At this time, when the world can seem so stressed and divided, there’s a bit of encouraging news on the early childhood education front. The Royal Foundation in the United Kingdom, with the endorsement of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, conducted the largest global survey about the early years.
It found a majority of adults strongly believe (90%) that the mental health and wellbeing of parents and child care providers has a great impact on children’s development. Nearly 1 million people took the survey; roughly half of participants live in the U.K., and the rest live in other parts of the world.
The report concluded that it is critical to encourage society to be more supportive of parents, child care providers and families whose children are in early childhood. This conclusion is founded on the fact that in the U.K., most parents (70%) admitted to “feeling judged by others, with 48% saying this had taken an emotional toll.” Sixty-four percent of those without children said they judge parents.
The report adds that feeling judged has the potential to impact parents’ mental health, which in turn, according to research, has the potential to impair their child’s development.
In another part of the survey, U.K. parents said that child care providers complement their roles, rather than duplicate their efforts to cultivate child development. They also said they rely on child care providers to “support their child’s development, rather than purely for practical purposes (e.g., for childcare while the parent worked).”
While we know from research the very early years (specifically, age birth to five) set the stage going forward, according to this survey, many people are not familiar with this critical message. A majority in the worldwide survey (57%) perceived every part of a child’s life to be equally important for health and happiness in adulthood, rather than placing a special emphasis on early childhood.
At present, a singular U.S. poll does not yet mirror the questions administered by the Duchess of Cambridge’s survey, however, the First Five Years Fund has previously reported that 84% of voters agree that “high-quality, affordable child care for families with young children is an essential service, just like healthcare and education.”
Ultimately whether in the U.S., the U.K. or anywhere in the world— people grasp the general benefits of early childhood education, yet lack a deep, comprehensive understanding. In addition, some may be too quick to judge or make a parent feel judged for perceived flaws in their parenting style. During this holiday season, as we make resolutions for the new year, let’s resolve to judge less, to voice support for parents, early childhood educators, our youngest learners and above all— learn more about why early education matters.
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Chief Operations Officer
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
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Jan Bigelow serves as Chief Financial Officer at the Council and has been with the organization since February of 2022.
Jan has more than 30 years in accounting and finance experience, including public accounting, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has held management-level positions with BDO Seidman, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Communities In Schools, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and American Humane. Since 2003, Jan has worked exclusively in the non-profit sector where she has been a passionate advocate in improving business operations in order to further the mission of her employers.
Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
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