Early Childhood Education & Care: Unlocking a Child's Potential - Research Paper

Introduction

Early Childhood Education and Care cannot be overlooked in the course of a child's development. According to a publication by UNESCO, Early Childhood Education and Care is more than merely preparing children for primary education but also aims at developing a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and cognitive needs (Melhuish et al., 2015). The analysis by UNESCO is supported by a research study conducted on early childhood programs started by poor African Americans in North Carolina. The report showed that children who enrolled for the program when assessed at age 21 showed increased cognitive skills and academic skills as compared to those who did not join for the program (Gomez, Kagan & Fox, 2015). According to UNESCO's education 2030 agenda, which is part of the United Nations' sustainable development goals, it is to ensure that boys and girls have access to quality education and care by 2030 (Melhuish et al., 2015). As such, it can be concluded that Early Childhood Education and Care does not aim at benefiting an individual, but it is of significance to a country. According to Black et al. (2017), based on research about measures of stunting and poverty indicate that a higher percentage of children between 0-3 years from low and middle-income countries are likely not to reach their development potential.

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Research Questions

• Why is it essential to ensure the provision of quality Childhood Education and Care?
• What is the current situation of Early Childhood Education and Care of children between 0-3 years in the pearl delta region?
• What is the professional attainment that Early Childhood Education and Care teachers should possess?

Research Objectives and Statement Problem

The focus on the benefit of Early Childhood Education and Care in a child's development has resulted in more efforts towards providing quality Early Childhood Education and Care. The field has attracted the attention of most educationists, and this has contributed to the need for professional standards to ensure that children between 0-3 years have access to quality Early Childhood Education and Care. The objectives of this research are:

• To determine how early childhood can contribute to development in the Pearl River Delta region.
• To assess the current situation of early childhood education and care in the pearl delta region.
• To identify the professional requirement of early childhood and care teachers.

Literature Review

The situation of early childhood education and care in the pearl region can be related to most parts of China. The research on the quality of infants and children care in most parts of China is still low compared to countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The current situation of infants and care education can be attributed to two factors. Firstly, the shortage of teachers in the pearl delta region has been one of the issues which have resulted in the poor quality of education within the area (Zhai & Gao, 2008). According to Zhu & Zhang (2008), there is a high demand for early childhood and education teachers, but the education of early childhood education and care is still sluggish in China. Secondly, there is a low degree of specialization in Early Childhood Education and Care in the country, and this significantly limits the development of the infant and children care in china. The sector is currently staffed with under-qualified teachers, with the majority of the teachers lacking knowledge related to infant development and education (Zhu & Zhang, 2008). Therefore, the lack of regular and established teacher training program in the country has contributed to the worrying state of the professional quality teachers and unequal quality of Early Childhood Education and Care in the country. These factors are the same reasons behind the development of early education in the Pearl River Delta region.

In the past, early childhood education and care were overlooked as compared to other levels of education. The interest in early childhood education has developed after scientists and physicians started noticing its role. According to Bartik (2013), the part of early childhood education and care can be assessed based on its role in the development of human capital. The study is further supported by Rao & Sun (2015), who asserts that stimulating a child's growth is not only beneficial to the children but also society. Well-developed children end up becoming productive adults who aid in the development of the economy. As posited by White et al., (2016), investing in quality early childhood programs benefits the state. The author states that for each investment in early childhood education, there is a double return on investment. Also, benefits of economic development of early childhood education and care are usually directed to the state compared to any level of education. Research conducted on the effect of early childhood education and care has indicated increased investment in early childhood programs results in increase labor supply in the future.

According to Tayler et al. (2013), quality of early childhood professionals, especially teachers, is critical in ensuring that there is quality early childhood education and care. There needs to be a difference in the qualification required for teachers handling children between 0-3 years and those who are above (O'Connor et al., 2015). This is the reason countries have a split system for children between 0-3 years to attend separate institutions from above the age bracket. Different states have set guidelines for the professional requirements for early childhood education and care teachers (Sumrall et al., 2017). For instance, in 2009, the American National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) issued standards for early childhood preparation programs to ensure that early childhood education and care teachers meet the professional requirements (Gomez, Kagan & Fox, 2015). The same also happened in 2006 in Britain, where the government formulated and issued an Early Year Professional Requirement. The standard was set by the British government to ensure the high-level professional ability of early childhood education and care professionals. Equally, in the last ten years, the British government has established two pre-service education policies, which stipulate the professional qualities that early childhood professional teachers should possess.

