Beginning of Nursery Schools - Essay Example

The Nanny Full Nursery schools are everywhere nowadays. They either take the place of nannies or pre-schools in most part of United Kingdom. Parents are always faced with challenges as to where they should leave their child when they work to earn a living for the family. While there are several options for the parents, considerations like their child’s safety and proper behaviour are always taken into consideration. This proposal will try to resolve in general the question on whether a child is better off enrolled in nursery schools or at home with parents. This is a qualitative research using the ethnography method. Other data are to be obtained from psychologists and sociologists. This research aims to answer questions pertaining to the right age, if there is, that a child should be subjected to formal education, the things to be considered when enrolling them and the things they will acquire when parents have done so. Some ethical and legal issues will also be looked upon through out the conduct of observation to give parents points to consider in choosing the ‘right’ school and for nursery schools to gain ideas in what parents look for when it comes to their child’s well being and education. INTRODUCTION What is the background to the proposed area of research? By the early 21st century, 47 percent of the workforce in the United States is comprised of women, about 64 percent of which in 2002 have children. In many countries of Western Europe, more than 50 percent of women belong to the workforce. (Child care 2006). Such women were often forced to choose between staying home and taking care of their child or working to augment the income and help sustain the family. Thus, nursery school and day care proves to be important, if not a necessity. A nursery school or pre-school, also known as crèches in United Kingdom and day care in Australia, is a kind of learning institution for very young children usually age five and below. The goal of these schools is primarily to act as guardians when parents or legal guardians are unavailable to watch over their child. It usually refers to ongoing care during specific periods, such as the parents time at work. Nursery schools seek to teach children early social skills including interpersonal interaction and following simple instructions. In some nursery schools, formal education also takes place, such as reading, writing and language skills, to help in child’s further schooling. These institutions tend to take a more formal structure, with education, child development and discipline. Some provides care for children from several families at the same time in a specialized facility and some in the home of a day care worker, thus, interaction with other children is inevitable. Review of literature Beginning of nursery schools The crèche began in Paris, France in 1844, as a charity-sponsored group infant care service for children under the age of two. Working mothers in mid 19th century, France had several options for baby care. The preferred choice was to employ what they call nourrice or wet-nurse (Prochner 2003, p.269). Sometimes, children were left for the care of slightly older sibling and in some cases; young children were tethered to bedposts during their mother’s absence in an effort to keep them safe from injury. For the rest, mothers seek the help of neighbours to keep an eye on the children. During that time, Jean-Baptiste-Firmin Marbeau was a lawyer commissioned to write a report on the status of British infant-based pre-schools- called Salles d’asile- for children aged two. Through his investigations, he discovered that the babies of poor mothers in Paris languished in the care of sevreuse - a child minder who, unlike wet-nurse, does not have proper skills in taking care of a child. These infants under the care of sevreuse were often weaned at an early age, and thus exposed to certain forms of bacteria or in danger of malnutrition. In his effort to help those children, he submitted a report to the Bureau de Bienfaisance (welfare office), containing his plan for an institution named the crèche. The crèche then was proposed as a charity-sponsored institution with regulated childcare. Marbeau believed that the crèche provided better care than the children received in their homes. The term crèche, has a religious significance, it suggests images of the Christ child. The principal aim of the crèche was to enable poor mothers to work without having to worry about the fate of their children. The older siblings would no longer be obliged to take care of their younger sibling and could attend to other matters like school, and the health of the child would no longer be taken for granted, as they will be under the custody of the physicians in hygienic surroundings. Marbeau’s proposal found support from like-minded Social Catholics and the first creche was opened at Rue de Chaillot in November 14, 1844 with the help of the Societe des Crèches. The creche hours were 5:30 am to 8:30 pm everyday except Sunday, which Marbeau believed to be a day for the family (Marbeau, 1845). What are the specific research questions addressed by the research? The research will try to answer questions on whether children benefit more from staying at home with parents or going to nursery school with teachers, nanny and nurses. Specific questions with brief discussion are stated below. This research aims to cater to the questions of parents, especially working mothers regarding the better option for their child during this important period of psychosocial development. This will answer the right time to have your child enrolled in preschool and the things children will acquire by parents doing so. In addition, this will show the pros