Early Childhood

Early Childhood

This article centres on the well-being of children in child caring centres in Australia. In Australia, childcare centres are known to be the best places in which children should be taken for care. This is because these centres cater for the promotion of the social and emotional health of the child. The researchers address various issues in view to child care. The first issue the research analyses are the strategies being utilised to enhance the social and emotional health of the child. Secondly, the research highlights the various challenges that these child care centres face. Thirdly, the research tries to look at the measures that can be taken to reduce these challenges and to facilitate the overall wellbeing of children (Davies, Priest, & Davis, 2011).

Research methods and results

The research sampled data from 11 day care centres. From these centres, there were 10 managers and 9 workers who agreed to participate in the research. They were interviewed and answered questions the researchers asked them. The study concluded that childcare centres use different strategies to promote the social and economic wellbeing of children. These range from giving physical affection to engaging children in experiences that promote their wellbeing. The strategies that they used were in one part based on individual children and the needs of all children in their centres (Davies, Priest, & Davis, 2011).

Critique of the article

This study offers a lot of information to individuals who are involved in the field of child hood studies. It enables these individuals to understand different methods that can be applied in ensuring that children are well taken care of. In addition it outlines different challenges that children centres encounter in caring for children. Communication difficulties, inadequate resources and lack of skills are some of these challenges.  The strengths of the article are that the researchers show a deep knowledge of childhood and childcare. However, the research should have considered involving parents of the children in the study. Qualitative methods applied in collection of data in this study were of great importance because they enabled the researcher to have a wider understanding of culture within childcare centres as well as the effects of this culture on the emotional and social well being of children. In order to attain exploratory data that could yield useful themes, only twenty one participants were used. Even though the number applied in collection of data was efficient for this study, researchers should put into consideration that this same number cannot be applied in carrying out ethnographic studies on a large scale (Davies, Priest, & Davis, 2011).

Due to the fact that most profit making organizations failed to participate in the study, it was hard to compare non- participating and participating centres. As a researcher I would like to know the culture that exists in both none participating and participating centres. This is because both cultures play vital role in the well being of children. It is also commendable and ethical that the research chose to inform its centres of studying before visiting them. From the research it was found that different strategies are applied by different centres to ensure that emotional and social well being of children is promoted. In addition, there is application of different activities that help children to relax. The findings of the article answer the research issues and are straight to the point. The findings relate to all centres of childcare in Australia. This may not be a good way to conclude on childcare centres because different centres use different methods according to their financial ability. The research challenges my long-held beliefs in that I always thought that parents are the best caretakers of their children and yet the research claims about the opposite (Davies, Priest, & Davis, 2011).

Research questions

Parents often delay their children in enrolment in schools. Most parents cite this as a positive strategy since it allows their children plenty time to grow emotionally before starting school. This study seeks to explain the reasons as to why parents keep their children from joining school at an early age. The research also looks at how these delays affect children at a later age (Taylor, Fiorin, & Edwards, 2011).

Results of the research

The major finding of the research is that parents do delay their children to attend school because they feel that their children are very young and that they need to develop emotionally before they attend school. This affects children profoundly since they do not get to learn with their age mates. This research is a reflection to scholars in the field of childhood studies that there is more to be done to ensure that children attend school at an early age (Taylor, Fiorin, & Edwards, 2011).

Article critique

One way to ensure that parents enrol their children in school at the right time is through asking parents to attend conferences that advise them on how to take care of their children while they are still at an early age.  It was noted that different factors New South Wales is the most affected when it comes to the rate of delayed enrolment. Decision to delay children’s entry in school among parents is mostly affected by territory and state entry policies. In addition, boys who are less persistent in their duties are delayed in enrolment.  This review involves the participation of all stakeholders of child education and this makes the results of the research more accurate and believable. However, the research fails to give minute details such as the exact ages children join or finish school (Taylor, Fiorin, & Edwards, 2011). This is due to the method of estimation used in collecting data. Estimation is not an appropriate method in carrying out a study because it does not provide exact information. Knowing these ages would enable the research to determine what age a child joined school.  The findings of the research are very generalisable in the sense that it assumes 2005 witnessed the highest rate of delayed entry which was 14.5%. It is ethical that researchers request Longitudinal Study of Australian Children before using their data in carrying out research. A factor that may affect this generalisability is the fact that some children may be late to join school because of certain disabilities or even lack of funds. The modification I would give to this research is to engage children of all ages and children who are physically disadvantaged in it. This would enable specialists in this field of study to determine the reality behind the questions of the research. The research does support my general views because my opinion is that children are supposed to join school at an early age to facilitate their learning (Taylor, Fiorin, & Edwards, 2011).