So what do we do? – Part 1 – the Principles

I am very encouraged by some of the language of the Throne speech. I heard this:

• All children would be involved

• That families would be involved

What I am also hearing are the natural fears of those who work in the system as it is today. The members of ECDA and the Teachers. Both look ahead at declining enrollment. Both see each other as a threat to each other. Both start with saying that they are all about the Kids BUT then they talk exclusively about their jobs, their qualifications etc.

BUT hello everyone – this is about our children – they have to come first!

So while there has to be lots of discussions about how all of this will be organized, I want to put a stake in the ground about what it would mean if it WERE all about the Kids:

• It is the emotional state of the mother that is at the heart of everything – in so many cases she has lost the tradition emotional and physical support of the extended family. Her state of mind is the single most important influence in the trajectory of her children

So before all kids go to Kindergarten – we must design a system that can work to provide this support.

Then all the aspects of where and what the institutions do can follow. If we make this into a war between the ECDA and the Teachers we will lose it all. If we keep this in the fron of our minds – than I also think the organizational issues can be dealt with in a way that works for all.