Current Early Years Initiatives Driven by Political and Child Focussed - Essay Example

CURRENT EARLY YEARS INITIATIVES DRIVEN BY POLITICAL AND CHILD FOCUSSED Introduction This paper is centered on contemporary early child initiatives and the political policies relating to early childhood developments that enhance children lives. In addition, it explores various theoretical frameworks and research proposals undertaken in early child education and initiatives. Likewise, it underpins knowledge, beliefs and practices about child development and their responsibilities in communities, families and the world. Moreover, it is predominantly concerned with child-focused research and theories and the various contemporary deliberations concerning early childhood initiatives and the implementation of socio-political and economic strategies in the realization of efficient early childhood lives. These current theories and research offer impending information on traditions and practices that explore the early childhood policy practices and developments. The essay aims at offering a brief examination of various theoretical concepts on early years initiatives focusing on the child and political concepts. Major landmarks on childhood developments in education and care are represented to depict the complexity and rapidly to transform the politically ignited field of early child developments (Perry 2002, p.124). Development and enhancement of a quality of early children’s lives become a national and global priority. It is shown through program and agendas development, research and policy initiatives and advocacy put forward for implementations. Thus, improvement and development of a proper early childhood education and care is a foremost subject matter for the current society. It is due the critical nature of the matter is to the wellbeing of the community. For instance, several conferences have been organized, for example, the World Conference of Education members in Thailand, in 1990 and Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All in 2000. These conferences were aimed at expanding, improving and developing all-inclusive early childhood developments in education and care, particularly for the most susceptible and underprivileged children (Perry 2002, p.122). Contribution to the evaluation of the agendas of this goal is enhanced by the instantaneous stimulus for the desire to assess current political initiatives that are child focused. These political initiatives should affect the growth and improvements of child educational level. Although responses to the agendas and goals are to be set in the framework of other international early childhood initiatives from, The World Bank, UNICEF and from numerous other regional and nationalized agencies, and non-governmental foundations and organizations. In addition, early childhood policies in the United Kingdom are increasingly informed by governments and non-governmental initiatives. These policies are enacted through the political process and are put forward for implementation by various stakeholders involved in early childhood developments. Political initiatives in early childhood have a very long history, and significant contributions span the full range of academic disciplines. For instance biology, sociology, psychology, anthropology and economics as well as critical areas of applied research such as education, health social policy, health research, law, development studies. Though it appear fragmented, with competing theoretical frameworks linked to profound personal differences in scientific and epistemological perspective, and in some situations these are closely aligned with specific policy goals and narratives, for instance, early intervention and school results; working guardians and child care services and policies concerning curriculum and pedagogy such as child-centered developmental models and community-based ecological models (Perry 2002, p.125). Other essential characteristics of the field are that principal paradigms regarding early live initiatives as it has been related to contemporary political, educational and social transformations in different nations globally (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003). Critique of these principal paradigms has been the incentives towards these innovative theoretical studies on early childhood development. Ironically possibly, these critiques have originated mostly amongst Western scholars, and in other cases have continued to benefit early childhood aspirations and setting for young children available to the minority of children. The Recent emergence of a stronger rights-based strategy for policy development attracts much attention to universal injustices in early lives, including several young children denied their most basic rights for survival, health and welfare. These universal injustices is matched by rising interest amongst intellectuals in the forecast for a more interdisciplinary, global Childhood Studies, besides other small steps towards realizing more internationally balanced capacities for research, modernism and assessment of early lives (Perry 2002, p.126). Finally, the connections between political policy and research are rarely linear of study informing policy and vice versa. Research and policy always appear to act as parallel and sometimes interrelated societies of interest, shaping and feeding on the other, and at times in dispute about insinuations of research and justifications for policy. Temporarily, both are shaped within the broader political, economic and cultural context of early childhood behavior, regionally and nationally (Vandell 2010, p. 741). In addition, they accommodate to global political, demographic, economic, technological