Introduction
The work will evaluate such components as quality, efficiency, and effectiveness due to the adoption of specific measures, as well as their impact on families, special workers, and educational institutions in general within the framework of the Early Learning Child Care Act. In any case, this investigation will allow people to assess the picture of the situation within the framework of introducing the law that appeals to financial investments in the preschool system and assistance to parents. This paper is devoted to a comprehensive study and in-depth analysis of the Early Learning Child Care Act as one of the most important legislative initiatives supporting children and their families in New York State.
Family Types
Firstly, the Act covers nuclear, replenished, mixed families, as well as those in which there is only one parent. Secondly, and as a rule, these households are at the 2nd and 3rd stages of the life cycle: the beginning of childbearing and the birth of the last offspring. Thirdly, it is essential to mention that parents, as practice shows, have secondary or higher education but, at the same time, receive low and average incomes (Ramos, n.d.). In essence, such families are the working or middle class; each of these categories belongs to more than 40% of the population in New York.
Fourthly, it will be necessary to indicate that the initiative affects every family, regardless of cultural, religious, geographical, national, ethnic, and other aspects. Fifthly, spiritual and cognitive elements prevail among relatives, as well as the desire for small children to be able to realize themselves, their talents, and abilities despite the “family shortcomings” (Ramos, n.d.). Sixthly, it is no secret that parents and their youths should function in society correctly without recognizing critical legal issues.
Principles
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Act, for the most part, concerns families with low or medium incomes, as well as secondary or higher education. Thus, in order to assess the Act’s effect on these families in a competent, objective, and correct form, it is required to refer to the five main principles. They include stability and healthy relationships in the family, and responsibility, diversity, and engagement (Family Impact Checklist, n.d.). Indeed, the role of each of these aspects is challenging to underestimate or overestimate since they are essential in the formation and development of clear rules, norms, and standards concerning “basic units of society.”
Family Responsibility
Primarily, from the point of view of obligations and responsibilities for implementing the program, it is necessary to highlight the following elements. Hence, the Tax Law expands the available opportunities for affordable, high-quality, effective, and efficient education, contributing to balanced and comprehensive baby growth. Undoubtedly, such innovations affect the strategy for the long-term development of the country’s citizens, the formation of correct skills, and certain attitudes of individuals corresponding to their social roles. Investing in the development of the future generation is a tactic that allows one to bring impressive and long-term benefits to society, the state, and its government (Barnett et al., 2020). Moreover, the Act provides financial assistance and support not only to families but also to employees of preschool institutions. Without any doubt, one should bear in mind that the economic contribution to the education and upbringing of children provides a high return both in the United States and around the world (Barnett et al., 2020). Accordingly, this makes it possible to place particular emphasis on strengthening civil rights, improving the needs of the people, and, as a result, fulfilling specific duties to the Motherland and the Fatherland in a high-quality manner.
Family Stability
Secondly, the following conclusions should be drawn about the legislative project based on stability and reliability. Thus, family values and needs are supported through the Act, directly related to the younger generation’s proper development, upbringing, and training. In any case, stability is achieved due to lower costs for the child’s education, permitting families to save the budget for other equally important needs and requirements (Hardy, 2019). The law improves living conditions, preserving the protection of family members from severe mistakes in a child’s upbringing. Otherwise, in the absence of a proper amount, there is a risk that children receive poor-quality education (Morgan, 2019). Additionally, such phenomena can play a “cruel joke” on offspring’s future opportunities and prospects. In general, the law ensures citizens’ quality of life; it is assumed that through funding, some impoverished families will be able to “stay afloat” in the face of various changes in the country and the New York state.
Family Relationships
Thirdly, it is necessary to highlight several essential principles and concepts regarding family relations. The project aims to legally protect families and the rights and interests of children in quality education. The practice by the New York administration is also aimed at maintaining and strengthening family ties. That actively supports demographic development and protects motherhood and childhood, which gives positive results. In particular, this is possible through unique events and several activities. One of the effective forms of interaction between preschool and family is the organization of project activities – when parents are actively involved in interaction with the work of educators and the life of children in the group. Like no other, project activity vigorously develops children’s cognitive initiative in kindergarten conditions. It allows uniting the interests of kids, their parents, and educators, which significantly changes the interpersonal relations between pupils, parents, and educators. All participants in the project activity gain experience in productive interaction and the ability to hear each other and express their attitudes to various aspects of reality.
