The Importance of the Early Years

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The Importance of the Early Years

• CELEBRATING
• The new Early Childhood Minor!!!

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Janet Gonzalez-Mena with her granddaughter Nika
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Janet wearing her paint splattered shoes
represents the image she has of herself as a
preschool teacher -- which is where she got her
start in the ECE field.
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Once Janet learned about infants and toddlers she
tried to write a parenting book, but all she came
up with was telling on herself as a less than
perfect parent!
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A Three Part Speech

• The Importance of the Early Years
• My Hopes for the Future of ECE in the U. S. A.
• A Celebration of Those Already in the ECE
  Profession

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Part 1The Importance of the Early Years
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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A very readable book by David Kirp summarizes the
research behind the importance of the early years
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David L. KirpProfessor of Public Policy at the
University of California at BerkeleyThe Sandbox
InvestmentThe Preschool Movement and Kids-First
Politics
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Part 2My Hopes for the Future of ECE in the U.
S. A.
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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I have a huge hope that preschool and child care
will come together in ways that the public and
the funders realize the importance of both!
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Two views of ECE

• ECE Early Childhood Education
• ECE Early Care and Education

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Nell NoddingsProfessor Stanford UniversityThe
Challenge to Care in SchoolsNew York Teachers
College Press, 2005
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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I Hope to see thefocus ECE to include birth to
three as well as an expansion of the knowledge
base of this age group to include work by Pikler
and Gerber
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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I hope the ECE field will work even harder to
honor diversity and recognize issues of equity,
social justice and areas of privilege
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Preserving diversity as a survival issue for all
of us in a world where we dont know what issues
and problems well face in the future and what
kinds of solutions well need.
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Photo credits Wernher Krutein photvalet.com
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Barbara Rogoff (2003) has written an excellent
book for helping us understand cultural
differences and why preserving diversity is so
important!The Cultural Nature of Human
Development
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The salad bowl as an image of our diverse society
with all its rich colors, textures, and flavors
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What happens to those colors, textures, and
flavors when you put them in a blender?
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The result of blending a salad is like the result
of using a melting pot image. It didnt work!
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A Celebration of Those Already in the ECE
Profession
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Those of us in ECE know what its like to be
little in a big world!
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Who are we Early Care and Educational
Professionals as a group?
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We are people who know how to

• nurture and protect little children
• facilitate play as learning
• Let children take reasonable risks
• Work with health and nutrition issues
• Be concerned about identity development
• work with inclusion
• work with children and their families who arent
  like us.

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Accomplishments in the ECE profession
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School
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We have

• Brought child development into the picture of
  education.
• Expanded appreciation of diversity.
• Come to recognize the importance of inclusion.
• Delivered a range of services including
  center-based care family child care Head Start
  and numerous other programs.

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Challenges to ECE professionals
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Identity Issues

• Our image of ourselves as professionals
• How others see us

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If I didnt define myself, I would be crunched
into other peoples fantasies for me and eaten
alive. Audre Lorde
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Other Challenges

• Standards
• Goals/Outcomes/desired results
• Assessment
• School readiness issues
• Early literacy
• Commercialization of childhood

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We are a group that can meet this challenges.
First we have to define ourselves as individuals
and as a profession.
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Then we have to think big, but also keep our eyes
on the children!
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Sonoma State University ASI Childrens School