and cultural transformation. Periodically, research may have an important effect on the direction of political policy, for instance as when fresh evidence emerged in the 1980s about long term gains of early childhood programmes. However, it is often policy progress that outlines research priorities, except where research is determined by political more than educational and scholarly agendas. A number of research and studies, clusters and themes of theoretical work are investigated in each situation, with particular sets of issues and questions often related to methodological approaches to the early child initiatives and conceptual framework for political policy concerning early lives. Most of the represented theories are relatively current debatable approaches while others can be drawn to ancient times. Other parts provide major features of the paradigm in early lives developments in a political context. The narrative compels approximate chronology on the contemporary early childhood ideas. For these paradigms, the paper shows how theoretical issues and research has been related to policy implications (Davis 2003, p.530). In particular there exist the perennial temptation to increase the consequence of a particular theory and evidence where it acts as political advocacy, which is apparently because of young children’s rights and welfare, but often is also connected, to specific visions for early live, specific stakeholders and set of political priorities (Perry 2002, p.122). Children are considered the best touchstone of sustainable and healthy society. How a nation, state and community treat the children in their early lives has a significant impact on the growth, prosperity and the perception of others in the situations of the society. Early lives features different challenges as not all of the children have access to better nutrition, are born healthy, have access to proper and adequate health and favorable housing conditions. In addition, not all are raised by their parents and not all are born free of disabilities. Thus, government and political initiatives are needed to address the challenges imposed on these children at their early lives (Vandell 2010, p. 739). The government is mandated to intervene and provide support to the infants and the children’s particularly the vulnerable, disabled and the sick to ensure better conditions are provided for their education, welfare and the moral upbringing. Moreover, people tend to have the perception those children with a disability or whose early lives are dominated by lack of materials and poverty or who are isolated and abused by their parents are uncontested beneficiaries of government funding. Indeed, a number of researchers and theorist proposes and advocates for allocation of resources for the disenfranchised and vulnerable group of children in their early lives should be based on ethical imperative (Davis 2003, p.521). Moreover, it is evident that investment in welfare and the development of children at the early lives returns monetary dividends in the long run, custodian care, welfare support, decreased requirement for special education and the incarceration for delinquent behaviors. Unfortunately, early lives have not been embraced with supported consistency. It has suffered delineation of its objectives and goals. It has battled challenges and struggled with the logistical and methodological constraints of inadequate result measures, limited funds to keep and maintain the long-term longitudinal studies and moral barriers to the maintenance of these groups of children with problems (Glewwe, Jacoby & King 2001, p.254). Every service must consider quality. In the contemporary world, government and political initiatives have been put in place to ensure much attention is drawn to the level quality of services provided in the early lives. It is to ensure that efficient production, normative outcomes and typical developments and learning goals are realized (Davis 2003, p.516). Research outlines that responsive adult-child interaction that is affectionate and readily available, equipped and well trained staff, In addition, safe and sanitary facilities that are accessible to parents and guardians, ratios and groups that promote easy interaction of children with the staff (Vandell 2010, p. 745). Currently, quality has been incorporated into early lives as a revolution of the public management and the growth of the education and early childhood developments. The choice to work with quality is considered and viewed as a political alternative made in a specific spatial and temporal context. The value of infant children being active contributors in their learning is highlighted in Carr, Lee and Joness (2004) presented to the Ministry of Education about early childhood exemplars. They notes that including infant childrens voices, and seeing them as social actors with views and opinions of their own, assist to shift power balance in their favor, and give confidence to children to be confident and competent learners. Furthermore, such an approach familiarizes young children to learning objectives and goals that involve persistence, mastery and striving towards growing competence, rather than improving performance objectives oriented towards obtaining favorable judgments and evading failure. The implementation of a ten-year strategic plan for early childhood education in New Zealand referred to as “Pathways to the Future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki 2002-2012 “ from the Ministry of Education is also linked to the new paradigm in setting up effective initiatives in early lives. The Convention is considered one of the major documents which strengthened the