[Download] "Demographic Characteristics of Early Childhood Teachers and Structural Elements of Early Care and Education in the United States." by Early Childhood Research & Practice # Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Demographic Characteristics of Early Childhood Teachers and Structural Elements of Early Care and Education in the United States.
- Author : Early Childhood Research & Practice
- Release Date : January 22, 2002
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 259 KB
Description
Abstract This paper summarizes demographic information on early childhood programs and teachers of 3- and 4-year-olds. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of early childhood programs across the United States. Data were collected on teacher characteristics and structural features of early childhood programs (enrollment, class size, hours of operation, and ratio of teachers to students). Results indicate that there are approximately 284,277 teachers of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States. The vast majority of these teachers are women, and 78% are White. Approximately 50% of these teachers have earned a college degree, although educational attainment varies among program types. For-profit centers currently outnumber other types of centers, although the number of early childhood programs in public schools is increasing rapidly. The findings will be of interest to parents because they must choose among different program types when selecting a setting for their children, and it is therefore important for them to have access to information about the characteristics of early childhood programs and teachers. Additionally, policy makers need to understand the distinctions that exist between different types of early childhood settings as they adopt regulations and make funding decisions that affect parental choice of programs.