The early childhood education sector is currently facing many challenges around the US, which authorities are struggling to rectify. These issues include pervasive under-funding in public schools, the decline of teacher mental health, and lowered learning capacity in young children due to pandemic-related causes.
Michael Rashid is an education and healthcare executive and has launched innovative ventures related to improving early childhood education in various cities in the US. As this field is one of Mr. Rashid’s passions, below he shares some of the recent challenges that educators and administrators are grappling with.
US Public Schools Are Significantly Underfunded
Michael Rashid reports that a recent study’s findings show that US public schools are underfunded by around $150 billion per annum. The research project, entitled Closing America’s Education Funding Gaps, also found that the funding gap is more pronounced in areas where the schools have mainly Latin-oriented and black pupils. This means that a lack of classroom materials and resources is one of the main challenges early childhood educators face.
It is not uncommon for early childhood teachers to resort to fundraising activities and use their own limited personal funds to supplement inadequate school budgets according to Michael Rashid. As most early childhood development teachers do not earn large salaries, especially at public schools, this scenario is not sustainable. However, most kindergarten and preschool teachers state that underfunding and the subsequent lack of access to learning resources are ongoing problems at work.
The recent study suggests that sufficient funding is available; it only needs to be distributed more evenly and effectively. It is in this area that the weakness lies, for the lack of change suggests sufficient action is not being taken by educational authorities to make a difference in this area.
Declining Educator Mental Health and its “Trickle Down” Effect
Michael Rashid says that with the challenges faced by educators in the workplace, such as lack of resource funding, low salaries, long working hours, etc., teachers are also struggling to maintain proper mental health. While this impact is serious on its own, another issue is that it has a “trickle-down” effect and ultimately also impacts learners.
Teaching is a demanding occupation, and teachers need to be at their best to take care of and develop young children. Many teachers are suffering from severe stress and overwhelm due to the job’s demands. This impacts their ability to teach well and their capacity to effectively manage a classroom and its administrative needs. Michael Rashid explains further that stressed educators are more likely to snap at children, thus not giving them a positive learning experience, which can cause the child to become demotivated and unhappy at school, lead to less engagement, and result in lower grades.
A large body of evidence has also confirmed that pupils who are exposed to high levels of stress in their early years can suffer tremendous difficulties later in their lives. These difficulties may include cognitive impairment and other stress disorders. Stress is unavoidable in modern life, but children need to learn to deal with it in constructive ways, which they can only learn from adults who have good mental health. A child’s healthy development depends on being guided by stable, caring adults who can be role models for positive stress responses.
Michael Rashid explains that early childhood educator mental health has been a cause for concern for a long time, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. Higher percentages of teachers are currently reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression. Due to the demanding pace of the work, teachers usually do not take time off to deal with mental health concerns, either. This causes burnout, leading early childhood educators to leave the field for good.
A 2020 study revealed that 44% of young teachers leave teaching after only five years. Thus, drawing in and retaining qualified teaching staff is another challenge facing the industry.
Difficulty Retaining New Teachers
New teachers often find the field is not what they expected, with the latest accountability protocols stultifying their creativity teaching in the classroom. Reports show that educators are up against it from all sides. They are expected by school administrators and parents to deliver high-quality learning with minimal resources and support. The pressure they put on themselves to deliver is also not insignificant. Many teachers also state that micro-management of their activities is one of the key causes of stress and ultimately burnout.
Michael Rashid says that added to this, public schools early childhood teachers are often dealing with issues at home that impact their behavior and ability to do their school work. These can include food insecurity, absent or unemployed parents, abuse, etc. A teacher must then also navigate these complications, which can take more energy and time out of him or her.
Mental health and burnout can also affect school children. Young children thrive when they have predictable, stable, long-term relationships with adults such as parents and teachers. If their teacher leaves the profession due to mental health complications, this can destabilize the child’s world and thus their development. This can lead to emotional and behavioral issues later on.
Children Are Not Learning As Well Due to COVID-19
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s learning is an early childhood development issue that cannot be ignored. Young children like to be very hands-on and engaged, and according to a recent McKinsey study, learning online has impacted their capabilities.
In the United Kingdom alone, children K-12 were five months behind on math and four behind on reading by the end of the school year. Many teachers are also overwhelmed with both online and face-to-face classes, leading to less time for individualized attention on each student.
Basic spatial sense, math, and literacy skills need to be established at a certain juncture in a young child’s life according to Michael Rashid. If these milestones are not met due to retention challenges caused by remote learning, it could be very challenging for children to catch up later. It could even lead to life-long challenges if these foundations are not established.
Conclusion
These recent news stories bring just a few concerns about early childhood development education to light. According to researchers, US underfunding, educator mental health decline, and worldwide delayed learning due to COVID-19 do not lead to a sustainable education model and will bring consequences. It’s possible that more preschool educators will leave the field if these challenges are not met with workable solutions.
