In 1989, the President and the nation's governors developed a set of national education goals to improve the quality of education in America. Although the first goal focused on school readiness, child care has often been viewed as falling outside that picture. The tenth anniversary of the goals is an important opportunity to redefine education and recognize that quality child care is part of a system of learning that affects child development. We know that children's language and cognitive skills thrive in quality child care programs, with responsive caregivers who are adequately trained and supported. In poor quality programs, opportunities to stimulate development are lost or squandered.
Child care is part of all three.
Child care is a family support. Not only is child care often provided by relatives and other family members, but from the perspective of the child as well as the family, child care is often an extension of the home. They have demystified the dichotomy that has fractured the early childhood field for so long. Research clearly tells us that early experiences matter. It doesn't matter where it happens or what the building is called, what matters is what happens once the children arrive.