Early Childhood Education and Care

This article discusses the importance of early childhood education and care, and how home visitations by professional care-givers have helped in reducing child abuse, enhancing cognitive development and enriching parent-child relationship as a whole. The article also highlights the factors that need to be considered before visiting a family for early childhood care, and the essential duties of a home visitor.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
The primary concern, before visiting a home for early childhood education and care
services, is to have a clear idea regarding the specific areas of disadvantage for the child and the
family. Various child-care and education services were designed with the aim to identify and
provide for the various complex needs of children and families, with particular disadvantages. In
order to visit a family for early childhood care, the factors that I need to consider include the age
of child, the current status of external and internal risk for the family, available services for the
required areas of disadvantage and accessibility and affordability of the available care services.
Depending on the risk factors of the child and the family, I would have to formulate an
appropriate model for home-intervention, which would address the specific areas of disadvantage
—keeping in mind the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of the child (Britto
et al. 2017). My essential duties for home-visitation include providing professional emotional
support to the child and his/her parents; guiding them with all relevant information and data; and
most importantly, provide sufficient guidance in improving parenting practices. Content of the
education and care process has to align with the specific needs of the child and family—
assistance with co-parenting, overcoming financial barriers, getting rid of abusive parenting
practices, supporting the child through failures, encouraging and inspiring the child to learn more
or/and conquering behavioural or learning disabilities (Jiang, Granja & Koball, 2017). With
proper guidance and care, the child’s development in intellectual and motor skills is bound to
improve.
As an efficient home visitor, I must keep in mind the importance of establishing a strong
relationship with the child and the family in order to carry out a value-driven management
process, emphasizing on the long-term needs of the child. Being flexible with my perceptions of
various disadvantages and the specific needs related to them is essential for exploring the

2EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
unpredictable lives of parents and their children. According to (Gestwicki, 2013), making
amendments to the curriculum as per the identified needs can be considered a step towards
reformation. Efficient organizational skills to connect with various unique families with varied
backgrounds considered more helpful than having theoretical knowledge regarding the same.
A parent’s responsibilities for their kids is not limited to poor grades in school
assignments, rather intricate participation and involvement of the parents in child’s day-to-day
activities and learning curriculum, has ample positive impacts on the development of the child.
Home-visits make it easier for the parents to communicate and collaborate with the professional
care-provider for the improvement of the child in concern (Jack, DiCenso & Lohfeld, 2016).
Increased involvement of parents in their child’s daily activities not only reassures the child with
a trustworthy support network but also restores confidence in parents about the future of the
child. This influences the child’s emotional quotient by restoring his/her emotional balance.
To conclude, home-visitations have ample benefits on the all-round development of a
child and also has huge impacts on reducing abusive parental practices. I am more aware
regarding the various kinds of needs faced by disadvantaged families and children, which
reaffirms my opinions on the necessity of responsible and competent service providers for
catering to the early childhood needs. Home-visitations by professional care-givers have
evidently helped in reducing child abuse, enhancing cognitive development and enriching parent-
child relationship as a whole.

3EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
References
Britto, P. R., Lye, S. J., Proulx, K., Yousafzai, A. K., Matthews, S. G., Vaivada, T., ... &
MacMillan, H. (2017). Nurturing care: promoting early childhood development. The
Lancet, 389(10064), 91-102.
Gestwicki, C. (2013). Developmentally appropriate practice: Curriculum and development in
early education. Cengage Learning.
Jack, S., DiCenso, A., & Lohfeld, L. (2016). Opening doors: Factors influencing the
establishment of a working relationship between paraprofessional home visitors and at-
risk families. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive, 34(4).
Jiang, Y., Granja, M. R., & Koball, H. (2017). Basic Facts about Low-Income Children: Children
under 18 Years, 2015. Fact Sheet. National Center for Children in Poverty.