Economics and ECE

Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/economics-and-ece/5016903/

In the May/June 2006 issue of Exchange, the persistent topics of scarce resources and early childhood education appear in not one, but two articles: "ECE Meets Economics: The Changing World of Early Education and Care" by Gwen Morgan and Suzanne Helburn, and "Non Profit Child Care Outlook: After 160 Years, It’s Time to Change" by Roger Neugebauer. Both articles register the frustration and anxiety over resources that exist among early educators. What is happening in today’s early childhood programs? The word that appears in both titles �" change �" sums up the issue. Perhaps it holds the seed of the solution. How do educators, teachers, and providers manage steps that we must take, but feel overwhelmed by? Early educators have only just begun to understand their historical context, recognizing that what goes on in early childhood classrooms did not start in the 1960s or even in the 20th century, but goes back into the 17th century in Eastern Europe. Now, we must work to understand that no matter how honored we are to have responsibility for other people's children, we are also professionals that teach others how to learn. This means that we, too, are life-long learners, changing as we learn, ...