Family Diversity
Fourthly, the legislation ensures the availability and quality of care, regardless of skin color, race, nationality, and other personal and physical characteristics of children and their parents. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the law provides assistance and support to absolutely all families, whether it is a full-fledged family or an incomplete one. At least, the Act applies to any law-abiding family, taking into account all kinds of roles and statuses. Thus, the Act guarantees honesty, equality, and justice and considers social diversity. Despite this diversity and conservative ideas about what a family should be, the following remains unchanged. For example, from the point of view of protecting children’s rights, a family is a structure that provides care, upbringing, and development of a kid.
Family Engagement
Fifthly, with the help of the law, a trusting relationship is established between a parent and an educator; an instructor shows personal interest and a desire to help, and a parent can tell about the individual characteristics of a child that is a concern, ask for advice from educators on the problems they are interested in. Establishing trusting relationships with family members smoothly leads to joint research and the formation of a harmoniously developed personality of a child. In this process, the teacher’s professional competence plays an important role, which implies the totality of knowledge and experience and the personal qualities of an educator. Parents often have some difficulties in not finding enough free time to study with their children at home; they are not sure of their abilities. Therefore, it is necessary to implement an integrated interaction system between preschool institutions and the family. At the same time, the use of various forms of cooperation with parents makes it possible to form their interest in parenting issues, arouse a desire to expand and deepen existing pedagogical knowledge and develop their children’s creative abilities.
Beneficial Effects
It is necessary to identify positive effects that could be overlooked without analysis. The standard includes almost all expenses that ensure the work of an educational organization. For example, additional funding through the law will allow educational institutions to provide decent teachers’ salaries. The increase in budget funding will also make it possible to expand social programs and accept children from low-income and large families whose parents cannot fully pay for the services of preschool institutions.
Education in these places plays one of the leading roles in human education since it is in preschool institutions that children’s communication skills are formed, speech development, physical development, and preparation for further education are activated. Using the example of the implementation of the ECE program, it is already possible to assess the expected results of the introduction of the Act for several years. For instance, in 4 years, a significant improvement in the quality of training was revealed, but mainly due to investments (Bassok, 2019). It is not a secret that financial independence gives schools more efficiency and flexibility in spending funds and increases the effectiveness of educational organizations.
Harmful Effects
In addition to the positive aspects, it is also necessary to identify the harmful elements that could manifest themselves in the absence of analysis. For example, this study allows one to draw more precise conclusions about future developments in relation to the financing of preschool institutions and the reduction in the cost of tuition fees. Thus, it can be determined with certainty that it is possible to notice the positive dynamics of better education for children due to the conducted research. This is especially important and significant information since it can be viewed from the micro, meso, and macro levels at once. Based on this, new measures, initiatives, and projects can be taken in the future.
Conclusions
Summing up the above, the following conclusions and suggestions should be made based on the Early Learning Child Care Act in New York State. This Act is one of the best measures to improve the accessibility, acceptability, reliability, quality, and effectiveness of education for young children in kindergartens. With the help of this law, every child has a unique opportunity to receive a decent education, which will respond in the future and affect further success. Moreover, some families, especially those with medium and low incomes, can now forget about worries and fears about paying for the education provided to their children. At least these families are socially protected, their rights are expanding, and new opportunities and prospects are formed.
References
Bassok, D., Magouirk, P., & Markowitz, A. J. (2021). Systemwide quality improvement in early childhood education: Evidence from Louisiana.AERA Open, 7(1), pp. 1-19. Web.
Barnett, W. S., Bernal, R., & Nores, M. (2020). The contributions of economics to early childhood education and care. In D. F. Gullo & M. E. Graue (Eds.), Scientific influences on early childhood education (pp. 119-131). Routledge.
Family impact checklist: Using evidence to strengthen families. (n.d.). Purdue University. Web.
Hardy, B., Hill, H. D., & Romich, J. (2019). Strengthening social programs to promote economic stability during childhood.Social Policy Report, 32(2), pp. 1-36. Web.
Morgan, H. (2019). Does high-quality preschool benefit children? What the research shows.Education sciences, 9(1), p. 19. Web.
Ramos, J. (n.d.). Senate Bill S7615. The New York State Senate. Web.