History of Childcare Essay Example for Free

History of Childcare Essay History of Childcare Institutions and Qualifications During this essay I will be outlining the history of childcare institutions and qualifications and how they have developed in relation to the needs of the country, family needs and society. I will be looking at the following occupations wet nurses, governesses, nannies and nursery nurses and how qualifications have developed within these roles. I shall them to the qualifications of the present day and how gender and social class have impacted on these professions. Also I shall consider how the curriculum content has changed to meet the demands of the ever changing role of the childcare worker and how it relates to my teaching practice currently and in the future. When focusing on childcare a fundamental starting point is considering the role of the wet nurse and why she was popular and in demand. Wet nursing can date back as far as Moses. When the princess found baby Moses floating down the Nile she asked Miriam to find a wet nurse. In Ancient Egypt poor women used to supplement their income by becoming wet nurses for the upper class citizens or mothers who could not produce enough milk. Contracts were drawn up between them to â€Å"ensure the wet nurse provided good milk; preventing the wet nurse from nursing other children, having sex, or becoming pregnant† (history-wet-nursing, 2011). In many cultures wet nurses were an ancient tradition, for example within the Chinese culture, before the Second World War, wet nursing was common practice. The Communists tried to outlaw the practice but in the 21st century it has become a status symbol and due to the melamine milk scandal this ancient profession has seen a revival. Wet nurses in China today must leave their own children, maintain a special diet, and undergo training in certain cases. Furthermore, if the babies that they nurse do not grow 20 grams each day, the wet nurses are fined by their employers. † (history-wet-nursing, 2011) During the Victorian era it was common place for the upper classes to employ a wet nurse as once more this was seen as a status symbol. Other reasons were that women of this era were usually married to authoritarian husbands who believed that breast feeding interfered with sex and the women themselves assumed that it would disfigure their breasts. Furthermore, during this time infant mortality was high and upper class families were encouraged to have large families to ensure the survival of an heir. Breast feeding provided a form of contraception and prevented ovulation thus, spacing out pregnancies. It wasn’t uncommon for babies to be sent to a wet nurse’s home for 18 to 24 months in order for the mother to become pregnant again. Often a wet nurse could be feeding many children including their own (sometimes to their detriment) and was either paid as well as a labourer or received nothing at all. Morisot, The Wet Nurse (1880) According to Valerie Fildes there were three types of wet nurses â€Å"the parish nurse who took in parish infants and was usually receiving poor relief herself; the nurses of the London Foundling Hospital who worked under the supervision of inspectors; the privately employed nurse, for whom wet-nursing was a significant and continuing occupation for which she received a good wage both in money and in kind: often she was cared for by her nurse-children in later life and received the occasional bequest from them. † (Fildes, 1988, p. 43) The qualities required for a wet nurse by the Victorians were worked out in enormous detail. She should have an attractive face, clear eyes, well made nose, red mouth, white teeth and a deep chest. The shape of her breasts was very important and their size shape and colour were all taken into account. She should also have a good personality, speak well, not be pregnant or desire the company of her husband. The reasons for these specific qualities were that it was thought that they would be transferred through the breast milk to the child (Fildes, 1988). By the middle of the 19th century wet nurses had virtually disappeared although isolated examples still existed (Churchill had a wet nurse). Surprisingly, wet nursing is making a reappearance in society today, there are wet nursing agencies where mothers can employ a wet nurse. Within society today, a woman may choose this option due to health reasons for example extreme illness or disease such as AIDS, an inability to produce breast milk or multiple births. What is more, this privilege is still confined to the upper and middle classes of society who have the means to pay. However, during the Victorian era this may have been seen as common practice but during this century it is quite often seen as a taboo subject,as pregnant mothers are given information about the benefits of breastfeeding from health professionals who actively encourage new mothers to conform with this practice. Alongside this there is the pressure from government initiative and more detailed research, that are changing the ideology of society thinking dismissing the Victorian idea of wet nursing as a status symbol. When comparing the person specification of the wet nurse in the 19th century to today’s wet nurses, it appears that there are some similarities such as being in good health, not smoking or consuming alcohol. Today, they are also vetted and tested for transferable diseases due to the fact more is understood about these by society and health professionals. Furthermore, wet