Completely happy holidays, and to these of you who’re celebrating right now, Merry Christmas! I’m so grateful on your readership this yr. Reporting on early childhood is an immense privilege, and I admire the conversations and story concepts you ship my approach, in addition to the various early educators, consultants and oldsters who’ve welcomed me into their school rooms and lives.
As 2024 winds down, I needed to share among the tales which have resonated most with me this yr:
- First, cozy up with a cup of cocoa and permit your self to be transported to Norway, the place childhood is seen as a time of innate worth and little one care packages are required to be rooted in values like empathy and “a perception in human price.” After I visited Norway earlier this yr, I used to be awed by their total method to childhood, which is particularly evident of their early childhood packages. Seeing Norway’s method made me longing for what’s attainable in early childhood.
- We all know little one care is an exorbitant price for households in America, however some are fortunate sufficient to acquire free, high-quality care — in the event that they cross paths with the fitting philanthropist. That’s what I discovered from a go to to a brand new early childhood community in Pennsylvania, funded by the Milton Hershey Faculty Belief (sure, of the Hershey household).
- Earlier this yr, my colleague Sarah Carr reported on a subject that’s woefully undercovered. Despite the fact that most infants and toddlers are cared for in home-based settings, their suppliers typically don’t know they’re entitled to pay. Accessing pay for little one care providers offered by buddies, household and neighbors may make an enormous financial distinction for these (largely) ladies.
- Carr additionally reported this yr on a largely hidden difficulty that has lengthy impacted households of youngsters with disabilities and delays, significantly mental disabilities and circumstances like Down syndrome. For many years, flawed IQ assessments have been used to “gauge younger kids’s potential and assess whether or not they’re ‘worthy’ of additional assist or funding.”
- And at last, earlier this month I revealed the outcomes of a year-long investigation into state efforts to decontrol little one careby decreasing coaching necessities, placing youngsters to work as little one care academics and elevating ratios and group sizes.As a part of that story, my colleague Sara Hutchinson and I uncovered disturbing circumstances inside little one care packages in lots of states.
Subsequent yr, I’m planning tales on district pre-Okay funding, early childhood inclusion and elementary classroom administration, amongst others. I’ll even be sharing some examples of what different nations are doing within the early childhood realm, and I’ll proceed to trace federal and state early childhood insurance policies. As all the time, I’d love to listen to what’s in your thoughts. Be at liberty to answer this electronic mail and I’ll be in contact!
Lastly, as a nonprofit information outlet, we depend on the generosity of particular person donors to maintain the group operating and assist fund this journalism. If you’ll be able to donate, please think about making a present to assist assist extra of this work in 2025.
Wishing you the most effective within the new yr.
Jackie
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