reggio emilia ), child guidance strategies W r i t i n g

Assignment for Short Paper

The purpose of this short paper is to practice communicating about current issues impacting young children’s early care and education (ECE). Imagine you are a congressional staffer, and you’ve been asked to write a brief memo for an audience of politicians unfamiliar with the ECE landscape. Synthesizing course material from the first few weeks of class, you will identify a problem in ECE and make recommendations for policy and practice. Don’t worry about where the money will come from. Assume you have a sufficient budget to make the changes you propose. Lucky you!

You should address the following:

1. Focusing on one of the pillars of ECE (cost, access, or quality), describe what you view as the greatest obstacle to an ideal early care and education system in the United States.

a. Be specific in your description of the problem. For example, does it apply to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or some combination? Is the problem experienced more in some communities than others?

b. Explain why it matters (e.g., for child development, family wellbeing, ECE workforce, the economy, etc.).

2. Propose a system that would solve the problem you identified above. Be specific in your description of this system and the government’s role. Depending on your solution, you may choose to focus on one or both of the following:

a. Describe the type of setting (i.e., family friend and neighbor care, family child care home, center-based care) or combination of settings you think would be most beneficial for children and families. Explain why.

i. Remember that you are making policy recommendations. How can the government support families and providers in the system you are proposing?

ii. If you propose a combination of settings, how will a family’s assigned setting be determined? Why?

b. Describe the features that you believe are most important in children’s experiences of the ECE system you propose. To best meet children’s needs, where should the government focus its resources, training, etc.?

i. In addition to an overall description of important features, you can consider program approaches (e.g., High/Scope, Montessori, Reggio Emilia), child guidance strategies, and practices relating to diversity and inclusion.

Key tips for success:

Keep your paper focused and remember to be concise and avoid redundancy.

Connect your argument to course readings and use terminology from class.