and cons of having a child stay at home or at school at an early age. This will answer whether a child benefits more from school or at home in terms of education and interaction. Some legal and ethical issues will be looked upon to give both the parents and nursery schools ideas in what makes a nursery school the better option when it comes to a child’s well being and education. What are the benefits of early formal education? It is widely accepted that the process of education begins at birth and continues throughout life. The main goal is to establish a foundation of knowledge base that allows the child at an early age to build on as they are exposed to different life experiences. Early childhood education, as it is called, has become a new industry and a routine part of growing up. Psychologists and educators have encouraged this movement, arguing that professionals can do a better job of instructing youngsters at school than amateurs can do at home. Children given early education or enrolled in nursery schools will learn how to be independent, how to interact with people, how to follow simple instructions and how to adapt to their new surroundings whilst enjoying fun activities based on educational play. In social context, formal education enables a child to learn of wider social values, roles, statuses and norms (Education and Training in Social Context). What are the benefits of informal education with parents? Children who stay home with mother and father develop self-esteem and confidence, as parents tend to encourage more their own children than teachers do with their students. During the developmental stage of a child, bonding with parents proves to be an integral aspect. Parents who spend quality time with their child may employ different techniques and methods for their child’s learning style. They are naturally more focused to the different needs of their child for he is the only center of their attention. They also teach them the basic values, roles, statuses, norms and the self-concept (Education and Training in Social Context). Which is more beneficial, home or school? For many men and women, work and the stress in their lives impedes with their ability to take care or teach their child. If parents are too preoccupied at work and other responsibilities during daytime, nursery school tends to be more beneficial to children. On the other hand, some nursery schools tend to get as many children as they could to maximize the salary of the attending teachers, staff and nurses. This may in turn sacrifice the quality of service of the nursery school, as they may need to attend to more demands and needs of the children. The researcher will try to resolve this issue through out the conduct of the study. At what age should parents entrust their child to nursery schools? There is no standard pre-schooling age. However, the usual time parents send off their child to nursery school is when they are between age two to five or when parents become too preoccupied with work. The researcher will conduct interview with psychologists to know whether there is a specific age for a child to be exposed to nursery school. Why has this research topic been selected? All of us at one point in our lives face difficult and trying situations wherein we should choose an option that is more beneficial to us. However, when it comes to family and children, it seems that our options are limited. The research topic has been selected to check on the function of nursery schools and whether they really serve their purpose on children. This topic aims to address not just the role of these schools but their effect on children when it comes to education at an early age. Since there are a lot of working parents these days, children’s emotional, physical and mental needs are oftentimes taken for granted. This research aims to give light to those parents who are trapped with the competing demands of work and family life and at the same time, really help children in their challenging stage of development. Methodology While there are pros and cons as to what is the better option for children between nursery school or home, only one and sure answer may be given through proper research. What is the target group from which data are to be obtained? The researcher will try to observe at least three nursery schools within Scotland for a period of one month each. She will observe the curriculum offered by these nursery schools and check whether their standards pass that of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). Research includes the following aspects of the nursery or centre: the environment, quality of children’s experience, support for children and families and management. Under the quality of children’s experience, the research will be about the effectiveness of arrangements for helping children to learn through play. It will evaluate the quality of programmes in the following key areas of development and learning: emotional, personal and social development, communication and language, knowledge and understanding of the world, expressive and aesthetic development and physical development and movement. She will record the progress and behaviour of children enrolled in nursery schools and verify the results with the HMIE and at least one child psychologist. The research will highlight strengths and weaknesses of these three nursery schools. Recommendations will be given to the nursery provider to comply with relevant legislation should there be a need to do so. Other data are to be obtained from the parents, child psychologists, sociologists and nursery school heads and teachers. The researcher will also observe for a period of one month each, at different time of the day, at least three households in which one or both parents stay to care for their child. The researcher will track the behaviour of each parent when it comes to their child’s mental, physical and emotional needs. Resource requirements are tape recorder, open-ended questionnaire for psychologists and sociologist that will contain questions about the subjective data gathered from the observation. Which research methodology is to be used? Why has this been chosen? Ethnography method will be used because of the researcher’s exposure for twenty years to nursery schools. Ethnography is one of several methods of qualitative research. Qualitative research is one of the two major approaches to research methodology in social sciences. It involves an in-depth comprehension of human behaviour and the reasons that control human behaviour. