Advocating for Quality - Educaring

Educaring Vision: Child and Family First All children, in their families, communities, schools, child care facilities, have a right to caregivers who serve the child's best interests, who collaborate and communicate to meet the child's developmental needs with coordinated services and consistent expectations. (Educaring Conference, November, 2000)

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History

In recognition of the value of strong partnerships between schools and child care facilities, The Manitoba Association of School Trustees and The Manitoba Child Care Association enlisted the support of Healthy Child Manitoba to host the "Educaring" conference in November, 2000. This conference brought together education and child care partners to work toward strengthening relationships and building partnerships. Participants were selected from across the province having been identified as people who have already found ways to successfully establish these vital connections. Purposes for conference:

• Understand roles and perspectives of schools and child care facilities
• Identify common hopes and common barriers
• Develop promising approaches to improve collaborations
• Develop a vision and guidelines to share with others

This document is intended to encourage the development of a “child and family first” focus whereby education and child care systems dedicate time and ongoing attention to the processes necessary for cooperation and sharing as educaring partners.

 

Strengthening Partnerships Between Schools and Child Care

"Good education cares,
good child care educates"

Educaring partnerships between schools and child care facilities establish relationships and create supports that enable children to learn and succeed and help families to thrive. These partnerships bring together diverse individuals and groups, including principals, teachers, school boards, centre directors, early childhood educators, child care boards and parents, to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for children and families.

Educaring means centering programs around families, Sharing resources, cooperative staff development, creating safe, secure places for children.

Educaring means community working in harmony - as a circle of friends whereby families, schools and child care providers are true partners.

Educaring means continuity in a range of services for children from infancy to the high school years.

Educaring means partnerships established between parents, child care and education for communicating, cooperating, helping, sharing, learning about and supporting each other.

Educaring means that decisions are made in the best interest of children and families in an environment of trust, respect and inclusion.

(Educaring Conference, November 2000)

Educaring Partnerships

The importance of strong links between schools and child care facilities cannot be overemphasized. Opportunities for meaningful connections between these organizations represent untapped resources to better support children and families during the important ages and stages of child development. The presence of a child care facility within or attached to the school can support links between the two
systems to the benefit of children, parents, caregivers and teachers and can enhance healthy childhood transitions in both preschool and school settings.

When a school becomes a delivery site for community-based programs including early childhood care, education and intervention offered within child care facilities, there can be many benefits for children and families. Educaring partners affirm the importance of collaboration identifying that such effort results in increased understanding of children and their needs, enhanced capacity of systems to work together and
improved continuity and consistency in the delivery of care and education.

Realizing the educaring vision can be a complex, challenging, and time-consuming endeavor. To be effective, educaring partnerships need to engage in a thoughtful process to embrace the shared vision and agreed upon guidelines. Partnerships should have in place supportive and effective governance, open and innovative management structures and creative, collaborative programs and individuals willing to respond to the needs of families. Educaring partnerships are built person to person with the recognition that the child care and education systems have the capacity to change.

Provided here are information and tools to advance educaring partnerships - facts on Manitoba's children and important trends influencing family life, guidelines and approaches to educaring, an educaring partnership checklist, and suggestions for getting started - to assist partners to focus on, talk about, and improve the quality of their partnerships.

Educaring Recommendations to Strengthen Relationships Between Care and Education

The Three C's of Educaring	Recommendations to Consider
Communication	Ensure planning and resources exist for smoother transitions between school and child care Use local communication channels to promote care and education services for healthy child development Arrange an annual review of planning and communication strategies at the local level and between jurisdictions Ensure communication between administration of school and child care
Collaboration	Arrange joint use of school owned facilities and amenities such as office equipment, staff bathrooms and staff rooms Provide child care access to school spaces such as the library, computer lab, gym, and school office Share resources, do bulk purchasing, share ownership, establish a resource continuum Develop clear policies and a common understanding about school/child care collaboration Ensure community agencies with an interest in children work together collaboratively Encourage reciprocal participation on the child care board and the school parent council
Consistancy	Work toward maintaining stability of programs serving children Share opportunities for staff training and curriculum development Share school readiness expectations between child care and education Know and respect how each system works and the required responsibilities and skills Ensure regular communication between early childhood educators and teachers on “pre-enrollment” and other information pertaining to the children for whom they share daily responsibility Work toward a seamless system of care and education providing smoother transitions for children as they change environments Ensure sharing of information adheres to FIPPA guidelines and other regulatory policies

(Educaring Conference, November 2000)

Facts and Trends

As the child's first caregivers, parents are best supported by an early childhood system of care and education that recognizes and is responsive to the changing nature of family life. Here are just some of the facts about child care and changing trends affecting children, families, child care and education service delivery.

Children in Manitoba:

There are approximately 100,000 children aged 0–6 years and close to 100,000 children aged 7–12 years in Manitoba; 74 per cent of "child care" age children (0-12 years) have parents who are working or studying; A regulated child care space exists for only about 1 in 10 Manitoba children; The Child Day Care Program provides over 24,400licensed child care spaces for children aged 3 months to 12 years; It is estimated that more than 30,000 children including 1,000 children with disabilities, use these spaces every year; and Approximately 83% of these spaces are located in licensed child care centres and nursery schools and 17% are in licensed family child care homes (2001 (census data) Statistics Canada; National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth; Labour Force Survey)

Trends Influencing Family Life:

More women are returning to the workforce earlier after having children; Nearly 80% of women with school-aged children were in the labour force in 1999; Lone-parent families with school-aged children increased by 35% from 1990 to 1999; Parents are spending more time on paid and unpaid work and recognize the value of child care; The trend away from universality with emphasis on targeting the early years, adolescence, and youth at risk has left gaps in a system of child care and education (The Progress of Canada's Children 2001; Historical Trends in Manitoba Education and Training 2000)

Education Action Plan

Overcoming Obstacles - Realizing Educaring

Parents, caregivers and educators have a responsibility to participate as equal partners in the education of children. Even when children reach school age, parents continue to be their most important teachers. Educaring supports parents to help their children reach their full potential by: Providing a warm, friendly place where children and adults feel welcome, secure, and stimulated to learn; Showing respect for community values and cultural views; Nurturing effective communication between staff and parents; Encouraging parent participation in making decisions and problem-solving; and Adopting a child and family first approach.

Things to Consider to get Started:

1. Hold a meeting between the school and child care facility to discuss this document.
2. Learn about each other by providing information about roles and jurisdictions, differing rules, regulations and policies, share philosophy regarding child care and education.
3. Begin shared efforts to enhance services for preschoolers and school aged children within the community, inclusive preschool screening and other programs, coordinate services to support important childhood transitions.
4. Develop an Educaring Action Plan... use this "living" document to strengthen partnerships, encourage dialogue, provide practical assistance for improved coordination of existing relationships between programs, and/or the development of new approaches.

References:

• Guidelines for Early Childhood Transition to School, Government of Manitoba
• A Vision for Child Care and Development, Government of Manitoba
• The Progress of Canada's Children 2001, Canadian Council on Social Development

MAST 191 Provencher Boulevard Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 0G4 Phone: 1.204.233.1595 Fax: 1.204.231.1356 Website: www.mast.mb.ca

Manitoba Child Care Association 2nd Floor, 2350 McPhillips Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R2V 4J6 Phone: 1.204.586.8587 Toll Free (MB Only): 1.888.323.4676 Fax: 1.2040.589.5613 Email: info@mccahouse.org Website: www.mccahouse.org

Supported by Healthy Child Manitoba

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