INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Childcare centers play significant role in the early development of the child. Child care also referred to as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from six weeks to thirteen years. Child care is the action or skill of looking after children by a day-care center, nannies, babysitter, teachers or other providers (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011). Early childhood care and education/intervention programs that is been done in schools have been shown to significantly enhance children’s prospects for academic success by reducing the probability of referral to special education, grade retention, and leaving school prior to high school graduation, which in turns facilitates the growth and performance of schools (Smith, 2002). In addition, early childhood care demonstrates significant return on investment over children’s lifetimes according to cost-benefit analyses.
Perhaps one of the most important functions of childcare provider programs is providing a strong foundation for literacy development, bearing in mind that poor academic skills are strongly associated with dropping out of school and delinquency (McLoyd, 1998). However, there is an important caveat with regard to these research findings, only early childhood care and education programs of high quality are associated with positive outcomes which also bring the school to lime light in terms of growth and performance. According to Jencks & Phillips (1998), poor quality programs appear to be associated with negative child outcomes and, unfortunately, the very children most likely to benefit from early childhood care are the least likely to be enrolled in high-quality schools. New research is revealing how high-quality schools may be supporting children’s language and literacy development and that the impact of specific preschool language and literacy activities may depend on children’s language and emergent literacy skills.
Perhaps the most robust predictors of school success are child related factors which are their early oral language skills, including vocabulary, use of complex sentences, and metalinguistic awareness (of which phonological awareness is one element). Emergent literacy skills, including letter knowledge, knowledge about letter–sound correspondence and understanding the purposes of reading and writing, are also associated with later school success (Bowman et al, 2001).
Overall, there is good evidence that parents and teachers, as well as home and school environments, can influence the development of these school child skills and thereafter raises the performance and growth of the school being attended. Thus, early childhood programs organized by school management that focus on strengthening children’s language, literacy, and self-regulation across multiple contexts typically prove to be most effective in promoting school success. The study seeks to appraise the factors that affect the growth and performance of schools and child care providers in Edo state.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There are factors which affect the growth and performance of schools and childcare providers. These include poverty, developmental and learning disabilities, belonging to an ethnic minority, and speaking English as a second language, among other things (McLoyd, 19980). Therefore it is necessary that educators and policy makers implement policies which engender quality education system and child care and education programs.It is also essential that an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisam be implemented to access the impact of child care and quality education programs on the development of the child. The problem confronting the study is to appraise the factors that affect the growth and performance of schools and child care providers in Edo state.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The Main Objective of the study is to appraise the factors that affect the growth and performance of schools and child care providers in Edo state. The specific objectives include:
- To understand the reasons for poor growth and performance of schools and childcare providers in Edo state.
- To examine if the teachers are responsible for the poor growth and performance.
- To study the factors that enhance growth and performance of schools and childcare centers.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i. What are the reasons for poor growth and performance of schools and childcare providers in Edo state?
ii. Are the teachers responsible for the poor growth and performance?
iii. What are the factors that enhance growth and performance of schools and childcare centers?
1.5 STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS
Ho1: There is no significant influence of the schools’ performance on students’ academic achievement.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study appraises the factors that affect the growth and performance of schools and child care providers in Edo state. It provides relevant data for the effective formulation and implementation of policies to enhance the realization of envisaged objective.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study was confronted with logistics and geographical factors.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
CHILDCARE DEFINED
Child care also referred to as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from six weeks to thirteen years. Child care is the action or skill of looking after children by a day-care center, nannies, babysitter, teachers or other providers.
EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISION DEFINED
Educational Supervision consist of all effort involving school officials directed at t providing leadership to educational workers or teachers to enhance an improved educational system and institution. The process involves the deployment of human and material resources.
EDUCATION DEFINED
Education is viewed as the process of inviting truth and possibility. It is the wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning undertaken in the belief that all should have the chance to share in life.
