Unicef Report Into Early Childhood Care And Education

[Guest Wolfie]

My manager handed me a UNICEF Report today which looks extremely interesting and likely to give a lot of food for thought - it outlines and compares standards of care and education, measured by a set of benchmarks, in 25 countries.

 

I haven't had time to sit down and have a good read yet - but think I will tonight! Just thought I'd share it as soon as possible...of course, no-one's got anything to do but read with 7 days til Christmas!

Report_card_8.pdf

Edited December 17, 2008 by Wolfie

[denisse]

I have seen it in the news but not had time to look into it further so thank you Wolfie!

[HappyMaz]

Jenni Murray was talking to Professor Penelope Leach and Anna Lines from the campaign group Full Time Mothers. It was really interesting (well to my tired brain anyway). You can listen to the discussion again here.

 

Thanks for the bedtime reading Wolfie!

[hali]

thanks x

[sienna]

Thank You

 

[Guest]

have had a quick look but very intersting data when you start looking at countries and the different statistics

thanks very interesting will have to read more in depth

Steph

[Gezabel]

Many thanks for this Wolfie. I have added it to my favourites to have a proper read later. The UNICEF Report card 7 was part of my recent OU studies and I am interested to see what the changes are and whether the UK comes out any better in report 8!

[Guest Wolfie]

Don't get your hopes up!

[Helen]

I found this quote really disheartening, although it does fit with my gut instinct of several full days of nursery care isn't appropriate for under threes.

 

“The more time children spent in child care from birth to age four-and-a-half,

the more adults tended to rate them…as less likely to get along with others, as

more assertive, as disobedient and as aggressive.

 

This negative association appears to be related to the length of time spent in

child care and holds good whatever the quality of the care experienced;

but it is worth repeating that the effects recorded were not large and

that the quality of parenting was found to be a far more significant influence

than time spent in child care (indeed negative effects were not found at all

in children who benefited from good parenting)."

 

...and this extract explains how increased funding into quality early years experiences makes sense economically:

 

" there is widespread recognition that many of the social, educational and

behavioural problems that affect the quality of life in economically

developed nations have their origins in poor parenting and disadvantaged

backgrounds. As several long-term studies have demonstrated, high quality

early childhood education and care can help to prevent or mitigate such

problems. The savings to be made for society as a whole – in remedial

education, in coping with social exclusion, in responding to antisocial

and criminal behaviour, and in the treatment of long-term mental ill

health – are likely to be many times greater than the amounts needed to

increase investment in high quality early childhood service. In the cost benefit

studies conducted so far, benefits have commonly been found

to outweigh costs by as much as eight to one."

 

Thanks for referring us to this document Wolfie; it was really interesting stuff, and something I had not come across before

[Guest]

Just a general thought but it does seem to me that the media tend to use the Nursery Sector as the 'scapegoat' for many of the social, educational and behavioural problems children have, rather than look more closely at the quality of parenting these children experience. I sometimes wish that parents got as much input, support, training and even 'regulation' as the Nursery sector does.

All we can do as professionals is build that relationship with all our parents to the best of our ability, to offer support and training to them.

 

Peggy

[HappyMaz]

Just a general thought but it does seem to me that the media tend to use the Nursery Sector as the 'scapegoat' for many of the social, educational and behavioural problems children have, rather than look more closely at the quality of parenting these children experience.

Richard House was recently quoted as saying that the rise in inappropriate behaviour amongst our youngest children is their understandable reaction to the EYFS...

[Guest Wolfie]

Richard House

 

Who is Richard House?

[Guest]

I googled him, a Steiner practitioner and the instigator of the open eye campaign.

 

Guardian article about him

 

I couldn't find the quote Maz mentions but I do think his opinion on the effects of EYFS as fact would be a bit premature. I agree with his idea that children should not experience formal education at an early age but to say 'Learning through play' is wrong, is, I think, just a play on words to promote his debate.

 

 

Peggy

[HappyMaz]

Who is Richard House?

Ooh is he really called Richard? Or is that just someone I used to work for in a different/separate life...?

[Marion]

The UNICEF report itself is compiled from old data (back to 2005 ) so not sure how reliable it is to be honest.