The Pica Perspective

When Should Children Start Formal Schooling?

The trend in this country is to begin formal schooling at younger and younger ages. It's all part of what I call the earlier-is-better syndrome: giving children a "jumpstart" on life and "success." But a new international study conducted by Cambridge University has determined that children should not start

school until at least age 6. Before that, the findings contend, children are not socially, emotionally, or developmentally ready to contend with the rigors of a curriculum.

Amen to that.

It won't come as any surprise to you that my favorite recommendation is that children under age 6 engage in a year of play-based learning before they start school.

Cambridge Primary Review co-author and chairwoman Gillian Pugh said forcing subject-based learning onto four-year-olds could affect their confidence.

"They are not going to learn to read, write and add up if you have alienated children by the age of four and five,'' she said. "If they are already failing by age four-and-a-half or five, then it's going to be quite difficult to get them back into the system again.''

And it will be darn hard, if not impossible, to reignite the love of learning they were born with.

Most European children don't start school until they turn six and in Sweden, Poland and Finland, the country that's number-one in the world in literacy and numeracy, they begin at age seven. 

'Nuff said?

Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month -- which makes it the perfect time to point out a few facts...

• Type 2 diabetes was formerly known as adult-onset diabetes because it was previously unheard of among the young.
  
• Type 2 diabetes is now seen in record numbers among the young; in fact the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled over the last two decades.
  
• A couple of years ago, the Centers for Disease Control study indicated that American children born in the year 2000 face a one-in-three chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.
  
• Early onset of diabetes will most likely mean its complications also begin earlier in life. When adults develop Type 2 diabetes, they suffer complications at about age 50; children with Type 2 diabetes can expect to see complications at about age 20.
  
• We currently spend approximately $96 billion annually treating diabetes in the United States, mostly due to its complications.
  
• Diabetes is one of the major health risks of overweight and obesity.
  
• The risk of developing diabetes is reduced by regular physical activity!
  
  
  

What's Best for Our Children? - The Next 20 Years

Am passing along this message from Fair Play for Children...

On 20th November this year, the seminal treaty on children, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, reaches its Twentieth Annivesary, the date on which in 1989, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to adopt the Convention and to open it for ratification by Member States.

 

Fair Play for Children, founded in 1972 by leading rights campaigner, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, is now founded on Article 31 of the Convention, the Right to Play, Rest and Recreation, and to share fully in Culture.   This Right does not exist in isolation, of course - e.g. Right to Child Care, Right to Health, Rights to Non-discrimination, Non-exploitation, Freedom of Association, To be heard etc

 

Leading up to the Anniversary Date, Fair Play is issuing a Challenge:

 

For Readers to tell us 5 things they would like to see achieved in the next 20 years for all Children. 

 

We ask that they contact us at:  playaction@fairplayforchildren.net

 

and tell us:

• one thing they would like their national Government to do for Children's Play
• one thing they would like their national Government to do for Children's Rights
• one thing they would like their local/municipal authority to do for Children's Play
• one thing they would like their local/municipal authority to do for Children's Rights
• one thing they would like to see all Governments do for All Children worldwide

over the next 20 years.

 

We'd ask they do this by 15th November so that Fair Play can email:

• Governments
• UK Local Councils

and others in time for 20th November 2009.

 

We also ask that people replying indicate their age and country.  No names needed.

 

Our website is www.fairplayforchildren.org  and a reply can be left there also.

Please do add your voice to this cause!

The Baby Einstein Refund

Have you heard that Disney, owners of the very lucrative Baby Einstein brand, has offered a refund to parents who purchased Baby Einstein videos before 2004, when the company was still claiming they boosted babies' brain power? I'd be surprised if you haven't heard; it's all over the place!

Here's what the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood had to say in its latest correspondence:

Our successful campaign to persuade Disney to give refunds to parents who purchased Baby Einstein videos has become a huge international story.  Media coverage includes a front page story in The New York Times ("No Genius in Your Crib?  Get a Refund"); stories on Good Morning America and the CBS Evening News; and articles in hundreds of newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.  Parents in other countries are now demanding their money back.

And thanks to you, the story has gone viral.  You've written about the refund and CCFC's success all over Twitter and Facebook.  Screen time for babies and Disney's deceptive marketing has become the hot topic on parenting blogs and listservs.  And pediatricians are planning to distribute information about the refunds in their offices.

