 56-years-old and have been a teacher for 28 years. For 16 years I have directed the N.E. Focal Point Intergenerational Child Care Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida, serving 2-5-year-old children in a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program. I will soon complete my Bachelor’s Degree of Early Care and Education graduating in December, 2011.
As a mom of four children, I never had a chance to pursue my degree. I had the opportunity of raising them while working in a preschool where they could be with me. In May, 2008, I graduated with honors from Broward College in an Associates of Arts program, thanks to the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood Scholarship Program. T.E.A.C.H. is administered by the Children’s Forum and supported by federal and state funds (our tax dollars). I learned that Florida Atlantic University (FAU) was establishing a Bachelor’s Degree program in Early Care and Education. After a lot of praying and connecting, the doors opened at FAU in October 2008 and the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc.’s early care and education college scholarship program enabled me to enroll in the program.
I take one to two classes a semester. Saturday is perfect for me to attend school since I work full-time. I am learning so much and my professors have been remarkable. My favorite professor so far and the one who has impressed me greatly is Dr. Yashwant Bhagwanji. I was impressed because it is not often that you find a man who has taught infants through elementary-aged children. His classes include instruction on diversity and multicultural issues. He is passionate about young children and has a lot of information to share. Another great teacher has been Ms. Lydia Bartram, Director at FAU’s Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development. I really enjoyed her Typical/Atypical Development class as well as the Leadership class for Directors. I realize that these classes are reflective of content I need to know to enhance the program at N.E. Focal Point Intergenerational Child Care Center. This semester I am taking TESOL class with Dr. Evelyn Torrey on Mondays and Saturdays and Assessing Young Children with Dr. Sharon Darling, both great teachers and classes.
In order to teach summer VPK, one must have a Bachelor’s Degree. This holds true for all preschools. I will be able to do so next summer and N.E. Focal Point will be able to help our community by offering this service.
I am an advocate for young children! I believe that they deserve the best and I know that during the birth through eight (8) years, their brains are like sponges and that the adults in their lives need to lay down a good foundation for them.
I also believe that one must volunteer, so I am a member of the College of Education Student Advisory Council (COE SAC) and President of Kappa Delta Pi. I also teach the preschoolers at my church. I have received several awards: Champion for Children in 2007 from the local child care licensing and enforcement department in Broward County and Child Advocate of the year 2009 through the Broward Association for the Education of Young Children. I was also the 2011 Week of the Young Child Coordinator for Broward County through the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children. I am also involved with the Florida Children’s Movement, a citizen-led, non-partisan movement spreading across Florida that addresses the importance of children’s needs, the relationship to the economic future of our state and the stability of the communities we live in.
My plans are to graduate from FAU in December, 2011, and enroll in the Master’s Degree program for the summer of 2012. I love FAU and the many opportunities that it has provided. I enjoy the friendly students and dedicated staff at the College of Education.
I can tell you that daily, I reap the benefits of my educational investments. I believe that children deserve the best and that is why I continue to advocate for quality teachers and programs for young children. A lead teacher in the classroom with an A.A. or Bachelor’s Degree insures that a developmentally appropriate curriculum and screening are implemented to determine each child’s needs. I am asking that you help us with this crucial need. Please vote to appropriately fund Florida’s early learning programs. One way is to increase funding for the Child Care Development Fund. Another way may be revisiting the penny sales tax. Please write your Florida and Washington legislators today. I want to make a difference and you can too!
Thank you.
Jayne Hafer jaynehafer@comcast.net
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)