nurses need to have a baby of a similar age in order for the milk to be of the right constitution and they would usually live or work in the employer’s home whereas previously they would have been taken to the wet nurses home. Following on from the wet nurse there is the emergence of nannies. The history of nannies can be traced back as far as the seventeenth century. The English nanny was an institution and was most popular during the 18th century. She is often portrayed in books and films as a kind, gentle woman who children adored; in fiction such as Jayne Eyre, Mary Poppins and more recently Nanny McFee. Before training developed nannies were often what were known as â€Å"gentlewomen† who had fallen on hard time and had to support themselves. They saw being a nanny as a solution to their predicament. Not all nannies were kind, some were extremely cruel. The nanny usually had a great deal of power and responsibility within the home; she had her own quarters to look after the children usually at the top of the house. The upper classes, employed nannies in order for them to continue their leisurely life style. Children at the time were also viewed as they should be â€Å"seen and not heard† and parents left it to the nanny to have total care and responsibility for their upbringing. Parents only spent a short time in the day with them accompanied by the nanny. The nanny would usually have a nursery maid to assist her who would do the menial tasks such as preparing meals and laundry. On the whole, nannies learned from other nannies and progression was usually nursery – maid, nursemaid or under nurse, sometimes a period of working as a second nanny, and then finally a nanny in her own right. In 1892 the first training college was set up by Emily Ward. She ran a school for young children in Norland Place and recognised the need for training. She was one of the earliest advocates of the Froebel system of teaching which was based on the approach â€Å"that all children are born good, and that to help them develop, adults need to provide the right environment and activities. These protect the child from learning bad habits of â€Å"evil tendencies†(Tassoni, 2006, p19). Emily Ward found that many of the students who went to her for training were not academic and found the Froebel examination too difficult despite her students being very practical and having a great love of children. Emily Ward recognised that if the students could be trained, not only would it benefit the children but would provide a new profession for girls of the educated classes. Students were charged a fee of thirty six pounds which covered six months training. The students were also expected to wear a uniform which Emily Ward thought would identify them as professionals and not have them mistaken for housemaids. This leads me to believe that originally the role the nanny was seen for women to earn a respectable living when they found themselves to be in a financial predicament rather than needing a formal qualification. However, during the latter stage of the 19th century the introduction of a formal qualification and fee for training transformed nanning into a profession, but still only allowed educated middle class, girls the opportunity. The students training was broken down into the following:- â€Å"Three fortnights for cooking, laundry, and domestic work, and six weeks spent in the Norland Place School, looking on at lessons, and giving help to the teachers. † (Gibbs, 1960, pg 178) Lectures given in the morning and the afternoons were spent exercising (walks in the fresh air), the evenings were for learning needlework. The second three months were spent in hospital training and the students were then given one month’s holiday before taking a post in a private family as a children’s nurse. If the employer was happy with the student she would continue for another three months and only then would the Norland Certificate be awarded. By today’s standards training was centred around domestic science rather than understanding the child and how they develop, which would confer with the ideology of woman’s role within society at that time as the traditional housewife. However, at a glance nanny’s of today are still required to fulfil domestic duties such as cooking and laundry but this is not curricular based but, has more emphasis on the development of the child. By 1904 the training changed slightly as it was realized that students needed to gain practical experience to do their job and a small nursery was set up overseen by experienced children’s nurses with the students acting as under-nurses. This practice was highly regarded by employers when the students obtained posts, and is seen favourably and useful by employers today. By 1924 fees had risen to eighty pounds and the college expanded. During the Second World War the college and nursery evacuated to Devon, but many of the students gave up their training and joined the women’s services. After the war the college relocated to Chislehurst and students began training again. The course itself was extended from six months to twenty one months and included â€Å"domestic science, educations training, residential nursery training and a hospital nurse course. Students were also taught story-telling and games for the under-fives. (Gibbs, 1960, pg 180) Great emphasis was placed within the training on the needs of the small child, students gained experience of this from working in the nursery attached to the college and nursery