Understanding Early Years Policy - Report Example

Education April 20, Introduction A prior report s that the prior early years education failed so badly (Daniel & Ivatts, 1998). The new Labour Government effectively addressed the prior failed early years education care. The Labour government focused on several strategies The National ChildCare Strategy focused on accomplishing the objectives of three major domains. One domain is better support for the parents. Another domain is offering better financial support to the parents, tax breaks. The third domain is helping families generate a balance between working and family life. The Labour Government prioritised childcare, early child learning, and support for the family (Dept of Education and Employment, 1998). The Labour Government effectively improved the early years childhood learning. National Childcare Strategy. The national childcare strategy focuses on enhancing the child learning process. The strategy is to set up another one million child care learning centres by the year 2003. The United Kingdom government persuaded each local political authority to contribute to the children. In response, the local communities established the Early Years program. The same strategy included setting up the Childcare Partnership program. Further, the partners of the strategy come from different sectors of the United Kingdom. One partner comes from the private sector. Another party comes from the government sector. Other partners come from the social services sector. Fourth, another partner comes from the employment sector. Another partner comes from the training providers (Tassoni, 2002). Every Child Matters. The Every Child Matters process focuses on ensuring the safety of the child. Both the Every Child Matters and the Children Act of 2004 statutes focuses on the safety of the learning child. The Every Child Matters program is the offshoot of the death of some students. The death of Victoria Climbie triggered the implementation of Every Child Matters program. Other children living England suffered the same fate (death) as Climbie. Some children studying in Wales also died. Further, Every Child Matters program focuses on the improving the child’s learning capacity. The program prioritises the improvement of the learning process. To improve the learning process, the children must feel safe within the learning or classroom environment. The practitioners constantly monitor the children’s health (May, 2012). Furthermore, the practitioners must protect the learning child. The practitioners must nurture the learning child. The practitioners must enhance the learning child’s chances in life. The practitioners should improve the outcome of the child’s well-being (May, 2012). The Early Child Matters program focuses on reducing health problems. The reduction of the health problems will increase the child’s learning outcome. Moreover, the Every Child Matters program requires the implementation of several principles: (a) Ensuring the child achieves his or her optimum potential. The Early Learning Intervention as well as the prevention of future unfavorable events enhances the current child learning environment. (b) Another principle is the improvement of the child advice program. The same program ensures keeping the child’s family updated with the child’s classroom or home current learning outcomes. The program requires timely exchange of information among affected parties. The program must be easily understood by the affected individuals (Cheminais, 2008). Ten Year Childcare Strategy. The ten year childcare strategy is effective. The program focuses on accountability of practitioners to implement the strategy. The strategy includes ensuring excellence in all child learning activities. The strategy includes the development of an estimated 1,698 Children’s Centre. The Centre trains many future childcare practitioners as well as early years leaders. With more practitioners, more children will receive the teaching benefits of the strategy. During 2004, the Chancellor informed the interested United Kingdom government that an additional £100 million for the establishment of more childcare learning centres by 2008 (Manni, 2007). Childcare Act. The Childcare Act of 2006 helps support the United Kingdom government’s child learning program. The Act focuses on giving the child the best startup in life. The Act ensures parents will comfortably have more choices to enable the parents to strike a favourable balance between the employee and the sports enthusiasts. The Act is an improvement over the prior Act’s regulation as well as older children. Consequently, young children will focus on learning, not playing in the classroom (Hill, & Buckley, 2013). In return, some parents are eager to watch their child learn (McVeigh, 2013). Further, the same Act has two major objectives. The first goal is to improve the well-being of the children. Second, the Act requires improvement of the children’s well-being. The same Act lessens the number of inequalities within the child learning program (Linsey, 2006). Early Years Foundation Stage. The early years foundation stage includes requiring all child learning providers to comply with prescribed learning framework. One such policy is to enter longer school periods (Adams, R., Shepherd, J., 2013). Another policy is to obey all school rules (Williams, 2013).The framework ensures the children accomplish the five Every Child Matters’ outcomes. The five outcomes are part of the United Kingdom government’s