Many societal factors have had an impact on the evolution of the early childhood education field. Some factors include health, family life and poverty (Forrest, 2015, pg. 3). The health and safety of a child is always the educators’ number one goal. Sometimes children do not have sufficient access to quality health or dental care. Dental caries, “remains the most prevalent chronic disease in both children and adults, even though it is largely preventable” (Morrison, 2014, pg. 48). Although many diseases are preventable there may not be enough resources available to low income families or financial support programs (Best Start Resource Centre, 2015, pg. 2). Morrison states that today’s generation is known as the Supersize Generation with a whopping nine million obese children between the ages of six and nineteen (Morrison, 2014, pg. 50). Us educators need to make solving childhood obesity a top priority by educating the public on our current health crisis. A changing family life can bring immense conflict to young children. Sometimes children come from broken families or have busy working parents. Their parents may not have an education or a steady job, which takes a negative toll on a young child. Between the years of 2007 to 2011 the Latino community living in poverty in America spiked 36 percent (Morisson, 2014, pg. 42). Other communities are experiencing higher than average poverty levels all across America with an average of 15.1 percent of America’s population living in poverty today (Morisson, 2014, pg. 41).

 

            With more awareness there are more programs available to families. With new standards teachers are better trained and can assist families through their knowledge. With more working families, educators are offering full-day services so parents can work and children have somewhere safe they can study after school. As time becomes more advanced there is a dire need for the use of technology (Forrest, 2015, pg. 7). The Internet makes learning fun and offers an endless amount of resources readily available to parents. Teachers and parents are able to connect through email and learning portals to enhance their student’s learning experience. Lastly as our country becomes more diverse it is our duty as teachers to educate ourselves about various cultures to provide a fair learning environment for all.

 

            Working in the early childhood education field has given me the tools to become a successful teacher at Adventureland Daycare and Preschool. I understand the expectations of me and I will fulfill my responsibilities. I understand the various standards for teaching preschool. I respect the historical roots of the field and use the various theories to shape how I conduct and practice. In contrast it is just as important to stay up to date with current trends and how to assess them. Also any societal factors that may exist. As our world changes so do our methods for teaching children and staying in tune with current research leads to higher student achievement. After exploring many key concepts to the early childhood education field I feel I have deeper insight of the importance of our field and our job as educators.