Understanding Quality

Sally Cartwright, in the book, Developing People, writes about the importance of ensuring that an early childhood program has skillful educators. She writes about intangible ways to identify "caregivers of quality," explaining that, "good physical health is a prerequisite for caregivers of young children. More difficult to assess is emotional maturity. It was clarified by Barbara Biber of Bank Street College of Education when she wrote that a caregiver 'needs to be a person so secure within herself that she can function with principles rather than prescriptions, that she can exert authority without requiring submission, that she can work experimentally but not at random, and that she can admit mistakes without feeling humiliated.' (Barbara Biber, in Childhood Education)" Cartwright goes on to say: "One discerns such qualities in a caregiver neither by resume nor interview, but by observing him at work with children."

And, in the book, Staying on Course: The Early Childhood Board’s Guide to Success, authors Syretha O. Storey, Barbara McCreedy and Helen Stine, write about how important it is for an early childhood Board to understand the crucial need for program quality. "We discuss high quality programs early so that the definition and the Board’s role in supporting a high-quality ECE program are clear…While Board members are certainly not expected to have early childhood expertise – that is the Program Director’s job – it is the duty of all Board members to be as informed as possible about what high-quality programs look like so they can make important decisions that impact the children, families, staff and community."

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