ten year childcare program. The program is entitled Choice for Parents, the Best Start for Children. Further, the learning institutions must ensure the five outcomes are met. The first outcome is ensuring the child’s safety. The second outcome is ensuring the child’s health. The third outcome is ensuring the child enjoys the learning activity. The enjoyment must include achieving the child’s learning targets. The fourth outcome is the child’s contributing positive effects on the learning process. The fifth outcome is ensuring the child achieves economic well-being. The learning institutions must all learning activities must be geared towards the children’s achieving the five outcomes (May, 2012). To ensure success, the early years foundation stage must implement the five principles. The first principle is the learning program must fit the unique child’s learning capacity. The second principle is ensuring the child learns in a positive relationship learning environment. The third principle is enabling the environment to hasten the child’s learning process. The fourth principle is to focus on implementing child-centred learning development programs (May, 2012). Further, early years foundation stage must ensure the child’s rights are implemented. The child has a right to grow up as a healthy child. The child has a right to learn in a safe learning environment. The child has the right to achieve the child’s potential s. The child must learn in an enjoyable learning environment (Tassoni, 2002). Furthermore, the learning practitioner must contribute to the child’s optimum learning process. The practitioner should learn the rudiments of child development. The practitioner must cater the learning process to child’s interests. The learning process must include the child’s learning abilities. The learning strategy should focus on the best learning strategy that will hone the child’s learning ability. For the slow child learner, the learning practitioner should implement a similarly slow learning process (May, 2012). For better learning, the child must adjust to any classroom environment (Gallagher, 2013). Likewise, mothers should spend more time watching the child learn (Toynbee, 2013). Likewise, young children can start learning lessons (Adams, 2013). More Great Childcare. The United Kingdom government’s more great childcare policy prioritizes hiring more child learning employees. The employees will be offered enticing salaries. Big salaries will attract the best employees. The employees will teach the nursery students (Commons, 2013). Irrelevant Policy Drivers Child poverty. The Labour government prioritizes the reduction or elimination of poverty. Likewise, the Labour government prioritises the protection of the children. Consequently, the Labour government set into motion the Every Child Matters policy during 2003. Next, the Labour Government implemented the Green Paper Policy as well as the Children Act of 2004. The Every Child Matters policy focuses on preventing accidents within the child’s vicinity. Consequently, all professionals cooperate and coordinate information and other mattes to alleviate child poverty and ensure the safety of the child (Palaiologou, 2012). Social exclusion. The labour government emphasized the elimination of social exclusion in United Kingdom’s early years policy. Specifically, the Labour government espoused removal of social exclusion among the young children of our United Kingdom. Social exclusion can be defined as suffering from unemployment, low work skills, ill health, poor housing, family breakup, poverty, homosexuality, lesbianism, and discrimination. Under the social exclusion theory, the poor are to be blamed for their poverty. Further, one report states the rich students should be separated from the poor students to ensure better learning (Boffey, 2011). In fact, nurseries filled with poor young students have high failing rates indicating it is hard to study on an empty stomach (Curtis, 2008). In the early years policy, the low I.Q. young child should not be socially excluded from the classroom activities because of one’s slow mental capacity (Morris, 2009). Raising standards in education. The New Labour government established school curriculum priorities. The Labour government firmly espoused its sincere and long lasting commitment to raise the education standard. The Labour government insists that raising the education standard contributes to the eradication of social exclusion, especially social exclusion of the young children. To succeed, the Labour government implemented the corresponding Early Learning Goals policy. Further, the preparation of the curriculum priorities was studied from 1997 to 2006. The Labour government insisted on raising the standards in education. At the same time the Labour government prioritized the removing all disadvantages that permeated the United Kingdom society during the same time period. To remove the disadvantages, the Labour government focused on improving the school curriculum. Consequently, the Department of Education and Employment or DfEE established the National Literacy Strategy of 1998 as well as the National Numeracy Strategy of 1999. The two programs focused on providing education to children from five years old and younger range. In 1998, the Sure Start program was launched. The program focused on removing the social exclusion issued from the young children. Next, the Labour Government’s implementation of the Every Child Matters green paper policy compulsorily required