Approaches to the of St Albans Child Enrichment Center - Case Study Example

Final Report on a Child Care Facility: St. Alban's Child Enrichment Center As recent researches revealed contradicting findings on whether parents or working families should allow their children or kids in the care of a private home tutor or child care centers, where do we derive the wisdom to decide? Although there are issues that claim that child care center is one of the better means for working parents to place their children in their absence, there may be forces that may dim prospects for this centers to flourish and develop the children’s well-being as responsible citizens in the future. It is in this light that this study sought to explore early childhood programs by center-based institutions by resolving the puzzling concerns such as who should better fund, operate and monitor their operations by looking into one of three St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Centers, at Coconut Groove, in Miami as our model center. Review of Child Care Practices Literature Recent researches revealed contradicting findings on whether parents or working families should allow their children or kids in the care of a private home tutor or child care centers. In a 2005 study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care, it revealed that children who spent long hours in child care centers exhibit higher excellence in their mathematical and reading skills but were poorer in terms of work habits and social skills. As opposed to child care giving, Cathryn Booth-LaForce (2005), a psychologist from University of Washington, explained in a New York Times article by Tamar Lewin why parenting have far greater effects in ensuring a healthy and disciplined growth of a child academically and socially. LaForce underscored that children who rose from high-income families and spend more than 30 hours a week in the care of a child enrichment centers evinced weaker social skills such as being less cooperative and poorly-motivated in classroom tasks, high aggression, than with children who were guided by their parents at home. Studies made by the American Sociological Review, on the other hand, revealed that private home cares proved to record higher rate of death among children than that of children being placed in child care centers. The studies conducted by Julia Wrigley and Joanne Dreby (2005) assessed the likelihood that children will be safer in private homes than child care center were surprised that advantages abound in placing a child in centers. However, Prof. Wrigley analyzed that child care should produce data about safety of children in their area of responsibility. Approaches to the Study of St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center For the purpose of this study, the researcher arranged an observational research at the Coconut Groove center, one of St. Alban’s pioneer centers. The researcher will first interview the St. Alban’s spokesperson and inquire about current condition and the environmental context of child-care giving in the Center. Then halfway the same day, after the children took their lunch, the researchers will observe how the classes are conducted in order to determine the effect of the newly refurbished interior and exterior design of the space of the Center to the children’s interaction with adults or their caregivers. A week prior to the visit, the researcher conducted a survey on the institution’s online presence about the child care center’s program offerings, its reputation and standing as provider of key child care assistance to working parents in Miami. It should but be remembered that since the study is not a controlled experiment, cause and effect cannot be immediately determined since the subject children cannot be classified randomly into sets or group. St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center: A Closer Look The Center provides key childcare services of day care, after school programs and other child enrichment services for children ages six weeks to 12 years old both at the center and in private homes. The center, which started as a day care provider, evolved to become a Head Start delegate agency Program of Excellence and early childhood enrichment learning center. Also notable about this center is its having already served more than 15,000 children since its inception in 1949 with few prominent personalities whom it said graduated from its well-rounded programs. As one of the leading child care centers in Miami that served its mostly poor but working residents, St. Alban’s is noteworthy for extending its services beyond the support and assistance that average day care center provides, so long as the support and services far extend to what the child in his early development will be most critical. Such services include – longer open hours (6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m), support for health and dental care, pediatric nurses as compliment for child care services, and inter-community linkages of social work services with other community resources for families. With three centers strategically located in two locations (two centers in Coconut Groove, and one in South Miami), St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center, now more than 55 years in existence, is able to serve and foster positive impact on some of the poorest and multi-ethnic families and communities in Miami. At the St. Alban’s community in Coconut Groove, families’ average per capita income stands to only $10,300 compared with neighboring South Miami Center community where unemployed accounted 18 percent out of the 68 percent of people who receive public assistance. The Coconut Groove center now reflects over the year’s research and studies on how quality design of facilities helped in delivering significantly more effective child care (Schechter and Bye, 2001). Upon entering the Center, the outdoor mural along the front façade of the school of the center will immediately come to the notice of any visitor to the area, which evidently looks very lively and welcoming. And while landscaping and development of a butterfly garden and a community garden has been started, it is but apparent that the completion is wanting to be fulfilled. Facilities meant for infant/toddler have been renovated from roof to floor, air-conditioned in all offices and the classrooms. But while there are areas that already meet structural standards, there are still facility areas that when addressed will improve the center’s accommodation of children, parents and the professional staffs. These