Latest news with #earlyChildhood
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Should children at nursery have screen time?
Toddlers having screen time is a controversial topic among many World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children under five spend no more than one hour a day looking at a it is a Ms Rachel video, an episode of Peppa Pig or a literacy or numeracy activity, the issue divides children, parents and News NI has spoken to three people who work with young children to find out their views. Regular screen time At St Teresa's Nursery School in west Belfast, children have access to screen time on a regular principal, Clare Evans, believes using digital technology will enhance children's learning, but must be safe. "We had a wee boy who came in who was very, very passive," Clare told BBC News NI."He was shy, reluctant to make eye contact and he found it difficult to engage with the activities, even though we had lots of sensory things. Through digital learning, he started to thrive."We were able to present things to him in a way in which he understood."Nursery staff used a tablet to play farm animal sounds, display QR codes for him to scan and created an interactive whiteboard to demonstrate his understanding of numbers and letters."It isn't about children sitting watching Peppa Pig or whatever all day, it's about providing multiple means of engagement for the children and seeing how we can make adjustments to encourage them to learn and develop, not focusing on deficits." Digital inclusion In west Belfast, nursery schools have been working together to identify trends nurseries are experiencing with how ready children are for Evans said after Covid-19 more children have been coming into school with a "lack of readiness" for their age. "We have so many more children coming in with nappies on, not speaking, dummies, not able to jump on two feet, things like that."It's a combination of factors: people in the house more, a lack of social interaction, stress levels are high and it is particularly prevalent among families who are living in poverty."The nursery schools have identified three key areas which need improvement: engagement, communication and regulation."We are seeing massive improvements among pupils in these areas, through the use of digital technology," said Clare. No tablets or TVs At Petite Feet, a private day nursery in Newtownabbey, Country Antrim, tablets and TVs are not part of the daily Aaron Ferguson told BBC News NI that staff "are actually quite proud of the fact that when you leave your child to our nursery they don't have access to screens"."There probably are some positives to using screens but, for us, we don't feel that at this age - under five - they need any more of it than they are already exposed to outside of nursery," he said. Screen-free zone "We try to get the children outside as much as we can, we love music and movement, playing with Play-Doh, things like that."He stated the day can be busy and there isn't time for digital tech."I don't really see the point in putting your child in childcare where there are highly trained staff and so many other amazing resources around you and they're just put in front of a screen."I understand that screens can be used as educational tools... but at an early age, for us, it's about interacting with peers, adults, getting a feel for things and physically doing stuff together." Discussion needed Prof Karen Winter from Queen's University Belfast co-authored the UK-wide Toddlers, Tech and Talk project, led by Prof Rosie Flewitt from Manchester Metropolitan University. It considered how children from birth to the age of three engage with digital technologies."There are different parental views as to the purpose of nurseries and the role of staff within them," said Prof added that nurseries have varied approaches to digital tech, some include it as a part of a child's daily routine, with music from Alexa or tablets to search for information on objects, colours Winter said it is "increasingly common" for certain settings to use "digital documentation apps" as a way to document children's learning. "The differences in approach are all understandable given the young age of the children," she added. Prof Winter said there are "benefits" to children having access to digital technology and there are benefits against it. She added the approach to digital use should be a discussion between the nursery and parents.