schools and infant welfare centres outside of the college. An examination was also introduced at the end of the twenty one month’s the National Nursery Examination Board qualification or NNEB. However, the Norland Certific ate was only awarded to students who had completed one year’s satisfactory work in post which had been agreed by the Principal. Only two years were allowed from the end of training to obtain the full certificate. The college also encouraged students to stay in touch with them for at least three years after completing their certificate. They did this to ensure they could follow the career of each student and ensure that the standard of the college could be maintained. Norland nannies were well respected and there was a constant demand in private posts, nurseries and for posts as school matrons. Norland College was the first training college to open in 1892 and later other colleges began to appear. The Princess Christian Training College for Nursery Nurses opened in Manchester in 1901 under the direct patronage of the Princess Christian (third daughter of Queen Victoria). She suggested that instead of hospital training, a course of home nursing should be introduced. She also felt very strongly that a nurse should be forbidden to punish children herself. The need for training colleges was recognised by the Gentlewomen’s Employment Association (1891), Princess Christian was one of its patrons. Like the Norland College it provided employment for gentlewomen who needed to earn a living at a time when it was not generally acceptable. The Princess Christian College’s training duration was nine months unlike Norland’s six months and was hard and rigorous. Students had to be on duty at six and complete washing and cleaning before breakfast at seven. They had evening lectures and sewing after supper, no holidays and half a day off each week. The college also had testimonial books which recorded each nurse’s career, including a principal’s report and at the end of her training and a reference from her last employer. There is a stark contrast to the training that was provided in 1904 to the qualification we see today. Although there is still a strong emphasis on work based training the standard of the qualification is not as robust as in the 19th and early 20th century and this could be because students are being accepted onto courses with a required level of education and the demands of the role have changed. During the First World War The Princess Christian College ran into financial difficulties and in May 1918 closed. The college reopened again in 1919 in new premises but closed again at outbreak of the Second World War in order for children to be evacuated. After the war the college reopened and reorganised its syllabus and training to cover the changes in social conditions. Training was extended to eighteen months and covered the NNEB requirements (Gibbs, 1960). At the time Mary Ann Gibbs wrote her book â€Å"The Years of the Nannies† (1960) the fees for the eighteen month course at Princess Christian College was ? 270 for a resident student and ? 140 for a non-resident student. Bursaries and local authority grants were available for less well off students. The syllabus in 1960 included:- daily nursery work with babies and small children, instruction in the planning and preparation of infant diets, training in the milk kitchen, general cookery and nutrition, laundry and housewifery, needlework with design and care of children’s clothes, hygiene and physiology and the model nursery. † (Gibbs, 1960, Pg 190) The college awarded three certificates to students the first being a Probationers Certificate on completion of satisfactory training and a Nurse’s Certificate for two years satisfactory work, dating from the ranting of the Probationers Certificate. Finally, the student would be awarded The Special Certificate with Badge for three year’s satisfactory work, dating from the granting of the Nurse’s Certificate. After a student had completed her training she had quite a wide range of employment opportunities such as working as a nanny, working in day and residential nurseries, working with disabled children, school matron, nursery nurses on maternity wards and in passenger liner nurseries. A Night Nurse at The Princess Christian Training College Students who completed their training at the training colleges usually found employment through the college or through advertisements in women’s journals, or professional journals. One of those journals was â€Å"Nursery World† which was first launched in 1925 and is still used by our students today. The other was â€Å"The Lady† first published in 1885 which advertised many employment opportunities for nannies. Nannies are still very much in demand today, their role has changed in that they work closely with parents respecting their views and wishes and are more usually employed by working parents. They are required to be trained to Level 3 and most will have had experience with babies. In contrast, nannies back in the eighteenth century would always live with the family, whereas nannies now can live out. They also have the opportunity to work for families abroad and can command high salaries and additional benefits such as holidays and use of a car. [pic] Advertisements’ from Careers and Vocational Training 10th Edition The role of the nanny was important but you cannot overlook the role of the governess in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. She is portrayed in fiction as a