Highlights of Podcasts related to Early Childhood Education Issues and Trends

Investing in Early Childhood Education.

I did not receive any information from my International contacts in regards to equality and inequality of Early Childhood Education in their countries. Therefore, I listened to an audio podcast of an interview regarding investing in early childhood education.  The audio podcast was from a series conducted by Cynthia Canty called “Stateside with Cynthia Canty.”  The purpose of the interview was to gather more perspective and to comment on the mention of investment in early childhood education by the Governor of Michigan in his State of the State address.  As we focus on Issues and Trends in Early Childhood education and discuss the role of politics; many issues have come up with regards of how funds are distributed. The podcast features a discussion of Governor Snyder’s mention of funding for roads and bridges and early childhood education.  Dustin Dwyer (one of the interviewees) commented on the recent interest of return on investment for education.  Dywer stated we didn’t know until the last 10 years just how much of a return on investment we would get in preschool (as cited in Canty, 2013).   The entire discussion of the education of our kids as a business investment is a trend that has evolved; changing how educators teach in the classroom and the educational requirements of those educators.  The policymakers are treating Early Childhood education as a business deal and are looking at the return on investment of education our little ones.  Dustin Dwyer stated kids that go to preschool, the data shows that they are most likely to graduate high school; they are less likely to need remedial classes or special education so you’ll save more money in the schools.  They also earn more money as an adult.  (Canty, 2013).

Canty, C.  (2013, March 27).  Stateside: The possible return on investment for early childhood education.  Michigan Radio.    Retrieved from http://www.michiganradio.org/post/stateside-possible-return-investment-early-childhood-education

Global Efforts 

Another trend in Early Childhood Education is efforts to ensure that all children around the world are receiving quality early learning experiences.  I listened to a podcast produced by the Unicef organization about the global efforts for Early Childhood Education

Unicef.org.  Podcast #56:Global Action Week promotes early childhood education

Beyond School Books’-a podcast on education in emergencies is the written report of the podcast that outlines the conversation moderated by Kathryn Herzog and features comments from Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff, the Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and Chloe O’Gara, Program Officer for the Hewlett Foundation's Global Development and Population Program, about the importance of early childhood care and education and the issues around early learning

It is important to note that there are many children globally that are not experiencing educational opportunities in the early years because of economic situations and the fact that the opportunities are not presented.  “Every year, more than 200 million children under the age 5 are not able to reach their full potential in cognitive development potential due to poverty, conflict, malnutrition, inadequate care and lack of educational opportunities.”  (Vojvoda, 2012).

One of the important things that Dr. Shonkoff said is that early experiences support the architecture of the growing brain.  He also talks about toxic stress that can interrupt the development of the brain.  (Herzog, 2012).  If a child has good and deliberate educational experiences, than their brain will respond and grow.  However, if a child lives in fear or stressful situations, this can actually stop the growth.

One of the growing trends in Early Childhood education is the contribution of research by neuroscientist and the idea of a return on investment if we educate children in preschool environments.  “According to Dr. Shonkoff, neuroscience suggests that stronger returns on investment could come from programs that not only provide rich learning experiences for children but that also build the capacity of parents and other caregivers to protect young children from the consequences of toxic stress.” (Vojvoda, 2012).

Dr. Shonkoff (2012) declared the circuits in the brain are very vulnerable to toxic stress, so even in the presence of good education later, children will not achieve as much as they would have if they’re not protected from this adversity early in their life (as cited in Vojvoda 2012).

Dr. O’Gara spoke on the challenge of promoting programs and the need for different sectors to join together and invest in Early Childhood programs globally.  She notes how little some countries invest in programs in their country.  “Africa invests less than 1 per cent of its public education resources in early childhood education, Latin America 9 per cent, and 10 per cent in Western Europe. There is a lot of room for growth in awareness and investment in early childhood care and education, particularly for children who benefit the most – the least advantaged children,” (Vojvoda, 2012).  Dr. O’Gara stated  that schools need to become outreach agents, assisting families and communities in implementing small-scale early childhood development programs that focus on getting children ready for school (as cited in Vojvoda, 2012).
One of the most inspiring quotes I heard about the effects of early learning on the brain was said by Dr. Shonkoff; “This is not just about stimulating minds. This is about protecting brains,”

Vojvoda,R.  (2012, April 24).  Podcast #56: Global Action Week promotes early childhood education. ‘Beyond school books’-a podcast series on education in emergencies.   Unicef.org. 

Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_62266.html