Impact of Science on the Childcare Operations

Question: Describe three aspects to the scientific perspectives and explain the impact that science and technology has on early childhood education and how these effects may impact the operation of a child care development center. Give examples. Explain three economic relationships at the federal/state/local levels which impact early childhood education and how these may impact the operation of a child care development center. Give examples. Explain three social and political issues that have shaped early childhood education and how these may impact the operation of a child care development center. Give examples Answer: Impact of Science on the Childcare Operations Children are often considered to be the most valuable assets of the society and therefore, it is highly recommended that they are taken properly care of in order to polish and furnish their value. Early child education is the first step toward ensuring a strategic and eventual development of the children. This is the reason why the experts and the scholars put emphasis on appropriately strategizing the education system. Whereas the sense of the development relies on how each child thinks about education and how well they can mingle with the system, there are a number of external factors such as the economy, science, and social issues that contribute to early child education and childhood development (Calman and Tarr-Whelan, 2005). The educators, the authorities, and the operators of the child care development centers have to perfectly analyze and evaluate all of these external factors in order to develop a proper concept about the childhood education (Stephens and Scott, 2003). Scien tific progress and emergence of technological advancements play a huge role in determining how the child care development centers should act. But at first, the various types and aspects of such impact should be properly understood. This paper attempts to discuss and analyze the impact of three scientific aspects on the operation of the child care development centers. Science has a huge impact on determining the way a childcare center should act in. With the emergence of modern facilities and technological phenomenon, it has become really necessary to realize how science actually influence the field of child care, early childhood education, and development. Firstly, the emergence and broader use of the Information and Communication Technology also known as the ICT plays a great role in this particular factor. In the field of child care and education, much emphasis is given to its ability to provide a greater access to the vivid field of information and communication rather than its complex technological roles (Haugland, 2000). ICT is being used by in the field of child care since around the beginning of the 1980s but it has experienced a rapid growth and development in the recent years. Primarily, it was used for providing an understanding to the children about fundamental information about computer and the role it plays in the society. But nowada ys, ICT has closely linked with the childhood education system and it is being used as an effective tool for information retrieval, creation, and processing of potentially helpful techniques, smoother communication among the teachers, parents, and students, and improving the level of child education on a wholesome level. The child care centers have to understand the importance of ICT and implement proper tools and tactics in order to ensure the quality of the childhood education since it can decide the success or failure of the whole system. For example, if the centers fail to integrate ICT with their organizational system, then the system will lag behind in the terms of technological efficiency and the center will not be able to provide the desired and deserved level of education. Thus, the aspect and use of ICT influence the childcare centers to act accordingly. Secondly, science has helped the mankind to explore new dimensions of every possible field and child care is also one of them. As science progresses continuously, new things are learned and discoveries are made. A number of experts have dedicated their lives to provide a better understanding about how early education and child care plays a vital role in the development of a child. The concentration has mainly been on how the brain of a child responds to various things he/ she experiences during the period of early childhood. Science has made some amazing findings that have helped in determining the formation of the early childhood education system. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed that mental stimulation plays a huge role in the development of the child's brain and the impact of mental stimulation can be experienced up to the teenage period. The research has stated that if the early childhood is surrounded by educational elements such as books and educati onal toys, then the mental stimulation generated by those elements will have a positive impact on the brain development of that child stretching to the late teenage period (Jha, 2012). The childcare centers must consider such discoveries as important factors that need to be followed in order to ensure proper growth and development of the children. A perfect and flexible learning atmosphere, the use of books and educational toys, teaching the children in a playful manner, and maintaining a relaxed atmosphere are some of the most important factors contributing to the child development as has been suggested by various scientists and childcare experts. These factors have a great role in determining the operational activities of a childcare center. If a center really wants to positively contribute to the development of the children, then they must follow as many of these guidelines as possible. It has been observed that sincere center authorities try to implement these measures perfectly . Therefore, it is clear that the scientific discoveries about childhood development positively contributes to the operational methodology of the childcare centers. The third aspect is that scientific research has led to a number of modern theories related to the childhood development. These theories are intricately associated with new findings and breakthroughs. The progressive nature of science is continuously generating new theories that seem to be extremely important in childhood development. It has been found out that both biology and ecology play equally important roles in the gradual development of the child. The ecological systems theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner clarifies that the brain of a child develops in accordance with what he/ she experiences and feels in the daily life period during the early childhood but the reception of the experience varies from one child to the other because every child is biologically distinguished (Derksen, 2010). Such kind of theory flashes a new ray of light on the child development. Therefore, the childcare centers are forced to implement these theories within their organizational system and operational p rocedure so that each child is treated in a distinguished manner and accordingly to their needs. The newly developed theories guide the centers to adopt a mixed kind of approach that is formulated by the balanced use of old and new theories. Thus, the operation of the childcare centers is also influenced by the introduction of new theories and concepts. Science and technology indeed have a great impact on the development of the child and the operational procedure practiced by the childcare centers. The progress of technology, new findings of brain development and new theories about influencing factors to guide the childcare centers to operate with a balanced and appropriate approach in order to produce a highly capable workforce for the future. As science is continuously unveiling new aspects, it will continue to impact this field in the coming times. References Calman, L.J., and Tarr-Whelan, L. (2005). Early Childhood Education for All: A Wise Investment. Retrieved 12 July 2016 fromhttps://web.mit.edu/workplacecenter/docs/Full%20Report.pdf Derksen, T. (2010). The Influence of Ecological Theory in Child and Youth Care: A Review of the Literature. International Journal of Child, Youth Family Studies, 1(3), 326-339. Haugland, S. W. (2000). Early childhood classrooms in the 21st century: Using computers to maximize learning. Young Children, 55 (1), 12-18. Jha, A. (2012). Childhood stimulation key to brain development, study finds. Retrieved July 12, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/oct/14/childhood-stimulation-key-brain-development. Stephens, R. and Scott, E.V. (2003). Ensuring Workforce Skills of the Future: The Birth to Work Pipeline. Retrieved 12 July 2016 from https://www.birth2work.org/sites/www.birth2work.com/files/Ensuring%20Workforce%20Skills%20of%20the%20Future_0.pdf