 |
| ARELENE ROSE |
Arlene Rose, assistant director for operations and program development
with the state Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education with the Arkansas Department of Human Services appears to be out in the cold when it comes to recognizing normal childhood behavior.
In comments she made to a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in regard to an increasing number of children being expelled from daycare centers for biting behavior, she launched into a rant about a program DHS recently launched, stealing funding from other existing programs, that is supposed to reduce expulsions and suspensions in early-learning settings.
Rose stated, "It is a huge project, but I tell you, the reception overall has been very positive," Rose said. "We know that there has been a need. Even prior to launch, I would hear providers talk about challenges that they've experienced with children. You know, they would be at their wits' end asking, 'What do we do?'"
Rose grinned widely as she leaned forward and tapped her finger on a glossy picture of a pyramid.
"It excites me," she said. "I just think, 'What can we do for those babies that's really going to help them be successful?' This is near and dear to my heart, it really is. I just believe that every child can be saved."
Rose grinned widely as she leaned forward and tapped her finger on a glossy picture of a pyramid.
"It excites me," she said. "I just think, 'What can we do for those babies that's really going to help them be successful?' This is near and dear to my heart, it really is. I just believe that every child can be saved."
A problem that DHS and Rose cannot get around in determining a true need for this wasteful project is that there are no records or statistics that document exactly how many toddlers have been expelled or suspended from Arkansas daycare centers.
That's right, there are no Arkansas-specific statistics on how many children up to 5 years old have been suspended or expelled.
"The short answer is that we don't have data because we didn't previously track this, but we have now started to do so and should have some data at some point in the near future," said Amy Webb, a spokesman for the Human Services Department.
"The short answer is that we don't have data because we didn't previously track this, but we have now started to do so and should have some data at some point in the near future," said Amy Webb, a spokesman for the Human Services Department.
 |
| AMY WEBB |
Look at Amy try and put a spin on the fact the DHS launched a program, hired additional staff, took funds from other programs before it is even documented that there is a problem with daycare expulsions in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette story began with the experience one parent of two children had to deal with when the daycare center they attended expelled or told the mother her children were not welcome at the center after one of the children bit another child.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette did not attempt to speak with the daycare center and determine if there were other issues that led to their refusal to care for the children.
Rose's comment, "I just believe that every child can be saved", implies that biting behavior is abnormal and is a gateway behavior to a doomed life.
Where does DHS get all these buffoons from?
Biting is a normal toddler behavior when the are dealing with anger or stress. Early Childhood Development 101. Maybe Rose missed that day or slept through that class.
Arkansas
has the lowest requirements of any state as far as the education that
is required to serve as a child care provider according to Nicola Edge, a
UAMS associate professor in family and preventive medicine.
"Biting
is really normal. It's going to happen in day care centers," Edge said.
"The specialists can say, 'Here's a little pamphlet that's going to
tell you what to do when children bite. Here's a pamphlet you can talk
through with parents and that will tell the parents how to respond.
Check back with me in two weeks, and let's see if that met your needs.'"
The real problem here is that DHS did not change the minimum requirement for daycare teachers when the overhauled it minimum licensing requirements for child-care centers in 2014. They are using standards developed in 1945.
Uneducated daycare staff and their inability to deal with normal toddler behavior is a problem that DHS could have corrected in 2014 by strengthening requirements for daycare personnel.
DHS would rather hold bi-weekly meetings, spend money on an undocumented, made up problem rather than change 71 year old standards.
