Children have a right to a quality childhood which includes the following:
- Environments that:
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respond to and promote individual differences and appreciation of individual capabilities
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value differences across families, their backgrounds, and use these to support individual and community learning.
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foster development where children can explore and initiate their own learning
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surrounds children with caring adults who foster self-confidence, appropriate decision-making, and, social and emotional growth and expression.
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Families are recognized as children's most important teacher and are supported by the following:
- Responsive, respectful, reciprocal partnerships with professionals.
- Ongoing opportunities to:
- share about their children's learning and needs
- actively engage in the development of learning opportunities for children
- continue learning about child development and strategies to support health development and growth.
- shape policies and development of early learnings programs/systems.
Communities need a comprehensive system of early childhood services in which:
- The community:
- shares a responsibility/role for all children's well being (i.e. social, emotional, physical, and intellectual)
- believes that nurturing care, health and education of young children are inseparable, and, that assessment is inclusive of multiple sources of information.
- views everyone as learners and teachers
- Partnerships are developed within the community for children to be successful
- Early learning systems/programs are ready to serve all children based on the child's development and unique background.
- Services are nondiscriminatory, multicultural, multilingual, and have integrated curricula that fosters the development of all children, and supports all families.
Public policy must be designed to:
- Recognize the early learning experiences are foundational for lifelong learning.
- Develop a comprehensive early childhood system that address the whole child and value and support the needs of families.
- Allocate and provide funding/incentives for early learning partnerships, and, encourage the collective participation of all major stakeholders in the community
- Value early childhood professionals (including monetarily) on a basis comparable to other educators for their contributions
- Bridge career opportunities with a common early childhood certification system.
For questions about this information, contact Sherry Kimball (608) 267-9625