lonely, somewhat stern figure yet many women entered this profession. She would have been a well educated middle-class woman who like the nanny had to provide a living for herself. In Victorian times women were seen as the responsibility of men her husband, father or brother. When they were unable to provide financially for her, working as a governess was seen as socially acceptable. There was a high demand for governesses in he Victorian era (despite the expansion of public school education for boys and public school for the masses) especially if they were competent in teaching math’s and science. â€Å"The census of 1851 showed that there were 24,770 governesses in England and Wales. † (Hudson, 1970, p45) The greatest qualification of the governess was having a good background fitting in with the correct social class. She was required to write a letter of application in order for the family to consider her suitability. Many families l isted subjects they required their governess to teach. â€Å"Wanted, a Governess, on Handsome Terms. Governess – a comfortable home, but without salary, is offered to any lady wishing for a situation as governess in a gentleman’s family, residing in the country, to instruct two little girls in music, drawing, and English; a thorough knowledge of the French language is required. †( Advertisement, The Times. (London: 27 June, 1845). The upper class families still continued to educate their children at home and it was down to the family to decide when their children would enter the school room. In order to ensure their employability they sought to improve their education and this lead them gaining a footing in higher education. During the nineteenth century, professional books and journals were printed for governesses to use. These were read among other teachers and concerned parents to share educational practices and lessons, and keep The Governess them informed of the changing educational reform in the Victorian era. In 1843 The Governesses’ Benevolent Institution was formed and it helped educate governesses and provided aid for retired or out of work governesses in and around London. It also provided a registry for governesses and families seeking a governess to place their information. This was similar to an employment agency today. Along with this and pressure from the governesses the institute expanded and included a college for governesses to study and improve their education. A donation from the Prince and Princess of Wales enabled funding for free night classes. The Queens College was founded in 1848 and its goal was to provide qualifications for governesses, it provided â€Å"Lectures for Ladies† from which at the end of study they received a Diploma. Almost all the lectures were given by men from Kings College, and older women known as â€Å"Lady Visitors† attended to act as chaperones to the female students. It is clear that despite considerable changes from the era of the wet nurse there is still a vast divide between what is considered beyond the realms of the woman as it is the man that is considered able to lecture in the core subjects whilst the woman is only expected to understand and deliver to her charges. The Queens college was seen as an institution offering higher education for women. In the last decade of the nineteenth century the Queens College and The House of Education developed a curriculum specifically for the training of governesses and this saw a drastic change in the profession of the governess. Families now wanted to employ governesses with certificates and training in education rather than, be qualified solely by their family background. We must take into account that at this time education for girls was seen as less important and it was not until the 1900 that attitudes changed when girls started to enter public high school and boarding schools and this resulted in the decline of the governess. Governesses are still employed today but their role has changed. Today they need to hold a degree and at least two years experience as an educator. They may live with the family or live out. They usually have sole charge of the children’s education although in some cases they may just supplement the child’s education. This could be coaching a child to obtain their eleven plus, or providing additional help for specific subjects, or in all subjects, with the goal of preparing students to apply to and be accepted into good colleges. They may also be employed if a family moves to another country so that children can learn the language or maintain the education that correlates to their native country. The profession is still largely female orientated despite the pay and conditions being good. This could be due to several factors such as living in the employer’s home and societies view of a male in a governess role. The Second World War saw an increase in day nurseries as men went away and women were called upon to take over the work left to do at home. The Ministry of Health organised and supervised this provision. In view of this more nursery nurses needed to be trained and in January 1944 The National Nursery Examination Board was formed and they established an examination for all nursery nurses. The first examination was taken in 1946. The syllabus and training has changed considerably over the years, notably in 1965, the age range was extended to seven years of age, before this students trained to work with children up to five years. This decision was prompted by the increase use of classroom