"Valuing collaboration means valuing empowerment, growth and diversity. Valuing collaboration means believing in and bringing out the best in all . . . children, families and institutions." Kagan, 1991
Government, private institutions such as child care and early education programs, and families must all work together to build "caring communities" that promote children's development. Collaboration can "hasten higher-quality, more equitable, more accessible, (and) more comprehensive services for young children and their families," according to Dr. Sharon L. Kagan, Senior Associate at the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy, at Yale, in her book, United We Stand: Collaboration for Child Care and Early Education Services. The National Task force on School Readiness believes that collaboration is necessary to achieve the first national education goal: "By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn."
Collaboration is not a new concept. In fact, there is an old African saying, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." In the book, Growing up African, edited by Jay David and Helise Harrington, it states that "childhood . . .did have a certain psychological security fostered by the community in which the child lived . . .With childlike wonder, fear and delight, he entered the world of his forefathers, and grew to respect and revere their traditions and customs, "
Interest in collaboration in early care and education has increased dramatically recently. Dr Kagan concludes that this is due in large part to rapidly changing demographics and data affirming the benefits of early intervention to low-income children. While early care and education professionals have long understood this relationship, new groups, such as business people and politicians, are now acknowledging that "the care young children receive is inseparable from their learning, and learning is inseparable from care."
Policymakers are now realizing that a child's ability to succeed in school, and in life, is influenced from birth by all the people with whom the child interacts and all the environments in which he or she learns. This includes parents, of course, but also neighborhoods, child care programs and schools. Thus, it has become clear that if all these players work together, if they understand and support each other's goals and the methods for achieving those goals, children will benefit.
Families are strong when they have the abilities and confidence to nurture their children. A caring community offers the best hope that families and children will thrive.