Work it OUT!

In the world of early childhood education (ECE) there is an imaginary controversy between the role that genetics play in the development of a child's behavior, personality, skills, etc. and the role that the parents and caregivers play.  It's called "Nature vs. Nurture" and it is simply silly!  It also shows the need for a higher level of professionalism, education, and critical thinking in the world of early childhood education.  Biology, for example, is always called "Biology".  Early childhood educators, however, can't agree on something as simple as a name; therefore, the field is sometimes referred to as "child development".  Which one is right?  Who cares?  We just need to find ONE name and stick to it!  Doing so will allow us to differentiate between daycare, pre-school, and other education categories.  Today, you can go to college for biology and become a biologist.  You can go to school for ECE and open a daycare, work at a daycare, teach pre-school, work with developmentally disabled students, work in public schools, etc.  The field doesn't differentiate between the drastically different jobs that educators who work with young children have, which means that we can't "specialize" and must, therefore, use whomever we can find to work with children, regardless of special gifts, needs, challenges, or situations.  What this means is that the lowest paid, least educated and least experienced employees are usually placed in "one on one" situations with the children who have the most diverse and challenging needs.  This is like having the least experienced, lowest paid nurse in a hospital working with the critical care patients.  It has a severe impact on the children and families who are expecting the best, but getting the worst.  There are times when a "Special Needs Aide", earning just over minimum wage, has a "natural talent", or experience with his/her own child(ren) that allows him/her to provide high levels of service, but that is the exception, not the rule.  These disputes over ECE or Child Development, nature or nurture, and other ridiculous tiffs that educators won't find the middle ground on, leave the field in a crisis and those affected are those whom we all care for the most.  In a world where we teach "cooperation over competition" we also argue over nature vs. nurture, a competitive name for two factors that must, do, and always will cooperate with one another.  ECE instructors, daycare providers, child development professionals, pre-school teachers, and others who fall under the gigantic umbrella of ECE (or child development) must learn to do the same.  Nobody's perfect, but let's at least agree on a name, put the most educated/experienced with the children who have the highest needs, and reach the next level of professionalism.