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RE: ways to recruit men into ECE
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posted by Jerry
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Thanks for your recent message board posting regarding ways to recruit men in ECE, Pam. The details of your experiences are quite moving. I am looking forward to further contributions from you.
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RE: ways to recruit men into ECE
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posted by pam
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I am a human development (and ECE) instructor at a community college. Human development is a prerequisite for teachers, nursing students, and psych majors, so I get a lot of men in my classes. I discuss the school system a lot and often refer to preschool as the last haven where teachers can relate to children as individuals in humane ways (we are rapidly losing this,IMHO). As a result I have had several female students change their majors and decide to go into ECE. I also get a fair number of men who write papers about interacting with infants and toddlers (usually as uncles) and are totally smitten with them, playing, observing and teaching. When I show the Bev Bos video (lots of hands on messiness) they love the idea of preschool teaching(I've had six men tell me that they cried during the movie because they never got to experience anything like that in their lives -- strange only in that I've never had a woman cry; perhaps they don't miss having the opporunities for risk-taking and mess-making as much?)
Anyway, I have some male students right on the verge of going into ECE but I have a feeling they won't. Mostly it is the influence of parents who are trying to convince them not to. Pay is also a consideration.
Besides Bev Bos, I also show a video called "Daddy and Papa" which is about gay couples adopting African American children. At first I thought of it as a great way to dispel myths about homosexuality, but really it gets across the fact that men can be great "moms" (for lack of a better word). That blows the class away, and I lead that into a discussion about needing men in child care because they really CAN do it.
For those of you who have made the decision to go into ECE, what is it that led you there? What can I say that can help? Are there jobs out there for them if I encourage them? Will they be accepted?
I would be grateful for any and all suggestions/encouragement.
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RE: ways to recruit men into ECE
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posted by caeyc.men.in.child.care@earthlink.net
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This is a good list, Greg. Part of it inspires me to suggest that, just like an ECE Environmental Rating Scale, perhaps you could develop a Men in ECE Environmental Rating Scale so that programs could evaluate their own environmental biases and circumstances. Oooo. I think this idea has possibilities, just like the want ad.
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ways to recruit men into ECE
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posted by gregory uba
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1. Look in non-traditional places for potential male staff. Instead of the Child Development Dept of your local college, post job ads in the Sociology, Psychology, or Recreation Depts where men more commonly can be found.
2. Visit a local college class where men are enrolled. Speak to the class about the importance of male involvement. Then make sure that the men get an invitation to send you their résumés.
3. When you interview men for entry-level assistant positions, use words that they might then consider as relevant experience such as coaching experience and tutoring.
4. Examine your program's physical environment. Is it male friendly? Are there "guy" magazines in the lobby and break room?
5. Examine your rules. Do they discourage noise, risk, messy activities? Do they discourage active play participation by staff? Do your rules give equal responsibilities to men for equal job titles? Do your rules limit men in ways that are different than the limits for women in regards to such areas as touch, diapering, toilet learning?
6. Examine your curriculum. Do you value block play, science, take-apart, sports activities?
7. Examine your program's culture. Are staff meetings consensus driven or results driven? Are men asked to clean, fix, move, carry, assemble things? Are they expected to discipline the "bebe" kids?
8. Examine your staff's attitudes. What are the staff's expectations about the competence, roles and power-relationships of men?
9. Prepare the families for men staff by involving male family members, inviting men students for field work assignments, utilizing male college interns, posting images of male caregivers around the program.
10. Support men once hired by finding them mentors, by inviting other experienced men teachers to do staff development, by supporting their professional development, by valuing their input and ideas.
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