include - installation of new roofs in some critical areas, electrical wirings, setting up and installation of T1 line, and other maintenance services. Very noticeable too is how the center proved its leadership and the support of various fund groups. The center now sports a repaved parking areas, with its more than 15 passenger vans parked, and a properly-installed flood drains. Although there are building and construction design shortcomings, it appeared that St. Alban’s capitalizes on its professional staff, consultants and medical assistants in its effort to promote best practices in childcare. St. Alban’s Care Center Facilities, A critical review and analysis When children are placed in higher quality care centers, they fare better in language and cognitive development . Such is the case observed in St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center. When its quality of care are analyzed making use of relevant Peck and Shores Checklist, the researches proved that the St. Alban’s Center is not merely custodial, and that it emphasize use of language, set programs that foster keen sense of curiosity and love of learning. According to the checklist, such centers are also expected to provide children with frequent warm interactions with supportive adults, making them among the best in their class. The other major ways by which St. Alban’s care center can be analyzed are as follows - 1) Interactions in the classroom. Children are encouraged and prepared at the center to take active involvement in the social and academic exercises and activities of the Center either indoor or outdoor; 2) Family Involvement. Staff development and parent training activities have been emphasized and intensified during the past two years in order to promote appropriate childcare practices necessary to prepare children to be ready, willing and eager to learn when they leave St. Alban's; 3) Community Involvement. The Center makes sure that it is able to involve the participation of the community in order to effect a positive impact to the lives of its neighboring residents; 4) Physical environment. The purpose of making a more spacious, homely and innovatively designed rooms and facilities at the center, according to center spokesperson interviewed, are intended to make children learn through the language, educational and interactive activities at the center’s classrooms without the usual institutional feel; and, 5) Curriculum. The Center only hire professional and qualified instructors and caregivers, with the assistance of consultants that help in mapping and preparing curriculum programs for bilingual speakers. Child Care Center Policy Goals Proposals Researches and studies on how child care centers should adhere with quality programs and facilities that will ensure that children being cared of received the best professional care and accommodation. More importantly, any child care giving programs require dedicated sources of favorable funding and cash flows to promote and sustain this emerging field of practice. In an April 17 Miami Herald report, it said that economic woes in Florida is not only affecting the prevailing living condition of families but also how the state will be seen by the world in managing its child care support programs for the state’s thousands of working parents with children. As of the third quarter of 2008, Bureau of Labor Statistics issued reports that while there are more than 50 percent of mothers of infants that work, 75 percent are mothers with children in their school-age, however. Recent economic data which widely portend Florida’s economy to be sliding in recession have already asked state administrators to impose deep budget cuts, including more than $10 million from Florida’s Child Welfare fund that support programs in protecting children at times of greater risks. In the same Miami Herald (April 17) report, another $13 million will be slashed from the state budget for programs that sustain child care bills for thousands of Florida parents so that they can continue to work, and not left facing difficult choices, such as leaving their children alone at home. However, researches and studies indicate that as the economic woes worsen, child abuse and neglect of children arise however. It should be noted that statewide support should be sought in ensuring that child care centers operate as effectively and efficiently in order to help and assist the working laborers of the state, which in turn can help in the countrywide economic development and progress. The Apart from this, the centers should ensure that it is able to build infrastructure of support not only from the federal state but also from other charitable and other community members. Involving the communities will help sustain and augment usually limited development resources. Works Cited Association for Childhood Education International. (2006). Global guidelines for early childhood education and care in the 21st Century. Retrieved October 01, 2008 from http://www.acei.org./wguides.htm Barbour, A. B., Hardin, W. B. (2004). From principle to practice: using the Global Guidelines to assess quality education and care. Self A. Childhood Education, 15 August Building Child Care Collaborative. (2007). Strategies for Increasing Child Care Facilities Development and Financing in California. Retrieved October 01, 2008 from http://www.buildingchildcare.org/BCC-Strategies%202007FullReport.pdf Peck, N., & Shores, E. (2004). Checklist for Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Care. Little Rock, AR: Southern Early Childhood Association. Prentice, Susan. (2005). For-profit child care: Past, present, and future. Toronto: University of Toronto Retrieved on September 30, 2008 from http://www.childcarecanada.org/pubs/op21/op21.pdf Prentice, Susan. (2007). Childcare, justice and the city: a case study of planning failure in Winnipeg.(Report). Canadian Journal of Urban Research, Summer 2007 Taylor, Denise. (2005). Child Care Quality Assurance - the Australian Approach. Retrieved September 30, 2008 from http://www.ncac.gov.au/report_documents/germany_conference_%202005.pdf Newspaper Articles Finecut, G., and Klas, M.E. (2008). Hard times put kids at risk, as well as programs to serve them. Miami Herald, 17 April Boodman, S. (2008). At last, a study to ease guilt about day care. Miami Herald, 6 September Lewin, T. (2005). 3 New Studies Assess Effects of Child Care. The New York Times, 1 November Lewin, T. (2002). Study links working mothers to slower learning for children whose mothers worked more than 30 hours. The New York Times, 17 July 17 Annex Read More