the Local Authorities to offer education as well as care by ensuring all related agencies cooperate and coordinate to help the young students eradicate social exclusion (Moyles, 2011). Safeguarding/Protecting children. The Every Child Matters policy focuses on protecting/safeguarding the children. The Lord Laming research indicated that the lackluster implementation of the policy precipitated to the unnecessary death of Peter Connelly, a 17 month old baby. Connelly died in 2007. The Munro review showed that the lax implementation of the policy did not prevent the unnecessary deaths of the children. The policy was implemented to comply with the recommendations of Laming’s recommendations. Laming recommended that the Every Child Matters policy be implemented. The Laming recommendation grew out of the unnecessary death of Victoria Climbie. Climbie’s aunt and the aunt’s boyfriend murdered Climbie. The murder opened up topics indicating there were no current protections or safeguards to prevent harm or death on the young individuals (Baldock, 2013). Reducing the national deficit. The government must prioritize reducing the United Kingdom’s national deficit. To reduce the deficit, the government had to implement cash generating policies. The highly recommended policies included raising taxes. Raising taxes will increase the money stacked away in the government’s cash vaults and banks. Another recommendation to reduce the deficit is to reduce unnecessary expenses. By raising taxes, the poor members of United Kingdom society will be the first to feel the higher taxes. With low cash amounts, the higher taxes will reduce further the low money supply of the poor members of our society. The Liberal Party proposed tax rates that are higher than the Labour party’s recommended tax rates (Baldock, 2013). Specifically, the Liberal Party proposed that an estimated 79 percent of the tax deficit will be shouldered by government public spending. The remaining 20 percent will be shouldered by the income tax rate increase. Specifically, the Chancellor mentioned an estimated yearly £18 billion will be deducted from the welfare allocation during 2014 annual period and 2015 annual period. The £18 billion deduction is part of the total £81 billion deduction for the year 2014 and the year 2015. The Welfare fund is the amount given to the poorest members of our United Kingdom society (Baldock, 2013). In order to continue the early years policy, the government decides to make the poorest of the poor members of United Kingdom society receive even lesser funds. In exchange, the young children will continue to benefit from the government’s allocation of much needed funds to train the future Margaret Thatchers (Campbell, 2011) and Tony Blairs (Riddell, 2007) from either the poor or rich children of today. Reflect on various influences on early years policy development There are various influences on the development of our nations’ changing early years policy. Most of the influences are foreign in nature. The United Kingdom government studies the beneficial effects of the early years policy in other countries (Baldock, 2013). Further, there are other influences on the United Kingdom early years education policy. One of the statutes is the 1994 UN-ESCO Salamanca report. The report discusses the rights of the children. Another influence is the SEND and Disability Act or SENDA of 2001. The Act focuses on protecting the rights of the disabled persons, especially the disabled young child’s rights to education. Another influence is the UN Convention on the Child’s Rights of 1989 which specifies the children have a right to education and learning (Baldock, 2013). The 1998 OECD’s Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy is another viable influence (OECD, 2001). Furthermore, philosophers related to education were also used as influence in the crafting of the early years policy. One of the philosophers is Montesori. Another philosopher is Piaget. A third philosopher is Froebel. A fourth philosopher is Vygotsky (Baldock, 2013). Discussion of relevant influences on early years policy development The development of the early years policy was within the umbrella of the bigger policy agendas. The goals of the early years policy include the Labour political strategy to reduce poverty. The same early years policy focused on raising the learning outcomes of the children. The early years program falls under the ambit of Every Child Matters policy (Baldock, 2013). Further, the Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing social structure of the community. Cultural. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing cultural structure of the community. Political. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing political structure of the community. Research. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing research of the community. Government agencies. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the affected government agencies structure of the community. Professional organizations. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing professional organisations within the community. Academics. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing academic structure of the community. Media. