Early Learning Academies’ Post

Our 10 Most Popular Early Childhood Education Stories of 2023 Check out the most popular Early Childhood Education Articles in 2023. What was your favorite article? Are there other articles that you would add to this list? https://lnkd.in/eT97kYDy #childcare #childcareindustry #childcareprofessional #childcarecrisis #childcareowner

An Early-Years cry for help in the #UnitedStates #Education #EarlyYears #Earlychildhoodeducation #Childcare #Nurseries #Preschools #Edtech #K12Education #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #ImpactInvesting https://lnkd.in/dxMbAFR3

I was recently reminded of the power of communication and wanted to share a recent experience I had. If you don't read further and want a single takeaway, know this: Great change can come from difficult and honest conversations. Often times we need to get out of our comfort zone to find solutions that bring the most value. We have twin girls that attend a pre-school which changed their closure schedule at the beginning of the calendar year with little notice. The change added multiple weeks of cumulative closure days to the schedule with no change in monthly pricing. In total, the pre-school would now be closed a cumulative 7 weeks a year, not considering any unscheduled closures. Many of the families, including our own, became anxious and frustrated with the short notice change. We empathized together about how challenging it will be to find alternative childcare on those days, or have the taxing balance of working from home and entertaining young children. We even considered switching pre-schools to one which is open more often. Fast forward a couple months and one family had made the decision to leave due to the change, and we were reluctantly planning to also. However, before making a change I decided to talk to the pre-school provider about how difficult the change had been on our family. The intent was to be fully transparent and see if there was potential to pull a couple days back onto the calendar. During our conversation, the pre-school provider acknowledged that the change had not gone as planned for them. They intended to use the extra closure days for preparation and training, but they found the days to be excessive, even for this cause. They felt like they were letting their families (customers) down but had industry peers telling them to hold course and to never walk back a decision. When ending the conversation they said they appreciated the feedback and would consider it and come back soon on a decision. They next morning I was greeted with the news that they were adding back 2 cumulative weeks of school days to the calendar between now and the end of the year, with further days coming the first half of next year! I was humbled that this small conversation led to such a positive change for so many families. I also appreciated the pragmatism from the provider in changing course and walking back an earlier decision. Beyond the benefit of added days, we now have a better relationship with our pre-school provider, we wont have to spend time and money switching schools, and our girls will continue in the same program with the teachers and friends they love seeing on a daily basis. This experience was a great reminder of the value of #communication. I hope it motivates or inspires you to seek out a similar experience and see what kind of impact it can have in your personal or professional life!

Curious about this book

I’ve been keeping an exciting secret that I’m finally ready to share: My first book, The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It), will be published this fall by Teachers College Press at Columbia University. Focused on the disconnect between what we know (about the science of early development and the importance of the early years) and our nation’s public policy for children, it’s my hope that the book will spark a long-overdue, bipartisan conversation about the consequences of our inaction and how we might do better by our youngest. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, early childhood educator, policymaker…or a taxpayer interested in learning why the nation’s failed approach to early childhood is costing each and every one of us an untold fortune, you’re going to want to check it out. Publication is still a few months off, but pre-orders are live as of today. You can order at the link below. To celebrate the launch, I’ve shared a special offer on Twitter that I’m happy to honor here as well: The first 100 verified pre-orders will receive a personally inscribed bookplate (to be mailed the week before release). Details with the link below. Writing this book has been a real labor of love. I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you at last. ORDERING/GIVEAWAY DETAILS: The Daycare Myth can be pre-ordered now at the link below. (Note that this will be a primarily paperback release. The costly hardback version listed here is mostly for libraries… and maybe my mom. So please don’t let sticker shock deter you.) I’ll be signing personalized book plates for the first 100 people to verify their pre-orders. To claim yours: 1) Place your order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever else you’d prefer. 2) Take a screenshot of your purchase confirmation and email it to me (along with your name, mailing address) to: Dwuori at gmail dot com. These will be mailed in mid-November so they arrive around the same time as the book. https://lnkd.in/eyMHAH6u #earlychildhood #earlyyears #eyfs #preschool #childcare #parenting Sarah Jubar Hafizah Geter

It's another snow day in the DC region! For many parents, childcare is more than a snow day inconvenience. For many parents, childcare is a daily crisis. Montgomery County, MD, where I live, has just launched a grant program to enable more children and families to access quality care. To start MoCo will provide $1M in grants to quality providers for children 0-3 to defray "the entire tuition costs so qualified families do not bear any expenses toward tuition." The county is making significant investment in quality affordable care. However this needs to be just a beginning. There are not enough seats. And in a county of more than a million people and tens of thousands of young children, $1M is not enough. The success of this program will require significantly more investment. What about providing care vouchers to ALL parents of children 0-3? AND grants to providers? Childcare is critical infrastructure. #ECE #montgomerycountymd #UniversalChildcare #UniversalPreK #ChildCareIsCriticalInfrastructure #ChildCarePolicy #EarlyCareAndEducation #ChildCareSubsidies

💡 Insightful article that underscores the importance of investing in early childhood. The research found that children from low-income families who grew up near a Sure Start centre performed significantly better in their GCSEs compared to their peers who lived further away. This is a powerful testament to the transformative impact of early support and investment in children's futures. It's clear that providing a supportive environment for children in their early years can yield life-changing results. Let's continue to advocate for and invest in early childhood initiatives. #EarlyChildhood #Education #InvestInOurFuture https://lnkd.in/edbuSCi2

A lot of articles on Childcare being broken but some fixes in there as well and some aspirational views - good review! #Education #EarlyYears #Earlychildhoodeducation #Childcare #Nurseries #Preschools #Edtech #K12Education #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #ImpactInvesting https://lnkd.in/gg2dXuSG

An estimated 1.7 million single mothers are undergraduate students in the U.S. — almost 10% of all undergraduate students. Providing more on-campus childcare centers would not only support these students but also have a signficant impact on economic development. For every dollar the federal government spends on childcare for single mother students, it would see a projected 430% return on investment through increased tax contributions and reduced public assistance. Yet the number of public colleges and universities offering childcare has shrunk in recent years. To better support single mother students, we need more funding, awareness, partnerships, and data. Perhaps most importantly, we need to stop thinking of childcare service as “charity” and recognize it as the economic driver it has the potential to be. Learn more about current efforts via Community College Daily: https://lnkd.in/gyNAVwGc P.S. Stay tuned for our forthcoming research on Rising Talent, which includes single mothers.

Getting that email was one of the best days of my life. When you're building something new, there's always this nagging uncertainty and doubt. "We can't launch, it's not ready." "Will this thing even work?" "Am I crazy?" And when you're a bit of a perfectionist, that feeling gets multiplied when you launch your MVP. But here’s what this little-big milestone did for my mindset and energy: ✅ Validation: Knowing someone values our service enough to pay for it is a huge confidence boost. It reassures me that all the hard work is truly worth it. 😤 Motivation: This early success is incredibly motivating. It’s a reminder that perseverance pays off and it inspires me to push even harder. 💉 Energy: The excitement from this achievement is like a shot of adrenaline. It’s revitalizing and makes me even more enthusiastic about what’s next. 👀 Focus: This success helps sharpen my focus on our mission and goals. With proof that we’re on the right track, I’m more determined than ever to make Mentmii a success. #Solopreneur #StartupLife #Mentorship #Community #Childcare #BusinessMindset