During further investigation into http://www.nhsa.org/, I am once again hit with
the cold hard fact that early childhood is all about the almighty dollar.
Trainings and conferences are offered to staff and parents, but at a cost—sometimes
in the amount of several hundred dollars! This does not include the cost of lodging,
food, and transportation. Teachers who work for this organization do not make a
large salary, so attending one of these sessions could prove to be cost prohibitive
if not subsidized. Is this the best use of the dollars allocated to Head Start?
As for parent conferences, I cannot imagine how parents could afford to attend,
given the fact that they have to meet low income guidelines in order to qualify
for services in the first place!
Instead
of feeling enlightened or inspired, reading the information found on this
website is making me feel discouraged. On every page are links: “Donate Now” “Become
a member” and notices about budget cuts and how “you” can and need to fight for
this program.
We
have more research than we know what to do with confirming that investing in
early childhood education is not only a good idea, it is a NECESSARY investment
to make (even if everyone jumping on the bandwagon doesn’t necessarily
understand how or why this investment is a good thing). But yet, one of the
biggest organizations concerning early childhood education is devoting much of
their website to trying to raise funds—through expensive trainings and
conferences, through donations and memberships—by whatever means necessary.
If
politicians and people in power truly supported the idea that early childhood
education was vital and necessary, then why aren’t the funds in place? Why do
organizations need to keep begging for them, lobbying for them, and supplementing
them?
When is REAL change going to occur?
