ALTERNATIVE PROVISION IN EARLY YEARS

Alternative Provision in Early Years

Alternative Provision in Early Years

Overview

It can be argued that much of the evidence generated in the United States on the importance of early childhood to future health and attainment has had a greater effect on the national policies of other countries than it has in the U.S., which lacks a national policy agenda for young children. However, the U.S. is not the only country to struggle with the direction early childhood policy should take: England, Canada, and Australia all started with similarly fragmented early childhood services, and have tended to favor market-based solutions with limited reliance on the welfare state. This report describes some of the components of all four countries' efforts to develop policies that produce lasting gains for their youngest citizens. The authors also consider the implications of experiences in England, Canada, and Australia for the development of early childhood policy in the U.S.

Events and experiences in the first months and years of a child's life can set a foundation for lifelong well-being or leave a legacy of poor physical and emotional health and developmental challenges. Children from more-affluent families show marked advantages in both knowledge and skills that are evident long before school entry. Compared with children from impoverished backgrounds, they have better health status, are less likely to require hospitalization in the first five years of life, and are at less risk for future learning difficulties once they enter school. Recent studies document the impact of early adversity on adulthood, measured in higher levels of cardiovascular risk, alcoholism, drug use, and mental disorders.

Despite evidence of how much the early years contribute to later health and educational attainment; there is, as yet, no clearly articulated U.S. policy on this most important period of life. There are a number of possible explanations, all of which conspire to limit progress on early childhood policy in the United States:

Much of children's well-being depends on circumstances within the home, and typically, these have not been an incitement to government intervention.

Existing government programs that serve young children utilize a deficit model, are marginally funded, and operate in a maze of local, state, and national funding streams, with little communication or coordination across health, education, and social services sectors.

Measures of what constitutes high-quality care for young children are insufficient and require further development. The least tangible aspects of caregiving that are most difficult to measure—mutual trust, positive affect, nurturance, responsiveness—are likely to be most important for the child's long-term well-being.

The U.S. is not the only country to struggle with early childhood policy directions. England, Canada, and Australia all started with similarly fragmented early childhood services, a penchant for market-based solutions, and a desire to limit reliance on the welfare state. Families in each of these countries are facing similar pressures resulting from long hours at work, irregular work schedules, and limited child care options. This report describes components of each country's efforts to respond to the importance of the early years ...