The take away message?  Baby Einstein DVDs are not educational.  The New York Times called the refunds "a tacit admission that [Baby Einstein] did not increase infant intellect."  Now parents will be able to rely on honest information and solid research - not marketing hype - when making important decisions about if and when to let their youngest and most vulnerable children watch screen media. As one mom told us, "It's great that parents will now have one less thing to worry about.  No longer will they feel the pressure to have their babies watch so-called educational videos or risk falling behind."

I have a number of different thoughts about this whole thing. For example, Disney offered the refund after lawsuits challenged the educational claims of the DVDs; but they probably didn't expect the stir it would cause. I wonder if they would have offered if they'd known how much publicity it would garner. They've recently responded by saying the refund offer is part of its regular customer satisfaction plan, but as far as responses go that seems pretty weak.

I wonder, too, about the parents asking for a refund. Are they doing it to make the point that big companies can no longer use deception on consumers? Or have they looked at their little one's "intellect" and found it "lacking?" What were their expectations when they purchased the DVDs?

Don't you find that mom's comment interesting -- that now parents will have one less thing to worry about? I understand that there's no one easier to scare than a parent. After all, there's so much at stake in raising a child! But whatever happened to critical thinking? To listening to your instincts and standing your ground in the midst of surrounding insanity?

I hope that when the next "big thing" comes along with promises of better brains and brighter futures, parents will balk at the claims. That they'll do a little research or, even better, trust their inner wisdom over the contentions of commercial enterprises looking to line their pockets.

In the meantime, if you purchased a Baby Einstein DVD before 2004 and want a refund, click here!

Angry Australians & 10 Things Your Preschool Won't Tell You

Last week I told you that, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, an Australian group had recommended a ban on TV for children under 2. Apparently this report also claims that exposure to television at a young age can shorten a child's attention span and stunt language development. Hmmm. Seems like we've heard that one before, too.

Well, the Australians don't like it any more than most parents here did. In fact, many experts dispute those findings, saying the exact opposite is true -- that TV time can actually be beneficial for children.

Whom to believe? Whether or not they believed the findings of similar studies in this country, the majority of parents have chosen to ignore the AAP recommendations. I suspect Australian parents will similarly ignore what they don't want to hear.

In other news, a new book called 1,001 Things They Won't Tell You: An Insider's Guide to Spending, Saving, and Living Wisely by Jonathan Dahl and the editors of SmartMoney, offers a list of 10 things your preschool won't tell you. It's pretty interesting. Following is the list. If you want to read the comments under each, click here!

1. “Sure, we're licensed, but that doesn't mean we're any good.”

2. “Bus drivers make more than our teachers.”

3. “Learning the ABC s won't prepare your tot for kindergarten.”

4. “Discipline's not our forte.”

5. "Separation anxiety? Never gave it much thought.”

6. “Get ready to work overtime.”

7. “We serve more junk food than McDonald's.”

8. “We're harder to get into than Harvard.”

9. “Our pricey tuition is just the start.”

10. “We don't always follow our own education philosophy.”

Hmmm...

"Don't Talk to Strangers": Helpful or Harmful Message?

Have you ever smiled at a child in the grocery store, only to have them look at you in terror -- as though you were going to snatch them from the cart? If so, chances are good that child has been told -- probably forcefully and repeatedly -- not to talk to strangers.

Lenore Skenazy says "Don't talk to strangers" is one of the most useless pieces of advice ever foisted on us to foist on children. Lenore, author of Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had without Going Nuts with Worry, and one of my two guests on this week's featured BAM interview, believes it gives children the wrong message: that anyone they don't know is a stranger and not to be trusted. This, she says, not only instills fear in children; also it leaves them without options when there is actual stranger danger. Debbie Johnston, Vice President of Instruction and Partnerships at ChildCare Education Institute, strongly believes that parents and early childhood professionals must warn children about stranger danger.

What do you think? We live in a culture of fear, but is there justification for all the fear we're fed? Lenore, along with such experts as noted educator David Elkind and social historian Peter Stearns, says no. Freda Briggs, a professor emeritus in child development at the University of South Australia, contends that stranger danger is a myth. In Australia, for example, the odds of a child under 15 being murdered by a stranger are in the vicinity of one in 4 million. And according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics on violent crimes, between 1973 and 2002, out of every thousand children kidnapped, just one or two of them were abducted by strangers. As Lenore points out in the interview, driving in a car with mom is more likely than strangers to cause a child harm.

Admittedly, if I had young children, I'd probably follow them everywhere, hiding behind the bushes so they wouldn't know I was there. Heck, I might hide behind the bushes until they were driving. But I'd like to believe that common sense would prevail and I'd prevent my fears from becoming my children's.