philosophy of the strategic plan, which implicated a unique relationship of research, pedagogy and governmental policy in implementation, advocacy and evaluation of early childhood initiatives (Perry 2002, p.128). The strategic plan for early childhood was political as it was part of the election promise for the Labour Party. Therefore, when they ascended to power in 1999 a sequence of early childhood policies and improvements were introduced, together with a strategic plan for the educational and child developmental sector (Brooks‐Gunn et al 2000, p.260). The spotlight was on realizing quality involvement for all infant children, and reducing the disparities between Pacific and non-Pacific infants, Māori and non-Māori children. This political policy was an acknowledgement that earlier policies in the last regimes had not functioned equitably for infants, staff or early childhood examinations. The strategic plan prefigured new regulatory systems and funding to support different services to realize quality early childhood education and better government sustainability for community-based early childhood initiative and qualified registration necessities for all teacher and staff in early childhood services for instance, those applying in kindergarten and school sectors (Davis 2003, p.531). Early childhood development is a communal responsibility among government, families, and education, family and health services, and encloses community-based procedure. Currently family face distinctive challenges thus many families need holistic responses that are communal in nature (Perry 2002, p.125). An integrated strategy for early childhood development is significant in supporting flexible approaches and enhancing holistic responses for families and young children (Davis 2003, p.518). This strategy enables families with infants to access various services for their infants and themselves in an organized manner (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003, p.10). Integrated strategies also seek to maximize the effect of diverse early childhood disciplines with a comprehensible spotlight on the child, in the context of their community and family (Brooks‐Gunn et al 2000, p.261). Research proposes integrated services contribute to enhanced outcomes in family functioning and young children’s wellbeing by developing services accessibility, facilitating early identification of issues and problems, improving referral pathways and offering holistic responses to families, as evidenced by assessments of national and global models (Locke, Ginsborg & Peers 2002). In Australia for example “Investing in the Early Years – A National Early Childhood Development Strategy recognizes integration, whether virtual or physical, that promotes interdisciplinary policies to meeting children and their families needs as a significant module of an efficient early childhood development plan (Neuman & Dickinson 2003). Research also proposes that the type of integration does not determine outcomes, but the quality of integration and the services rendered (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003, p.9). In addition, integration ought to be responsive to the community needs and should be guided by clear objectives, goals, mission, and values to get people together in familiar purpose (Locke, Ginsborg & Peers 2002, p.13). There are also several barriers to integrated working such as the time taken for its establishment human resources and financial might needed for its implementation (Brooks‐Gunn et al 2000, p.258). Therefore, moving towards an elastic policy through better integration should be driven by thorough research, preparation and community discussion (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003, p.7). All early childhood services that are synchronized by the National Law need to work within the National Quality Framework for the success of early childhood education and care (Heckman 2006). These services include National Quality Standards which focuses on the significance of working together with other organizations and institutions to improve young children’s wellbeing and learning. Locke, Ginsborg & Peers (2002) argues that pedagogies of childhood cannot be reduced to scientific enquiry alone, because they are structured by cultural norms that can best be tackled when the researcher’s position is made explicit. S the author pointed out, child development theories are offered as objective and general and often we are ignorant how deeply our concepts, theories, and research questions are attached to moral and social-political decision and issues (Kagan & Cohen 1997). Educational programmes are social-political interventions, whose achievements depend on the specific character of - and relations established amongst - teachers, children, families and society as well as the political environment, over a long period Pianta & Stuhlman 2004, p.453). The meta-analysis of studies asserts that major impacts are not for the most part conveyed through sustained developments in children’s intelligence (Locke, Ginsborg & Peers 2002, p. 8). In regard, initial developments are tended to fade out. However, evidence points towards more composite transactional procedures, where short term advances in children’s abilities and motivation cheered up parents’ sustainability for their children, as well as lifting teachers’ prospects in the early stages of pre-unit school (Davis 2003, p.521). The implication is that practical evidence for the efficiency of early childhood programmes is best understood within a life path structure (Heckman 2006). An inclusive framework would not only consider children’s developing capabilities at different ages and stages, but critically