One of the main problems is regulating quality in the
Bahamas. According to Ms. Smith,
programs have to report themselves in order to be monitored for quality and
accountability. The issue is that
some programs do not report and register.
Steps and policies are being advocated for so that all programs must
register. This also brings up
another issue: monitoring.
Apparently the programs that are registered are not properly monitored
due to staffing issues. Again,
policies are being drafted to address the staffing issue.
The
ability to obtain an Associate’s Degree in early childhood is plentiful in the
Bahamas. Almost every higher
learning institute has early childhood programs and certificates. This is helpful since there are several
islands that make up the Bahamas. Most
people obtain their Bachelor degrees through online learning although some of
the schools do offer the program.
The Bahamas has not seen the push for higher degrees in early childhood
even though the thoughts and policies behind early childhood are great. Her hopes and dreams revolve around
increasing the standards for preschool teacher education.
Ms.
Smith and her colleagues are advocates for increased education and monitoring
of standards. She feels blessed that her country takes
early childhood education seriously and is included in the Ministry of
Education department. Her hopes
and dreams include increasing quality and the ability to properly monitor all
programs. The biggest challenge is
the geography of the Bahamas themselves since they are a group of islands. Tourism is also another challenge. Potential staff for early childhood is
drawn to the tourism industry because it usually pays better. Ms. Smith hopes that more money from
tourism will be put into early childhood education and draw more people to the
field.
I enjoyed reading your post. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to teach in other places such as Hawaii or Bahamas or other places around the world. I agree that programs that are not reported and monitored is a problem. I feel that sometimes places that are not reported can be bad publicity for other early childhood programs. I feel that those that are called to teach will be led to teach despite the pay.
ReplyDeleteMyra,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the same types of problems I see in early childhood here in the U.S. Many programs and not enough people to regulate them.
Myra
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the Bahamas have similar issues as we do here in the United States. They have standards and regulations but however with the, being monitor it takes several actions to see a facility become inoperable. As well as other here were are advocating to help with upholding standards in Early Care facilities and make sure we are guiding professionals. Is is said that many are not seeking higher education in the field, but as we discussed before once we are recognized as a profession then maybe it will be apparent to others in the community.
Myra
ReplyDeleteYour blog is wonderful. I must say that the problem with Early Childhood Education is a global problem. I believe that this is why its hard to implement high quality problems because of the lack of consistency across the board. I believe that the same credentials should be required for all early childhood teachers and professionals.