Would I teach them not to talk to strangers? I think I prefer Lenore's suggestion. Listen to this dynamic and compelling interview and then share your opinion!

Toddlers & TV

As you probably already know, the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2001 recommended that children under the age of 2 watch no television. It caused quite a stir at the time, and I've been told by many parents and experts that few are following the recommendation.

Now comes a similar recommendation from the Australians.

Research by the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital suggests that children under the age of two should not watch any TV at all. The researchers have written guidelines for the Federal Government as part of the Get Up and Grow guidelines to reduce childhood obesity. They are designed specifically for child care centers but also provide some advice for parents.

Statistics show that four-month-old infants in Australia watch on average 44 minutes of TV each day and children under the age of four with pay TV at home spend at least three hours a day in front of the screen.

A senior lecturer in Child Development at the University of South Australia, Glenn Cuppitt, says the new guidelines are a measure of desperation to encourage children to be active and to interact with others.

"A measure of desperation." Hmmm. When did active and interactive children become so uncommon that we had to resort to desperate measures to get them to move and play together? And, trust me, this is not the case only in Australia!

Race to Nowhere

This week's featured program on the BAM Radio Network is my interview with Vicki Abeles, lawyer-turned-filmmaker, whose new film, Race to Nowhere, premieres this week. Vicki decided to make a 
movie when she took a long, hard look at the stress school was causing her middle-school children. She wondered why their childhood was significantly different from her own, and she was troubled by what she found. Among the differences: very little time to play or socialize with friends and much more pressure around school and homework. Vicki told me her daughters did more homework than she was required to do in graduate school!

Yup, I said graduate school.

I highly recommend that you take a little trip over to Vicki's website and watch the brief trailer. Its quiet power may well bring tears to your eyes; it did to mine. While you're there you can also find a schedule of screenings, resources, and ideas for taking action.

Oh, yes; you should definitely listen to the interview, too!

Step Up for Kids Week & Online Training

This is Step Up for Kids Week, a nationwide event focused on bringing attention to the care and education of America's children. This is the second annual non-partisan, nationwide event, sponsored by the Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) and co-sponsored by many other national, state, and local organizations (such as VOICES, Prevent Child Abuse America, the Afterschool Alliance, the National Association of Social Workers). It will bring thousands of people together during the week to show widespread public support for a shift in spending priorities toward children and families. It will call upon the administration, Congress, state legislatures, governors, mayors, and local officials to make our nation’s children a top priority. Events will take place on the steps of the state capitols and other appropriate venues as well as in Washington, DC.

The Every Child Matters website lists the following reasons why we need Step Up for Kids Week:

• Because millions of American children live in poverty.
• Millions are alone every day after school.
• Millions are without health insurance.
• Millions have no early learning opportunities.
• Millions are abused and neglected.
• Because the U.S. ranks 20th in child well-being among 21 rich democracies.
• Because federal spending on children is declining sharply as a percentage of the federal budget.

In honor of this event, ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)is giving child care staff access to its professional development library at no cost.

CCEI's online professional development library includes over 100 courses, covering topics such as: Child Development, Classroom Management, Curriculum, Guidance and Discipline, Health and Safety, and other topics pertinent to the child care industry. Each completed one-hour course is awarded 0.1 IACET CEU and may articulate to college credit. Students can print their certificates of completion immediately following course completion.

 

"Step Up for Kids Week is an opportunity for CCEI to recognize and reward early childhood professionals, teachers, center directors and staff for the valuable role they play in the development of children. We hope educators will use this opportunity for continuing education to enhance their knowledge base, which enhances the quality of care given to children," said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO.

 

Take advantage of this great opportunity to experience the benefits of online learning and gain valuable knowledge about early childhood education. To enroll, visit www.cceionline.com and select 'Click Here for Current Promotions' for detailed instructions on registering for the Step Up for Kids Week Promotion.

A Webinar & a Film Clip

On September 23rd, I presented a webinar for Head Start Body Start, called "Movement Across the Curriculum." It's the first in a series of four, and it looks at the connection between moving and learning, between mind and body. (And there are plenty!) If you'd like to see it or the PowerPoint slides, go to the HSBS website.

Coming in November: "Movement Across the Curriculum: Literacy," to be followed in later months by "Movement Across the Curriculum: Math," and "Movement Across the Curriculum: Science."

Also, although not specifically relevant to early childhood education, I highly recommend that you stop reading this blog and spend the time watching the clip from the documentary The 4th Purpose. It's a powerful indictment of the U.S. system of education that absolutely gave me chills.