Early Childhood Parental Philosophies and Practices in Urban India: Education, Care, and Well-Being of Young Children in a Society Shaped by Traditional and Global Forces

Author(s):  
Amita Gupta
Author(s):  
Annabella Cant

Inclusive education is the focus of many thinkers, researchers, teachers, early-childhood educators, and policymakers. It is a current concern of most Western societies. The concept of inclusive education was introduced only in the 1990s, when it replaced the previous concepts of integration and mainstreaming; however, the expressed need and advocacy for inclusion go further back in history. The enormous shift is still felt by many educational institutions. The shift means that it is not the job of the child to adapt to the typical environment, but it is the complex educational ecosystem that needs to be ready for caring, educating, and ensuring success to all children, with or without diversabilities. The necessary progression is one from considering diverse groups of children in an equalizing way, to considering them in an equitable way. Inclusive early-childhood education proposes an environment catered around the unique needs of each child within the classroom. As in many other areas of education, change needs to start early, and, yet, research about the inclusion of young and very young children is not overwhelmingly prevalent. In the 2020s, inclusive practice refers to all differences, not only the ones affecting children’s physical and mental health, including race, gender, culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, age, etc. If young children grow up in homes and educational environments infused with inclusion, they may become more comfortable engaging in discourses of inequality and exclusion. If their learning environment models positive and genuine relationship building with anyone around them, regardless of their difference, children will grow up being advocates for and allies of the people whom society keeps on silencing. Early inclusion is paramount. So, what hinders the universal adoption of inclusive practices in early-childhood education? Among factors that constitute barriers of inclusion, we find politics, resources, support, teacher education, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and needs, different philosophical interpretations of the concept of early inclusion, and many others. The current studies in the field of early-childhood inclusion show that there is an acute need for knowledge, collaboration, and support. Parents, policymakers, teachers, and other decision-making adults should start giving children agency and invite them to contribute to decisions that concern their well-being. Being inclusive in early-childhood education means to have trust in the competency of all young children, to cherish difference, to cultivate a respectful learning environment, to work with heart, to welcome and build strong relationships with families of all children, to be in touch with current research in the field of inclusive education, and to see inclusion as a feeling of belonging, being valued, and being respected. Inclusion is fluid as a river, but these are the stones that should always guide its course and flow.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Urban

In this article, I discuss the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), which is currently being rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. I summarise the development of IELS and the critique that has been voiced by early childhood scholars, professionals and advocates. I then move to an aspect of IELS that has so far been absent from the discussion: the actual conduct of the test, using the two stylised child characters Tom and Mia. I provide a provisional reading of the Tom and Mia imaginary through the lens of post-colonial and neo-colonial analysis. Applying the concept of colonisation as a frame of reference opens a space for introducing resistance and anti-colonial practices as productive forces to challenge the global hegemony. I draw on Pedro Sotolongo’s concept of the power of marginal notions to argue that experiences made on the margins of society, both geographically and socially, offer very practical alternatives to reconceptualising early childhood education, and services for young children, families and communities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-340
Author(s):  
Luluk Asmawati ◽  
Sholeh Hidayat

