ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Kenny Spence and Men in Childcare (MIC) is setting the global standard with over 1300 men recruited to take coursework on being an early educator. Teacher education programs in other nations would do well to model after MICs excellent example. The current (May 2010) issue of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) magazine Young Children includes a six article cluster on the importance of men in the lives of young children. NAEYC members can read this entire issue of Young Children online in the Members Only area, plus references to this issue on the NAEYC Homepage (http://www.naeyc.org/) include a links to several of the articles and to a short, but powerful excerpt from the same Expect Male Involvement: Recruiting and Retaining Men in Early Childhood Education, DVD by NAEYC Author and Producer, Ms. Frances Carlson (http://www.naeyc.org/yc/currentissue).

What is believed to be the largest percentages of male staff working with young children on the planet are in Polynesian preschool programs. Twenty three percent of full-time staff in the Hawaiian language nest preschools, Aha Punana Leo, are men. The only higher percentage of male staff, possibly as high as 30 percent, appears to be in the Te Kohonga Reo, the Maori language nest preschools. You might enjoy a free on-line article on the role of male teachers of young children in Hawaiian culture by Dr. Noelani Iokepa-Guerrero entitled “Raising a Child in Punana Leo: Everyone (Men and Women) play an important role.” at the following link:

http://www.childcareexchange.com/resources/view_article.php?article_id=5018130

It is very essential topic . I am absolutely positive mind in the role of a male
care giver . A male care giver can do everything except breast feeding . I as
a male care giver reach to the toilet and potty clean up . It is surprise to me
all the children my center love too much than others . And research says dad
obedient child can win every thing . It may be that 99 percent female workers may do well in child center but 1 percent male worker is higher than
99 percent female worker .

Would you agree there is a stigma associated with men working in ECE settings? My son worked in our Center when he was 18; there were many safeguards set in place when he joined the staff. No back rubbing at nap time. May not take a child to the bathroom or assist with a potty clean-up. No holding a child on his lap. This was many years ago, but I suspect there are the same biases in 2010. At the end of his summer stint, he said, "A guy would be nuts to want to work in a preschool. I feel like I'm presumed guilty and a second class person."

Sadly, I suspect that most men, especially if they are the primary bread winner, would be attracted to the pay scale for early childhood professionals.

As the owner of a new pre-school I am quite excited that our faculty inludes at least one young man who will work with the 5-12 year olds and be a positive role model. Its a challenge to find such talent and the laws of supply and demand certainly come into play.

I found this article very interesting and most positive but a bit surprising, not in content but in how it detailed how many men in child care were being mentioned. When we were in Scotland several years ago we had some very different experience as I interviewed the proprietor of one of the bed and breakfast homes that we stayed in in Northern Scotland. He and his wife had twin three year old sons. He and his mother ran the B & B and his wife worked in a local hospital. He was the one who took the boys to their co-op preschool. He shared how awkward it was being the only dad present and that the moms in the group, many who he and his wife knew from their high school and college days. We talked about men in early childhood and he said he did not know of any programs with male teachers but really like the idea. When we toured a government funded program on the West side of Scotland that served many crofting families we were again in discussion over the problems of staffing and while the director indicated that she had one male student worker it was for a very short time period. What was interesting to me as a director for many years was that we shared so many similar experiences, needs and frustrations- especially in the areas of government funding, staffing, including men in child care and the need for supportive programing for parents. Good to see that they are looking to do more in this area across the pond!