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Princess of Wales champions six months' paternity leave for new fathers
The Princess of Wales has inspired one of Britain's leading businesses to give new fathers six months of fully-paid paternity leave. As a direct result of the Princess's plea to businesses to invest in early childhood, Deloitte changed its policy to give all new fathers the same parental leave offered to new mothers. The Princess has been urging business leaders to support new parents as part of her mission to transform attitudes towards early childhood. The Prince of Wales took two weeks of leave after the birth of George but six weeks for Charlotte, as her birth coincided with the end of a block of pilot training. When Prince Louis was born in 2018 he took two weeks' leave, which was punctuated by two official engagements. Since then, the Prince and Princess have sought to prioritise their children, doing the school run and ensuring, as much as possible, that weekends and school holidays are spent as a family. Prince William said in 2016: 'I'm a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously and I want to bring my children up as good people.' New fathers are entitled to a minimum of two weeks' paid parental leave, compared to up to a year for mothers. In September, Deloitte, a member of the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce on Early Childhood, announced that new fathers could have at least six months off work in a drive to increase the number of female partners at the firm. The Princess has been urging business leaders to support new parents as part of her mission to transform attitudes towards early childhood. Early childhood has been a 'huge priority' for the Princess, with royal sources previously describing how she intends to make raising awareness of the critical importance of the first five years of a child's life her 'life's work'. Last year, her business taskforce published a report making the economic case to invest, suggesting that supporting children and their caregivers could lead to £45.5 billion in value added for the national economy each year. It has now revealed the projects delivered by its members, including funding for more than 1,300 early years teachers to take Teach First leadership qualifications and more than 130 apprenticeships for midwives, health visitors and nursery nurses. Lego donated 3,000 'Emotions' building sets to early years providers across the UK, while Ikea launched a product range that raises money for baby banks. Iceland has created 'emoji posters' to help young children communicate. Sir Ron Kalifa, the chairman of The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, expressed 'deep pride' in its members for showing such strong leadership and rising to the challenge. 'Their efforts have made a real, tangible difference in the lives of countless families with young children,' he said. 'This is only the beginning of what's possible. The road ahead is bursting with potential. 'By continuing to work hand-in-hand, we have the chance to reimagine the role of business in society – not just as engines of economic activity, but as champions of childhood, wellbeing and long-term societal health.' The Royal Foundation said the various initiatives would 'support families and create a happier, healthier society'. Taskforce members have committed to further extending their impact. NatWest has pledged to extend its target to £250 million after already increasing lending for early years providers to £100 million. Aviva will shortly release a series of short films created for its 26,000 employees, which aim to help managers and new parents to feel more supported in the workplace and Co-op is developing assets for its six million members designed to improve understanding of how to nurture social and emotional development in children. Sir Ron added: 'Businesses of every shape and size – from high-street shops to global enterprises – hold unique and powerful touchpoints: as employers, as providers of goods and services, and as pillars of the communities they proudly serve. These roles aren't just business functions – they're incredible platforms for meaningful action.' The taskforce, established in March 2023, is made up of Aviva, The Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Iceland Foods, IKEA UK and Ireland, The Lego Group, NatWest Group and Unilever UK. Last year's report, produced by Deloitte, found the economy could benefit some £12.2 billion from 'equipping people with improved social and emotional skills in early childhood'. A further £16.1 billion could be added to the economy by 'reducing the need to spend public funds on remedial steps for adverse childhood experiences' and £17.2 billion from 'supporting parents and caregivers of under-fives'.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Head Start Dodged Trump's Budget Cuts
This article was originally published in CalMatters. This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Chalk one up for the 4-year-olds. Thanks to a relentless onslaught of pleading, cajoling, lobbying and public pressure, Head Start appears to have dodged the federal budget axe — for the time being. Last month, President Donald Trump's early budget draft called for the elimination of Head Start, the free early-childhood program for low-income families. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's conservative policy roadmap, also called for the program's demise, saying it has 'little or no academic value.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter That triggered an all-hands-on-deck response from Head Start staff, families and alumni, who touted the program's success in propelling families out of poverty. The National Head Start Association said advocates sent more than 300,000 letters to Congress, added more than 50,000 signatures to petitions and attended rallies throughout the country. Meanwhile, Head Start advocates took to social media and national TV to plead their case and visited Republican members of Congress to convince them of the program's value. They reached out directly to the White House. In their free time, advocates said they lobbied everyone from neighbors to hairdressers to gardeners — anyone who had even a remote interest in the program. It appears to have worked: The latest draft of Trump's budget proposal, released last week, doesn't call for any changes to the $12.27 billion program. Still, advocates worry that new cuts may lie ahead. 