The UK also promulgated the Early Year Teachers Standard (EYTS) that demands all practitioners in early childhood education and care institutions to meet the set career requirements. The Australian government also published the Early Years Workforce Strategy to enhance professionalism in early childhood education (Cumming, Sumsion & Wong, 2015). Countries having such systems have the same requirement for their teachers to ensure that there is constant child development throughout early childhood education and development years. One study conducted in Sweden also supports that a higher level of education for teachers in early childhood education is associated with high-quality childhood education and care (Brodin & Renblad, 2015). The same study is supported by research on the effective provision of preschool education in the United States, where high-quality ECEC was associated with qualified staff (Engel et al., 2015). There is a consensus on the required level of qualification for professionals in early childhood education and care. It has been established that teachers with at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood education provide effective caregiving, and there are less sensitive compared to those from vocational training (Mahon, 2016). The need for that given level of qualification is supported by who asserts that the existence of professionals without a bachelor's degree suggests creates the need for service training in order to improve their competencies. Although the standards have mainly majored in the academic qualifications of the teachers, there is also a need for ensuring that teachers have specific qualities that can help in fostering good interaction between teachers and children.

Significance of the Study

Scientific studies have shown that the period of 0-3 years is crucial in a child's development. At the age, is when major brain development takes place. This has resulted in unprecedented attention on policies that can help improve the quality of Early Childhood Education And Care. There is minimal specialization in early childhood education and care in China. This has dramatically affected the quality of education and care in the pearl delta region. As such, this study is vital in assessing ways through which the quality of early childhood education can be improved in the pearl delta region. With the development Of Early Childhood Education and Care, there urgent need to ensure the developments are guided by set standards to ensure the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care is high. The study looks at how quality education can aid in the economic development of the pearl delta region, and this justifies the need for focusing on developing a competency model for teachers to ensure that children benefit from the Early Childhood Education and Care provided in the region. The research also looks at the need to foster pre-service training for early childhood education and care informed by the comparative study of Early Childhood Education and Care in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Research Methodology

The research method will be qualitative, involving various ways to aid in collecting data. It will employ the use of research from library materials such as periodicals and masters Ph.D. papers talking about professional qualities of early childhood education and care both from China and abroad. Structured interviews will also be conducted, which will mainly involve early childhood education and care teachers and supervisors in the sector. Different Early Childhood Education and Care teachers will be selected to survey the best competency method that results in improved quality of Early Childhood Education and Care in the pearl delta region.

References

Black, M. M., Walker, S. P., Fernald, L. C., Andersen, C. T., DiGirolamo, A. M., Lu, C., ... & Devercelli, A. E. (2017). Early childhood development coming of age: science through the life course. The Lancet, 389(10064), 77-90.

Melhuish, E., Ereky-Stevens, K., Petrogiannis, K., Ariescu, A., Pender, E., Rentzou, K., ... & Leseman, P. (2015). A review of research on the effects of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) upon child development.

Bartik, T. (2013). Early childhood programs as an economic development tool: Investing early to prepare the future workforce. WE Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://www. Purdue. edu/HHS/hdfs/file/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/s_wifis31c03. pdf.

Zhai, F., & Gao, Q. (2008). CenterBased Early Childhood Education and Care in China: Policies, Trends, and Implications. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 2(3), 127-148.

Zhu, J., & Zhang, J. (2008). Contemporary trends and developments in early childhood education in China. Early Years, 28(2), 173-182.

O'Connor, D., McGunnigle, C., Treasure, T., & Davie, S. (2015). Educator identities. Emerging issues within personal and professional identities: changes experienced by Australian pre-service teachers following professional exposure to educational practice within childcare settings. Early Child Development and Care, 185(8), 1331-1342.

Tayler, C.,...