During COVID-19, early-childhood school closings led to higher levels of stress in parents when compared to childless adults. In addition, lack of time to prepare, as well as mental-health problems, worry, and stress in parenting, may have hampered parents' ability to support their children's educational needs. The research aims to solve the problem of early childhood parenting during learning from home and improve the quality of early childhood parenting. The research method uses the research and development stage of the Borg & Gall model. Participants are mothers who have children aged 5-6 years. The data collection technique was done through expert validation and effectiveness testing with a quasi-experimental design. The data analysis used paired t-test statistical analysis. The findings show that the validity of the results of the material expert's test is 96%, and the media expert's test is 94% in the very good category. The effectiveness test based on the pre-test and post-test results showed that Sig. (2-tailed) <0,05 (α), which means that the parenting e-book media significantly increases mothers' understanding of parenting well-being practices in early childhood. The implications of this multimedia-based anyflip e-book can be downloaded via gadgets, android, laptop, practical, easy to read and repeated to accompany childcare activities from home.  Keywords: Anyflip E-book, Early Childhood, Parenting References Banerjee, A., Hanna, R., Kyle, J., Olken, B. A., & Sumarto, S. (2019). Private Outsourcing and Competition: Subsidized Food Distribution in Indonesia. Journal of Political Economy, 127(1), 101–137. https://doi.org/10.1086/700734 Borg, W. R., & Gall, M. D. (2007). Educational Research an Introduction. Fourth Edition. Bacon Publishing. Bruni, O., Sette, S., Fontanesi, L., Baiocco, R., Laghi, F., & Baumgartner, E. (2015). Technology Use and Sleep Quality in Preadolescence and Adolescence. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 11(12), 1433–1441. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5282 de Jong, E., Visscher, T., HiraSing, R., Heymans, M., Seidell, J., & Renders, C. (2013). Association between TV viewing, computer use and overweight, determinants and competing activities of screen time in 4- to 13-year-old children. International Journal of Obesity, 7. Dong, C., Cao, S., & Li, H. (2020). Young children’s online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese parents’ beliefs and attitudes. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105440 Ebert, S. (2020). Theory of mind, language, and reading: Developmental relations from early childhood to early adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 191, 104739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104739 Evans, M. A., Nowak, S., Burek, B., & Willoughby, D. (2017). The effect of alphabet eBooks and paper books on preschoolers’ behavior: An analysis over repeated readings. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.02.002 Fry, A. (2020). Use patterns for ebooks: The effects of subject, age and availability on rate of use. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(3), 102150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102150 Gerber, L. A., Guggenheim, M., Pang, Y. C., Ross, T., Mayevskaya, Y., Jacobs, S., & Pecora, P. J. (2020). Understanding the effects of an interdisciplinary approach to parental representation in child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105163 Lau, E. Y. H., & Lee, K. (2020). Parents’ Views on Young Children’s Distance Learning and Screen Time During COVID-19 Class Suspensio. Early Education and Development, 19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1843925 Lee, S. J., Ward, K. P., Chang, O. D., & Downing, K. M. (2021). Parenting activities and the transition to home-based education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and Youth Services Review, 122, 105585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105585 Morawska, A., Dittman, C. K., & Rusby, J. C. (2019). Promoting Self-Regulation in Young Children: The Role of Parenting Interventions. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 22(1), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00281-5 Mourlam, D. J., DeCino, D. A., Newland, L. A., & Strouse, G. A. (2020). “It’s fun!” using students’ voices to understand the impact of school digital technology integration on their well-being. Computers & Education, 159, 104003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104003 Nuñez, B., Stuart-Cassel, V., & Temkin, D. (2020). As COVID-19 spreads, most states have laws that address how schools should respond to pandemics. 66. Paredes, E., Hernandez, E., Herrera, A., & Tonyan, H. (2020). Putting the “family” in family childcare: The alignment between familismo (familism) and family childcare providers’ descriptions of their work. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 52, 74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.007 Rosen, L. D., Felice, K. T., & Walsh, T. (2020). Whole health learning: The revolutionary child of integrative health and education. EXPLORE, 16(4), 271–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2020.05.003 Thomas, V., De Backer, F., Peeters, J., & Lombaerts, K. (2019). Parental involvement and adolescent school achievement: The mediational role of self-regulated learning. Learning Environments Research, 22(3), 345–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-019-09278-x Tran, T., Hoang, A.-D., Nguyen, Y.-C., Nguyen, L.-C., Ta, N.-T., Pham, Q.-H., Pham, C.-X., Le, Q.-A., Dinh, V.-H., & Nguyen, T.-T. (2020). Toward Sustainable Learning during School Suspension: Socioeconomic, Occupational Aspirations, and Learning Behavior of Vietnamese Students during COVID-19. Sustainability, 12(10), 4195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104195 Troseth, G. L., & Strouse, G. A. (2017). Designing and using digital books for learning: The informative case of young children and video. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 12, 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2016.12.002 UNESCO, U. (2020). COVID-19 impact on education. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://en. unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse Webster, E. K., Martin, C. K., & Staiano, A. E. (2019). Fundamental motor skills, screen-time, and physical activity in preschoolers. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(2), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.11.006


Author(s):  
Caroline Jones Gooden

This chapter is designed to be a useful guide for early childhood educators, families, and researchers. It presents key roles and related resources for educators to address the well-being of young children, with or without disabilities, who are in the process of transitioning from early childhood settings to primary school. Continuing challenges in early childhood transition practice necessitate renewed attention to practical solutions. The proposed roles of early childhood educators are based on the theoretical frameworks of Pianta and colleagues, Rous and colleagues, and Yelverton and Mashburn. Four key educator roles are proposed: school readiness teacher, relationship and continuity facilitator, resource and case manager, and transition policy advocate. Descriptions and suggestions for implementation of each educator role are provided.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Urban

In this article, I discuss the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), which is currently being rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and De-velopment (OECD). I summarise the development of IELS and the critique that has been voiced by early childhood scholars, professionals and advocates. I then move to an aspect of IELS that has so far been absent from the discussion: the actual conduct of the test, using the two stylised child characters Tom and Mia. I provide a provisional reading of the Tom and Mia imaginary through the lens of post- and neo-colonial analysis. Applying the concept of colonisation as a frame of reference opens a space for introducing resistance and anti-colonial practices as productive forces to challenge the global hegemony. I draw on Pedro Sotolongo’s concept of the power of marginal notions to argue that experiences made on the margins of society, both geographically and socially, offer very practical alternatives to reconceptualising early childhood education, and services for young children, families and communities.


2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Schulze

Much has been written about the plight of refugee children and families. The authors of these articles generally make a case for greater involvement by the international community on behalf of refugee children. All too often, these eloquent and moving calls to action fall on deaf ears. In particular, this author argues that academics in the field of child development, who tend to be socialized to define and debate issues rather than act on them, are often slow to act on issues of concern. In this colloquium, the author provides several examples of ways that professionals in early childhood can help to promote the healthy development of refugee children, and she advocates for all of us to take on this responsibility, as it is consistent with our professional, personal, and moral obligation to promote the developmental well-being of all young children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126
Author(s):  
Caroline P. Martin ◽  
Jaclyn Russo ◽  
Hayley Goldenthal ◽  
Carmen Holley ◽  
Karen R. Gouze ◽  
...  

Every year in the United States, millions of young children under the age of 5 are exposed to potentially traumatic events that threaten their safety, security, and well-being. Decades of scientific research clearly demonstrate the pervasive negative consequences of trauma exposure on young children’s neurocognitive, psychosocial, and physical development, with adverse effects extending into adulthood. In addition, early childhood trauma is now widely recognized as a significant public health concern warranting comprehensive intervention. Federal, state, and private early care and education (ECE) programs serve a large number of the 0 to 5 population and can mitigate the harmful consequences of trauma exposure for children’s health and well-being. The literature on early childhood trauma should guide the creation of policies that strengthen ECE, enabling the delivery of high-quality, equitable, trauma-informed care to young children prior to formal school entry.


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