Current State of ECE

06/24/2021

To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.
Alfie Kohn

Recent data released on the Child Care Aware website gives a glimpse into the current state of the early childhood field. Here’s an excerpt:

“We all know that 2020 was an extremely difficult year for the child care system. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the already familiar strains on child care providers and families. Our previous work found that providers were leaving the field prior to the pandemic. When child care providers had to close or experienced massive drops in attendance due to COVID-19, their ability to stay in business was further threatened.
In our 2020 annual survey, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) included questions to gauge the effects of COVID-19 on states’ child care systems. This year, we offer the state-level data in two different formats. You can see dynamic visualizations by clicking on states in the map below or view simplified tables in our PDF.”

Source:
https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/research/ccdc/

In other recent ECE news, the website Neuroscience News published this statement about recent research:

“Children who are physically active have higher cognitive function and increased functional connectivity in the brain later in life than those who are less active, a new study reports."

Rusty Keeler, in his popular book, Adventures in Risky Play, encourages early childhood practitioners to realize that what feels risky and exciting to children (and encourages them to be active), does not actually have to be dangerous at all. He provides many examples of activities young children find daring that the adults in their lives understand are actually safe.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.