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing social structure of the community. Children. The Early Years policy development constantly changes. The changes are done in order to adjust to the changes in the environment. The changes in the policy are implemented in order to fit the changing children structure of the community (Baldock, 2013). With more mothers entering the work force, the mothers have less time to teach, support, and guide the children during their learning process. The mothers were forced to find jobs in order to generate additional family money (Baldock, 2013). However, other mothers prioritize caring for child over work (Curtis, Four Parents Now Put Their Family Before Work, 2008). Fathers should spend more time helping the child study (Curtis, Family Policies "dad-proofed to Give Fathers Bigger Role -But no Extra Paternity Leave, 2009). However, fathers who want to spend more time with their child (Gentleman, Working Fathers Want More Time with Their Children Too, Says Report, 2009) should not expect to get more paternity leaves (Gentleman, 2009). Andrew Clark states both genders must have equal leaves to watch their studying child (Clark, 2011). An estimated 70 percent of the women with dependent children are working outside the family home (Baldock, 2013). Furthermore, women are forced to find jobs in order to pay for the school expenses of the children. With the increasing cost of childcare, the mothers are forced to find jobs. With the high cost of school expenses, the mothers are forced to find jobs. Consequently, rich families are able to pay for the school expenses of their children. However, the poor families cannot afford to send their children to any formal school training. With the growing United Kingdom population, there is corresponding need for more child learning schools (Baldock, 2013). Critically reflection The early years policy had a correctly huge beneficial impact on children. The children were sent to school at an earlier age. The children had to adjust to the change in environment. The children are forced to use their minds earlier in the reading, writing, and mathematics topics (Murray, 2008). Prior to the implementation of the early years policy, the children stayed at home. At home, the children focused their time on play. The children would play with their toys. With the early school attendance, the children focused their young year learning how to write sentences how to manipulate (add, deduct, etc.) numbers (Gourd, 2013). Further, the early years policy had a correctly huge beneficial impact on parents. The parents had to allocate more funds for the children’s earlier school attendance. With the early school calendar, the parents had to pay for the child’s school expenses at a much younger age. With the additional school expenses, the mothers are forced to find jobs. The mothers will use the additional money to pay for the school expenses of the child (Gourd, 2013). Moreover, the early years policy had a correctly huge beneficial impact on the early years workforce. With the Early Years policy, more workers are needed. The early workers include the teachers and child minders, and other education-related jobs. The workers will help in the teaching and training of the younger students (Gourd, 2013). Examine the impact of early years’ policy on various stakeholders, for example: The requirement for multi-professional working in joined up children’s services. Professionals from different areas contribute to the success of the early years policy. Professionals from other countries share the many benefits of their own nations’ successful early years policy with early years policies in other countries. Consequently, the multi-professionals from different countries share relevant early years research, theories, and influences. The multi-professionals share the difficulties of adjusting to certain government regulations, policies or statutes. Christine Woodrow states one nation offered a simple solution to generate a complex. The multi-professionals exchange old fashioned early years teaching strategies with other professionals in order countries and other professions to gather the latest and best strategies to the increasing early years child education program. Further, the multi-professional scene is beneficial to the parties concerned. Rapid teaching change occurs. Rapid change is prevalent in the early years learning environment. Many huge corporate child care companies disintegrated. Politicians and law makers, two multi-professionals, craft new laws and implement new child teaching policies. The teaching environment professionals must adjust to the changing early years learning environment (Miller, 2010). Furthermore, the access to childcare provision had an uncomfortable effect of the early years policy initiatives on the child minders. Previously, the child minders could implement a child minder-based teaching strategy. The implementation of the early years policy required a change in the child minder’s teaching strategy. The new strategy required the child minders to implement a child-based teaching or learning strategy. The new strategy focused on incorporating the child’s interests in the preparation of the lesson plans, and other teaching methodologies. The child minders were now forced to meet the learning needs of the students. For example, the child minder must move fast when the child is a fast learner. On the other hand, the child minder must slow down the teaching process in order for the slow learning child to catch up with the lessons (Gourd, 2013). Moreover, the main effect of the formal learning process is constraint on the young child to develop an understanding of how the world functions. The formal learning process restricts the time needed