Working for Quality Child Care: an Early Childhood Education Text from the Child Care Employee Project

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 308 020 PS 018 106 AUTHOR Whitebook, Marcy, Comp.; And Others TITLE Working for Quality Child Care: An Early Childhood Education Text from the Child Care Employee Project. INSTITUTION Child Care Employee Project, Berkeley, CA. PUB DATE 89 u,mr, 11V J. /. 228p. AVAILABLE FROMThe Child Care Employee Project, P.O. Box 5603, Berkeley, CA 94705 ($10.00). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Guides (F_r Teachers)(052) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Administrative Policy; Advocacy; Child Caregivers; Cooperation; *Day Care; *Educational Quality; *Fringe Benefits; Health Needs; Instructional Materials; Labor Legislation; *Program Administration; *Teacher Salaries; Teaching Guides; *Work Environment IDENTIFIERS *Employee Rights ABSTRACT This early childhood education text was designed to help students and child care staff become effective advocates for the improvement of quality, salaries, and working conditions in child care programs. Unit I provides literature on the issues affecting the child care field and focuses on strategies to improve salaries and working conditions. Articles on the teacher shortage, the impact of high staff turnover on children, and employer-supported child care contribute to a picture of current child care. Unit II covers: (1) state and federal labor laws; (2) substitutes and in-home caregive s; (3) strategies for improving relationships among staff and between parents and staff;(4) the special stresses of various ;%inds of child care;(5) the health and safety concerns of child care staff; and (6) unions. Unit III provides information on salary schedules, health coverage, and pension plans. Also considered are various center policies, such as those regarding personnel, substitute and volunteer procedures, and evaluation, and ways to implement these policies. An instructL-'s guide outlines learning objectives and offers suggestions for class discussion and activities for each part of each unit. Organizational and information resources are listed. (RH) *********************************************************************** * Reproduct2ons supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** INSTRUCTOR'S GUIDE Introduction Americans are witnessing a profound change in thenature of family life, one which presents a formidable challengeto those of us in early childhood education. A generation ago, a minority of mothers worked outside theirhomes, ind thus only a small percentage of young children spent their days in group care settings.Today. however, most preschoolers have working mothers, andmany find themselves in family day care homes or childcare centers for many of their waking hours.As this trend continues, the need for trained and committed caregivers increases. But political and economic realities work against thecreation of awell- prepared child care workforce.There is little incentive for potential providers.After completing a two-year college degreeprogram in Early Childhood Education, students can expect to earn onlyslightly more than minimum wageinmoststates. In California, known for relatively high levels of teacherpay due to greater-than-average public subsidy, salaries for childcare teachers hover around $6.00 an hour, with aides earning just above minimumwage. Low pay istoo seldom balanced by other benefits such as health coverage, paid vacationsor pensions.Poor working conditions and limited appreciation often compound the insult. Disillusionmentis widespread among students and nofessiorals in the field. In almost any gatheringone hears talk of turnover, burnout and career changes. Many dedicated people wonder how theycan afford to continue working in the field. They feel inadequately preparedto meet such everyday challenges of child care as limited budgets, funding cuts and complicatedbureaucracies. Turnover incenters averages at least 40% a year, far greater than the 10%average found in other human service fields. Over 800 post-secondary institutions in the U.S. offersome form of training for early childhood personnelat the two- and four-year level.Over 25,000 students a year enroll in child development courses in the California community collegesystem alone.Still, a crying need for trained teachers existsthroughout the country. Being an early childhood educator requiresmore than working with children. Good teachers also needo develop skills for working with co-workers and parents. But more and more, earl!, childhood educatorsmust also learn how to advocate for themselves,recognizingadvocacyasanimportantpartoftheirprofessional ree,ponsibility.They need preparation in how to work for change,to create belle' programs for children and families. Early childhood instructors can play a key rolein addressing the expanding needs of students.Preparing early childhood practitioners as advocates must begin early in their training.Disillusionment can only be stemmed if people enter the field with appropriate expectations about what they willencounter, and if they have a commitment to work for change. This curriculum guide will assist you in your efforts to provide the necessar, ideas and experiences for students toemerge as the advocates so desperately needed in our field. Itis our strong belief that advocacy cannot be taught in one class session, but rather must be presentedasastrandthroughouttheentireearly childhood curriculum.In order to fully understand these concepts students need tool e than data.They need practical experience.They need opportunities to: * voice their own values and opinions in ever-enlargingarenas *listen to opposing viewpoints * achieve a sense of membership in a group * work in small groups toward consensus * recognize and represent different issues * challenge negative stereotypes * use resources Perhaps most important, students need to observe and talk with positive role models, people who are engaged in advocating for better childcare. What is the Child Care Employee Project? The Child Care Employee Project (CCEP) isa non-profit advocacy organization working to improve thewages, status and working conditions of thechildcai e profession. Organized in 1977 by child care workers, CCEP provides assistance eachyear to thousands of child care providers, administrators, parents and educators.CCEP works with government agencies, community organizations,policy makers,unions, employers and the media on local and national issues that affect thechild care workforce. This text has grown out ofa series of popular, topical "handouts" which CCEP has developed over theyears on a wide range of workplaceissues. Continual requests from students and instructors for informationon these topics led us to revise our older handouts, and add new ones, to compile a unified packet which could he adapted tofit community college and other coursesmore conveniently. 2 How to Use the Text "WorkingforQualityChildCare"isorganizedintothreeunits,which correspondloosely withthesubjectareasof severalEarly Childhood Education courses taught in the California community college system as weil as in other states. Unit I, "Teaching in Child Care Today," was compiled with the "Introduction" and "Child, Family and Community" courses in mind;itgives an overview of the current state of the field, and an account of some effective strategies to improve it. Unit II, "Creating a Better Work Environment," gives studentsa thorough groundwork in employee rights, working relationships and workplace health and safety, which will be especially useful during their "Practicum"or work-experience course.Unit III, "Managing a Quality Program," speaks especially to students in the "Administration" course, covering the areas of wage and benefit policies, and other program policies and procedures. Naturally, the units can be adapted to many other uses.We encourage you to read through theentire curriculumforideas thatwillenhance theparticular courses you teach, and to pick and choose according to your needs.Many of the "introductory" articles in Unit I can providea helpful review for more advanced or experienced students.Administration students should be aware of the employee rights and needs addressed in UnitsIand II.All students, whether they will work as adrpinistrators or not, will benefit froman understanding of how a child care center is managed, and how staff at all levelscan be involved in planning and decision- making. The articles compiled here were written as practical tools, inresponse to child care workers' needs for concrete help on the job.Encourage your students to save this text, take itto their workplaces, and share it with their co-workers.We hope they will see "Wo.-king for Quality Child Care," and the Child Care Employee Project, as resources which can help them do their jobs well, long after their coursework is over. 3-- UNIT I Learning Objectives In Section A, "State of the Field," students will learn about: * how child care benefits society *the increased demand for child care * demographics of the child care workforce * public attitudes toward child care workers * current working conditions and salaries *the relationship between working conditions and quality ofcare * issuesraised by recent accusations of child abuseinchildcare programs * men in child care In Section B, "Working for Change," students will be introducedto: *successful strategies to raise child care workers'wages * salary surveys * comparable worth * working with parents to advocate for change Discussion

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