'We mobilized absolutely everyone,' said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start in California. 'We launched a very intensive campaign. We still have a lot of concerns, but right now there's a sigh of relief.' Head Start, launched in 1965, served about 800,000 children last year, including 83,000 in California. Originally a preschool, the program now serves children from birth through age 5. Children get meals and a play-based academic curriculum that prepares them for kindergarten, while families get housing and job assistance, referrals to social and medical services, prenatal visits and parenting support. To qualify, families need to be below the federal poverty line, which is $26,650 for a family of three, be homeless or receive food assistance. Children in foster care also qualify. The program is relatively cost-efficient: The per-pupil annual cost is about $13,700, compared to the cost of private preschool, which in California can easily exceed $20,000 a year, depending on the location. Research is mixed on the program's effectiveness. One study found that Head Start alumni had significantly higher rates of high school and college graduation. But another study found that children who attended Head Start outperformed their peers at first, but by third grade the advantage had all but dissipated. Regardless, the program is immensely popular with families and programs typically have waiting lists. Oscar Gomez, vice chair of Episcopal Community Services' board of directors, a Head Start provider in San Diego, attended the program as a child growing up in Tulare County. While his mother worked in the nearby almond and orange orchards and took English classes, Gomez and his three siblings learned to share and take turns, count to 20 and write their names. Head Start imbued him with a love of school and allowed his mother to take classes that led to higher-paying jobs, he said. Gomez went on to get two master's degrees and his mother now conducts home visits for Head Start. 'I can honestly say that without Head Start I would not be where I am today, and there are millions and millions of people like me,' Gomez said. Episcopal Community Services runs 17 Head Start programs, serving 1,200 children from Chula Vista, San Ysidro, San Diego and other communities. Parents typically work in local restaurants or hotels, and 60% share their living quarters with other families. If they lost Head Start, families would either have to curtail their work hours or leave their children with neighbors or other family members, arrangements not likely to provide the same high-quality curriculum or services, said Rosa Cabrera-Jaime, the organization's director of early education and family services. 'Absolutely, some of our families would become homeless if they lost Head Start,' she said. Precious Jackson, a single mother of four, has relied on Head Start while she earns her bachelor's degree and works as a substitute school librarian in San Diego. She also credits Head Start for providing speech therapy to her son, when he wasn't talking as a toddler, and providing an extra academic boost to her daughter, whom she believes is intellectually gifted. 'Head Start has made a tremendous difference in my life,' Jackson said. 'I am not wasting one drop of this opportunity.' Without Head Start, she'd be working two or three jobs just to pay for child care, she said. Now, she can plan a higher-paying career. She hopes to graduate soon with a degree from University of Arizona's online campus and work as a school librarian. But she's rattled by potential cuts to Head Start, which could derail her own education. 'For me, Head Start is a necessity,' she said. 'I want to tell Congress, Head Start works. Let's keep it rolling.' Congress will release its budget in the next few weeks, and Head Start advocates are confident that it will reflect Trump's wish to save the program. But it's not guaranteed, and the final budget may still include steep cuts. In addition, they worry about cuts to other programs, such as Medicaid, that could cause Head Start families to lose health care and other services. Neither Trump nor Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who oversees Head Start, have addressed Head Start cuts directly, but Trump has said he wants to hand more education programs to the states and reduce federal spending. Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers have come out in favor of Head Start, including numerous members of the California Legislature who last week joined their Democratic colleagues to send a letter to Congress asking to protect the program. Cuts to HSS have already affected services, Cottrill said. Amid a 10,000-employee workforce reduction, the agency closed half of its regional centers, including one in San Francisco, leading to long delays in getting help and receiving payments. An HHS ban on public communications has prevented Head Start staff from getting clarity on funding. 'We've had programs within hours of closing their doors,' Cottrill said. 'It's been so hard to keep morale up and keep staff focused on their jobs, if they don't know whether they'll have a job tomorrow and families don't know if they'll have someplace to take their children.' Head Start staff also worry about the Trump administration's anti-diversity orders. The program requires a culturally sensitive approach in the classroom, which includes bilingual education and meals that children would recognize from home, among other things. Staff aren't sure how to comply with Trump's orders while also meeting program requirements. Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said the recent tumult has left staff and families nervous. 'Folks are scared. The fact that eliminating Head Start was even under consideration has been scary,' he said. 'We're confident that Congress will do the right thing, but even a 25% cut would be pretty austere.' This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
