Introduction
Early childhood education and care is an essential developmental stage that lays the foundation for the personal and academic growth of the child. Children who receive quality early childhood care tend to have better cognitive, psychological and physical development than those who receive low-quality care. However, service providers face several challenges that limit children’s ability to access quality care and education. This paper argues that most challenges preventing the provision of quality care in the 21st century revolve around the shortage of teachers, financial constraints and competition from Pre-K in public schools.
Early Childhood Institutions’ Challenges
High rates of teacher turnover fuel the shortage of qualified early childhood teachers. According to research, teachers working with children in early childhood education are more likely to leave their work compared to their counterparts in the K-12 system (Grant et al., 2019). The high teacher turnover rate negatively impacts the provision of quality care because children find it difficult to form stable relationships with their caregivers. The high turnover rate has increased the teacher-learner ratio, making one caregiver attend to the needs of many children, which decreases the quality of services children receive. One of the factors that facilitate the shortage of teachers in early childhood education is the lack of sufficient pay to cater to the needs of the teachers (Grant et al., 2019). Most teachers are forced to leave work for better employment opportunities to pay for their essential needs. Besides, the stress levels associated with handling early learners do not often match their salaries. Additionally, the economic situation in the country has been deteriorating, yet teachers in this sector have not been cushioned from experiencing the effects of unfavorable economic conditions.
Many nonprofit organizations that provide care have been experiencing financial constraints that limit their ability to offer quality care. These organizations tend to rely on parents and government subsidies to operate effectively (Neugebauer, 2010). However, the amount of support that nonprofit organizations obtain from government subsidies and parents does not match their expenses. As a result, these organizations depend heavily on private charities whose contribution is insufficient to facilitate the provision of quality care. Financial constraints tend to be severe depending on the size of the organization (Neugebauer, 2010). The larger the organization, the more financial challenges it is likely to face because the stakeholders may fail to meet the required budget, thus negatively affecting basic operations.
Despite the deteriorating economic status, the government has been decreasing the subsidies it offers to nonprofit organizations. This new trend has subjected many organizations for caregiving to higher budgets. Besides, the lack of subsidies for middle-class parents whose children form the majority of learners in the care organization makes it difficult for such parents to support such organizations financially (Neugebauer, 2010). For a long time, stakeholders have sidelined and underfunded the early education sector, making it challenging to upgrade the working conditions and acquire the necessary resources to improve service quality. For instance, inadequate funding has hindered the recruitment and maintenance of qualified teachers. Additionally, organizations’ inability to meet teachers’ needs has led to high turnover rates in the sector.
Several programs provide funds for teachers and finance some of the basic programs in early childhood education institutions. However, most of these programs are meant to offer short-term solutions and are only implemented during a crisis. These programs have hindered the stakeholders from recognizing the long-term problems that this sector is facing. The lack of long-term plans has made most of the financial challenges in the early education sector recurrent, forcing directors of institutions to make tough decisions on how to use the limited resources to meet the needs of the teachers and learners at once (Philipp, 2015). As a result, most of these managers are subjected to constant stress and pressure, which may affect their decision-making ability in the long term. Additionally, most of these managers spend a lot of time formulating plans and attending financial meetings in their quest for funds (Philipp, 2015). Such a tight schedule deprives them of the free time that they could spend with their families, thus contributing significantly to a mental breakdown.
Financial malnutrition in the early education sector has led to increased competition for funds between organizations. Increased competition among institutions has changed the objectives of learning programs and increased achievement expectations in the sector (Philipp, 2015). Organizations with high achievements and expectations create a better chance to attract investors and funders than organizations that have different objectives. As a result, diversity within the sector has been greatly limited since many organizations compete for the same achievements to emerge as favorites getting funders. This competition has shifted the focus from the well-being of the children to the interests of investors and donors (Philipp, 2015). As a result, children’s interest has been significantly sidelined, thus negatively affecting the quality of care organizations provide to learners.
Lastly, for-profit caregiving organizations experience stiff competition from free Pre-K public schools. Parents have been transferring their children from private operators to free public schools, which they consider affordable (Neugebauer et al., 2017). As a result, private operators have lost many of their older students and are forced to only care for toddlers and infants. The expenses for caring for the younger learners are more expensive and cannot be managed by the finances that the parents are paying. Instead, organizations used to rely on the fees of the older students to supplement the expenses of caring for the younger children.
Increased operational cost in organizations with younger children has forced the management to hike fees, making it unaffordable to many parents. As a result, some parents have been withdrawing their children from such institutions. Consequently, many organizations in areas with a large number of Pre-K public schools have been forced out of business, while others have been left with limited resources that cannot meet the needs of the learners and teachers (Neugebauer et al., 2017). This is the same threat that nonprofit institutions face from public schools. Many parents opt to take their children to public schools because they are well-funded and have efficient resources compared to nonprofit schools, where funding is a significant concern.
Conclusion
In conclusion, for-profit and non-profitable early childhood institutions experience significant challenges that limit their ability to offer quality services. The major challenges these organizations face include the lack of qualified teachers to provide quality services due to high teacher turnover rates in the sector. Additionally, these organizations experience financial difficulties due to insufficient investors and donors. Many parents in the middle-class lack government subsidies, making it difficult for them to pay for their children to access quality care. Lastly, private operators experience stiff competition from public schools, which are well-funded and have better resources, thus attracting students from private operators.
References
Grant, A. A., Jeon, L., & Buettner, C. K. (2019). Relating early childhood teachers’ working conditions and well-being to their turnover intentions.Educational Psychology, 39(3), 294-312. Web.
Neugebauer, R. (2010). Nonprofit Leaders Face New Realities. Childcareexchange.com. Web.
Neugebauer, R., Ficke, K., Rogy, R., & Richards, D. (2017). Five Trends Impacting the For-Profit Child Care World. Ccie catalog.s3.amazonaws.com. Web.
Philipp, G. (2015). Prolonged Financial Malnutrition Impact on Our Field. Earlychildhoodfunders.org. Web.