by the young curious child to experiment. Formal learning prevents the young children from exercising their creative capacities to discern the realities of life. Formal learning prevents the young child from using his imagination to understand the effects of certain acts or non-acts. Formal learning prevents the young child from being motivated to learn the new classroom lessons. Prior to the early years policy, the young minds were given a leeway to use imagination and creativity to determine whether a hypothesis or statement is correct or not. Consequently, the early years workers must be retrained to allow the young minds to use imagination and creativity as part of the learning process (Smidt, 2009). Further, the Tickle Review dictates that the child’s early years learning experiences offer foundations needed for life. The early years policy’s experiences equip the child with basic learning skills. The early learning is popular in over 80 percent of the rich nations. The study focuses on children between the three year old to six year old age range (Education, 2011). Research clearly shows the Early Years policy is effective. The Reggio Emilio Approach shows the importance of the early years policy. Reggio was able to set up 80 centres within the Reggio Region. Reggio is known as one of the best early years learning system in the world. Reggio successfully brings out the best in the young children (Reggio, 2014). Conclusion Based on the above discussion, the Labour government implemented timely improvements on the failed early years child learning program. The Labour government successfully focused on the three major domains. Next, the Labour Government implemented the childcare, early child learning, as well as support for the child’s family. Clearly, the Labour Government successfully enhanced the dismal early years childhood learning. References: Adams, R. 2013, November 4. Schools Should Admit Children at Age of Two or Three, Says Ofsted Chief. The Guardian , p. 1. Adams, R., Shepherd, J. 2013, April 18. Michael Gove Proposes Longer School day and Shorter Holidays. The Guardian , p. 1. Baldock, P. 2013. Understanding Early Years Policy. London: Sage Press. Boffey, D. 2011, June 11. Michael Goves Free Schools Will be for The Middle Class, Claim Opponents. The Guardian , p. 1. Campbell, J. 2011. The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher. London: Penguin Press. Cheminais, R. 2008. Every Child Matters . London: Routledge Press. Clark, A. 2011, January 23. More Maternity Leave, Fewer Workers Rights- All Thanks to the Coalitions Dysfunctional Family. The Guardian , p. 1. Curtis, P. 2009, February 21. Family Policies "dad-proofed to Give Fathers Bigger Role -But no Extra Paternity Leave. The Guardian , p. 1. Curtis, P. 2008, December 19. Four Parents Now Put Their Family Before Work. The Guardian, p. 1. Curtis, P. 2008, November 10. Nursery Education: Number of Failing Nurseries in poorer Areas has Doubled. the Guardian , p. 1. Daniel, P., Ivatts, J. 1998. Children and Social Policy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Department of Education and Employment. 1998. Meeting the Childcare Challenge. London: Stationery Office. Dept of Education, 2011. The Early Years Foundation Stage (Tickell Review): Report on the Evidence. London: Department of Education. Gallagher, P. 2013, July 14. Michael Gove rewrites School Rules to Scrap Right for Four year olds to Have Full Time Primary Places. The Guardian , p. 1. Gentleman, A. 2009, March 9. Parental Leave: Fathers to Get Months of Paid Leave in Paternity Rights Shakeup. The Guardian , p. 1. Gentleman, A. 2009, October 20. Working Fathers Want More Time with Their Children Too, Says Report. The Guardian , p. 1. Gourd, J. 2013. Early Years Policy. London: Routledge Press. Hill, A., Buckley, J. 2013, January 29. Childcare Changes will Cut Play and Inhibit Learning, Say Carers. The Guardian , p. 1. House of Commons, 2013. House of Commons- Education Committee. London: The Stationery Office. Linsey, A. 2006. Childcare Act 2006: The Essentials Guide. London: National Childrens Bureau. Manni, L. 2007. Effective Leadership in the Early Years Sector. London: Education Press. May, P. 2012. Creative Development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. London: Routledge Press. McVeigh, T. 2013, March 3. Two in Three Councils Fail Struggling Parents Who Want to Work, Childcare Survey Claims. The Guardian , p. 1. Miller, L. 2010. Professionalization, Leadership, and Management in the Early Years. London: Sage Press. Morris, K. 2009. Children, Families and Social Exclusion. London: Policy Press. Moyles, J. 2011. Beginning Teaching, Beginning Learning. London: McGrawHill Press. Murray, J. 2008. January 29. Too Much, Too Young? The Guardian , p. 1. OECD. 2001. Starting Strong Early Childhood and Care. London: OECD Press. Palaiologou, I. 2012. Child Obervation for the Early Years. London: Learning Matters. Reggio. 2014. Reggio. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.reggiochildren.it/?lang=en Riddell, P. 2007. The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair. London: Politico Press. Smidt, S. 2009. Key Issues in Early Years Education. London: Routledge Press. Tassoni, P. 2002. Diploma in Child Care and Education. London: Heinemann Press. Toynbee, P. 2013, August 5. Should Mothers Work or Stay at Home? The Guardian , p. 1. Williams, M. 2013, April 22. Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss Attacks Unruly Nurseries. The Guardian , p. 1. Read More