also the particular family and school settings and practices through which those competencies are acknowledged and fostered (Connolly, P et al 2006, p. 273). In other way, the policy inference of this field of research is not about ensuring the readiness of infants for school but also for making ensure the willingness of schools for young children. In ensuring an effective early years development, there is a need to ensure sustainability in service pathways in dealing with the vulnerable young children (Heckman 2006). Providing accessibility to high-quality early childhood care and education offers vulnerable children a enhanced opportunity to experience life success. These initiatives are promoted by government policies that are child-based (Evangelou 2009). A priority is to rationalize and reinforce the system of services to enhance a seamless and continuous early childhood care for vulnerable young children. Policies initiated by the government involve increasing and representing models for collaborative practice globally and early involvement services for helpless children and their families (Anderson et al 2003, p.37). Moreover indicating a better relationship in the service reaction from pregnancy to right at home nurse home visit and into quality ECEC from around two years of age, with additional parenting support through supported playgroups (Schumacher et al 2006). Additionally, developing a client level information system to support better service engagement and sustained participation (Anning & Edwards 2006).This initiative enhances pre- and post-natal health changes to enhance outcomes for deprived and helpless families (Evangelou 2009). Through society health services, the government has provided funding programs and initiatives for women who are unable to access antenatal services, or those who need additional help. In addition, Child Health Teams are organized and supported to offer services to Victorian children undergoing mild to modest developmental complexities and behavioral issues (Anning & Edwards 2006). Governments are initiating effective strategies to deal with early social and behavioral issues. Parent-reported anxiety about children’s behavior is a massive predictor of later, very serious psychosocial problems (Winter 2009). Child behavioral problems tend to have lasting effects on a child’s development, welfare and represent an important social and health load on the community (Evangelou 2009). These children are faced with the greater risk of neglect and abuse. Options for a more integrated system of secondary parenting support will be explored with the aim of testing what works to prevent these problems from escalating and to avoid children experiencing more serious problems later in life (Heckman 2006). Political policies are initiated to help in the Implementation of strategies to enhance development and learning outcomes (Schumacher, Greenberg & Lombardi 2001). Strategies are developed and implemented for early childhood services sustained across Early Childhood Development and Department of Education to enhance learning and development result in early childhood development institutions (Halfon et al 2009, p. 472). With a stress on cultural inclusiveness, young children are supported to realize their potential, irrespective of circumstances and backgrounds (Bruer 1999). The strategies are built on the potency of the current programs to lift the participation and enhance young children home based learning initiative and home support (Heckman 2006). Proof of the ways gains from ECCE may be neither be amplified nor satisfied by the school experiences that follow is now accessible in longitudinal data illustrating gains of Head Start diminishes faster for black young children since they are more probable to go to poorer quality educational institutions than are the white ex-Head Start young children (Locke, Ginsborg & Peers 2002, p.11). Even the most resourced, high standard early childhood educational programme is improbable to result in long term encouraging results for children if they advancement to poorly resourced pre-unit educational institutions, where they are educated in classes with larger number of pupils by poorly trained teachers, and where dropout, grade repetition and widespread underperformance is the custom (Pianta & Stuhlman 2004, p.448). Such proof points to the significance of integrating approaches and investment early childhood services more generally (Anning & Edwards 2006). Contemporary governments are initiating policies inspired by the need to provide faster and better help for young children with developmental delay or a disability. Offering effective and timely services for children with a disability and developmental delay and their relatives is a major spotlight (Heckman 2006). These initiatives are driven by government as they make political policies to enhance service delivery to the young. For instance, the National Disability Insurance Scheme has persistently continued to work to enhance accessibility to Early Childhood Intervention (Reynolds et al 2001, p. 2341). New media technological advancements, nevertheless, rely on several forms and principles of old technologies. Although most research disproves the idea that computer and technological games, for instance, are antisocial, little is known about the perception of children to interpret and use new technological media (Connolly, P et al 2006, p.267). In addition, there is a need to relate macro and micro perception, to position children’s interaction with media within the context of their everyday lives while also taking a report of the political and economic forces at stake. 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