Week of the Young Child

The Week of the Young Child is held each April to celebrate the importance of early education and shine a light on the teachers and programs serving young children across our nation. It is also a time to advocate for the value of high-quality care.

At Sacramento City College we would like to recognize the staff at the Child Development Center (CDC) for their compassionate care of the young children of our students, staff, and community. The staff and students at the CDC returned to in-person learning in August 2021 with the support of our administration and Early Childhood Education Instructional Program (ECE) and have been serving children from toddlers to kindergarteners in full and part-day programs. Beginning this semester, the program is also offering care to children under two years of age. The cost of care is supported for some families by state and federal grants.

In addition to supporting our local families, the program also offers training opportunities for students enrolled in the ECE Program. Training the next generation of early childcare educators is critical work for a number of reasons. Children enrolled in high-quality ECE programs show improved readiness for kindergarten, higher levels of problem-solving, emotional regulation, empathy for others, and academic readiness compared to children who do not attend a high-quality program.

ECE also plays an important social justice role. Curriculum and practice in ECE are based on the principles of equity and Social Justice. The foundation of all early childhood practices is to understand each child as an individual, with consideration of their family, culture, language, and development, and teach in a way that supports the child’s success in learning. The four goals of ECE’s Anti Bias Curriculum are identity, diversity, justice, and activism.

The early care and education industry contributes to the economy in multiple ways, both through revenue and support of other industries, as well as by enabling parents to fully participate in the workforce or pursue advanced education and training. The total economic impact of the early education and child care industry in the United States in 2016 was $ 99.3 billion.

Childcare impacts our friends, family, and colleagues. Can you answer these questions correctly? (Find the answers at the bottom of the page!)

1. Without affordable childcare, parents must work fewer hours or not work at all. Of these parents involuntarily decreasing their workforce participation, what percentage are women?
   1. 50%
   2. 75%
   3. 80%
   4. 94%
2. The average tuition cost for a child under two years of age for one year in a center in California is:
   1. Equal to the cost of tuition and fees at a 4-year California college
   2. 80% of the cost of tuition and fees at a 4-year California college
   3. 170.9% of the cost of tuition and fees at a 4-year California college
   4. 50% of the cost of tuition and fees at a 4-year California college
3. What year was the foundational social justice curriculum for Early Childhood Education published?
   1. 1995
   2. 2002
   3. 1989
   4. 2014

Answers: 1: d, 2: c, 3: c