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research relies on reasons behind various aspects of behaviour. To simplify, it examines the why and how of decision-making, as compared to what, where, and when of quantitative research. Hence, the requirement is a smaller but focused samples rather than large and random samples. In the social sciences, qualitative research is often a broad term that describes research that focuses on how individuals and groups view and understand the world and construct meaning out of their experiences. It essentially is narrative-oriented and uses content analysis methods on selected levels of communication content. Other researchers consider it simply to be research whose goal is not to estimate statistical parameters but to generate hypotheses to be tested quantitatively. The researcher is currently working and has worked for twenty years as a nursery teacher in rural Scotland, United Kingdom. She is now in her second year of BA Social Science studies. This research paper is based on twenty years of solid observation through interaction with children, parents and employees of nursery schools and through factual data from experts in the field of sociology and psychology. What results might be anticipated? The results may either show that nursery schools prove to be a better choice for children or at home at a certain age. Limitations and exemptions will depend on some factors that may arise during the course of the study. Discussion Are there any methodological / theoretical weaknesses associated with the proposed research? What are they and how might they be dealt with? Since this research will mainly employ observation, the presence of the observer may affect the behaviour of the sample population – parents, teachers and students. The researcher may however track the behaviour of each group for a period of a month wherein she may observe the family or school staff and check their consistency. Are any practical challenges likely to emerge? If so, what are they? How might they be overcome? The first practical challenge that is more likely to emerge is funding during the conduct of the study. If there are willing associations to fund this research, it will be a lot easier for the researcher to carry on with this for the period specified. Are there any legal/ethical problems? What are they and how might they be alleviated? Ethical problems Much of the discussion relates with the extent of programs a child should be subjected. They also tend to emphasize the social development of children—learning to cooperate with others, to feel self-confident, and the like. They sometimes argue that academic preparedness develops children’s confidence as a byproduct, and therefore develops children’s social skills. The debate is useful in clarifying the choices and dilemmas faced by practicing nursery teachers, but it is also artificial in the sense that most teachers make reasonable efforts to attend to a variety of developmental needs—social, cognitive, and physical. Given the notion that both parents need to work, and mothers cannot afford to stay home to take care of their child, money should also be taken into consideration when deciding to enroll the child to a nursery school. Statistically, families with lower incomes need childcare that is full-time, as well as financial support to pay for it. Since governments and community agencies end up giving some of the support, nursery education and childcare becomes a public- political- issue. The debate has been more protracted in a more culturally diverse environment. Legal problems Some things that will be examined by the researcher is the provision of the school for child safety. She will also check the curriculum and the conduct of admission to know whether the school discriminates gender, religion or race as this is of utmost importance during the child’s developmental stage. About 3 percent of confirmed abuse in 1997 occurred in an out-of-home care setting like a daycare center, according to a recent report published by the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse in the United States. The researcher will consider this aspect as this is not remote in nursery schools in Scotland. References Child care 2006. In Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 16, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9273635 Education and Training In Social Context. Retrieved October 16, 2006, from http://www.sociology.org.uk/cardedu1.htm Gilbert, Nigel 1993. Researching social life, Sage, London. Marbeau, J.B.F. 1845. Des Creches; ou moyen de diminuer la misere en augmentant la population. Paris: Comptoir des Imprimeurs-Unis. [Microfiche. Paris Microeditions Hachette, 1971]. Prochner, Larry 2003.The American Creche: Let’s do what the French do, but do it our way. Retreived Oct. 17, 2006 from http://www.wwwords.co.uk/pdf/viewpdf.asp?j=ciec&vol=4&issue=3&year=2003&article=4_Prochner_CIEC_4_3_web&id=202.163.201.124 Read More