Media for Children

After completing a class at Auburn University called Media for Children, I realized how extensive a child's library can and should be. The importance of reading and quality literature in a child's life continues to show itseld more and more. Children who read on a regular basis are proven to be more intellectual and have the ability to think more critically. The American Library Association selects a few books yearly to be awarded as winners. You may or may not agree with some of the choices, but these books are Newberry Award Winners, Coretta Scott King award winners, Caldecott winners, and many others. Personally, I believe that each child is different and is going to have differing opinions on those books they consider stellar and those they hate. I recently did a project the required me to read fifteen children's books and critique them. As I was doing this, I found bokos that I think will be excellent choices to have in my classroom and encourage my students to read. This is a list of the books that I recommend for classrooms and libraries around the country because they stimulate student's thinking and often leave them with an encouraging message.
Hondo and Fabian, written and illstrated by Peter McCarty. This book demonstrates to children that every person is different and likes to have their own adventures.
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. I really love this book because it shows how important it is to include others. The children in the book really use their imaginations to play together.
Penny from Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm. This book is about a family who was wealthy and suddenly lost everything the owned and had to make changes and move across the country.

Child Care Crisis

Families everywhere struggle with the rising costs of child care, wondering how they are going to afford it. With prices as high as $14,650 every year, parents consider whether one parent should simply stay out of work just to care for the children. Wendy Brauner, a mother in San Francisco, was writing a check to her children's preschool for $17,000 every year, very close to the amount she paid for her first semester of college. Until children start kindergarten, they are in constant need of childcare during the day while their parents are at work. The question is, should one parent stay home to care for the children? On top of the childcare cost, one must worry about having a place to live, food and water, and other necessities of life. A lot of families need the second income, but it adds the cost of childcare when both parents are working. The federal government will grant a tax credit up to $1,050 per child for up to two children in childcare, but that is only annual. Ultimately, every family has to make their own decision about childcare. Should one parent stay at home? If so, which parent must sacrifice their job and care for the children?

Obama Pledges $10 Billion to Early Childhood Education

President Barack Obama talked a lot about his views on education during the Presidential Debates. He repeatedly said that he thought education was very important and wanted more money to be given to education, with better treatment for teachers. Recently, President Obama followed through with his earlier speeches, pledging $10 billion to Early Childhood Education. Even with the current economic recession, President Obama continues to stress the importance of investing in education. Many other major philanthropists and the chairman of the Federal Reserve have commented that expanding early childhood education should be made a national priority, and many have given money towards education. Research has been done showing that each dollar donated to young children can eliminate further government spending on remedial education, teenage pregnancy and prisons. Experts call the early childhood education system fantastically fragmented, unconscionably underfinanced and bureaucratically bewildering. President Obama's platform emphasizes extending care to infants and toddlers, and placing poor children at a higher priority. His platform also provides new federal financing for states coming out with programs to serve young children of all incomes. For many years, conservatives fought many early childhood initiatives, but resistance has faded in recent years. I think that Mr. Obama's stand on education and the need for more money in the field is very good for the economy. Mr. Obama spoke about his want to increase funding in the Presidential Debates, and all the things he said gave teachers and students alike hope for the early childhood education system.

Full Day Kindergarten

Does full day kindergarten benefit children in the long run? This past summer, an announcement was made that more kindergarten programs would be shifting to full day programs. For parents, this often brought relief, realizing that after school childcare would not have to be provided for their children, adding additional costs to double income families. A study that appeared in the journal Child Development, used 13,776 children who were in kindergarten from 1998-1999. The reading and math skills of full day kindergarten students improved at a faster rate than the skills of those who only attended kindergarten part time. However, after kindergarten, the full day students did not develop any faster than the part time students. In fact, the academic skills of the part time kindergarten students actually surpassed those of the full day students between first and fifth grade. Dr. R. Scott Benson, a child and adolescent psychologist says, ""The bottom line for me is that there ought to be a high level of engagement between parents and children, and it ought to be a lot of fun. When there is stress in either direction—either because other life stresses inhibit interaction or because the child is uncomfortable—the learning process is curbed." I think that Dr. Benson says it well- parents and children have to communicate and interact with each other for children to develop properly. Most studies show that neither full day or partial day kindergarten make a very large difference in the long run, but small developmental differences can be noticed by the trained eye. It does not matter what type of family the child comes from, whether low income or very wealthy, the biggest thing a parent can do for a child is to spend time with them. Quality time, where words are exchanged and it is shown that a parent loves and cares about his or her child. Although many studies have been done, questions still remain about which is better: full day kindergarten or partial day kindergarten?