Watch this compelling documentary about the importance and value of Early Childhood Education. Economists conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the value of high quality early care and preschool for all. The research says that we are spending TOO LITTLE where it matters the most- young children. Watch it here and join the conversation:
1) What was your reaction? What advice/suggestion(s) would you give to the filmmakers?
2) Who is the audience for this documentary? How do we make sure the right people are watching this important documentary?
We want to hear from you!
Are We Crazy About Our Kids? is the first release from a broader series called The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation.
So important! I do have to admit, it is hard for me to see economists, etc. have so much say in all of this, but I guess "they" are a necessary tool for change. "Investing" in our future IS key. BUT how we implement these changes/investments in EC is imperative. As this documentary has shown me, we have to be very careful in how we are CURRENTLY defining and implementing "high quality" EC programs. High quality EC seems to mean different things to different people. High quality programming seemed to be depicted in two clearly different ways in this documentary. When the film begins, the children are seated around a table with the economist gentleman and they are engaged in what appears to be a teacher directed "writing" activity. They apparently were working on writing their "Rs". I know this because the teacher is heard in the background as saying, "Keep writing your Rs. Let's practice them". In other current U.S. footage, the children are also engaged in very teacher directed, academic activities. I noticed no evidence (or minimal) of spontaneous play in any of the current U.S. programs used in this film . Sadly, the current U.S. footage seems to leave out DAP all together. They look more like kindergarten/first grade classes than what we know DAP/high quality preschools should look like. . Interestingly enough, the display of what high quality early childhood ed. SHOULD look like in its true "developmentally appropriate" form, was evident in the Perry Preschool Study footage (1962-1967). It appears that 50 yrs ago in the U.S., high quality programs evidently valued active play, children running freely, exploring, easels and dramatic play equipment/materials. Also, in all of the other countries' early childhood/child care programs in this film (except China), the children were engaged in active, open-ended and symbolic play. Even when engaged with teacher in more teacher directed activity, the activity was hands-on, active and exploratory. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited that early ed. is getting the attention that it deserves. We have come a long way! This film does clearly shows the failures of our current system and why we have to invest in our youngest children and families TODAY. We are so far behind the times. BUT we have to be so careful as to which model of high quality programming we choose to enforce. What I saw in this film made worry that we are valuing all the wrong things. We DO need to support change, but we ALSO have to hold on to what we KNOW works, and made sure OUR voices, supporting play and developmentally appropriate practice, are heard when the changes are implemented.