assistance in primary schools and the Plowden Report’s (1967) recommendation that nursery nurses should be used for this position. â€Å"In 1975 the Bullock Report, A Language for Life made the same recommendation that nursery nurses should be used as trained assistants and work alongside teachers in helping language development in young children. (Herrman, 1979, p. 21). After the Second World War provision that was put in place for childcare was not expanded further. This was partly due to men needing jobs that women had done in the war, and society’s view that women should be in the home looking after their children. The 1950’s saw the beginning of Playgroups, these were parent co-operatives formed in private homes or community halls. They started in order to fill the gap in nursery provision for three and four year olds. â€Å"In 1961 Belle Tutaev wrote to the Guardian offering help to anybody who wanted to start up a playgroup. She received letters from all over the country and playgroups burgeoned and grew. † (Dean, 2005, Pg 13) The Pre-School Playgroup Association (PPA) was set up in 1962, â€Å"the aims of the organisation at first were two-fold: mutual support for those running groups and also the lobbying of government to emphasise the importance of pre-school provision and to seek the withdrawal of Circular 8/60 which prevented state nursery expansion. † (PLA Factsheet) Playgroups relied heavily on voluntary staff and on mothers to provide play activities for the children. Many of these volunteers were untrained due to lack of funding. This restricted their work opportunities and workers were given little recognition. An additional reason for unqualified staff was that until the Children’s Act 1989 playgroups had little statutory guidance or regulation. Those playgroups that were affiliated with the PPA did have access to training (short courses in play work) if they were able to fund it. The PPA in 1991 established themselves as training providers under the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. Other childcare provision between 1946 and 1990 such as private nurseries and local authority nurseries continued to employ NNEB qualified staff or equivalent. In 1990 there were various childcare qualifications that students were able to study. The main qualifications for nursery nursing were the NNEB, BTEC National Diploma and the Certificate in Post-Qualifying Studies (CPQS). The NNEB being the longest established and well known was still a requirement for some posts but it did not give a valid entry into higher education. However, the BTEC National Diploma was thought to be more academic and allowed students to progress onto more advanced education and training being the equivalent of â€Å"A† Levels. When you look back at the history of the NNEB it was not set out to be a qualification that would allow progress to higher education although comparing it to today’s CACHE Level 3 Diploma it was a lot more rigorous. The selections of qualifications were many and in 1991 a system of National Accreditation was introduced to link qualifications. NVQ’s were introduced in 1991 in attempt to give experienced staff without a qualification a chance to achieve a Level 2 and 3. The NVQ syllabus involved students showing competence in the workplace through assessment whilst building a portfolio of knowledge evidence. This qualification in theory did fill a training gap but funding still remained an issue along with adults having to study around family commitments and also if they had the academic confidence to study. Due to the Start Right Report of 1991 by Bell in which he identified numerous routes into teaching, this was an attempt to provide a standardized route into comprehensive training and also of helping workers to progress through the qualification system. Up until 1999 qualifications remained unchanged in what were available and it left employers and students confused as to what qualification was at what level. In 1999 a new training framework was introduced (QCF) and this mapped out the levels of each qualification. This gave clear guidance for students, employers and training establishments to assess their current qualifications. In 2002 the new NVQ Level 4 was introduced *they were to provide a route for those working in senior management level or advanced practitioners† (Pugh,2001, P. 190) they were academically and practically demanding qualifications and carried 120 CATs points. This was a way of gaining entry to the Early Years Foundation Degree. In 1994 CACHE was established and merged with The National Nursery Education Board and The Council for Early Years Awards. In 2001 the National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare (NAMCW) merged with CACHE, and Her Majesty the Queen became the patron. CACHE at this point became the awarding body and offered various Childcare qualifications from Entry Level to NVQ 4. Since joining Canterbury College in February 2006 the qualifications have changed twice, with a third change is about to take place. The delivery of the courses has not changed in that students still attend placements and have to show competence. The only difference to the NNEB is that the students don’t work with children attached to the college. We have placement visitors that visit the student in their placement who assess their competence and report back to their course tutor. Level 3 students up until 2007 still had to sit an end of course exam in order to qualify as well as passing unit assignments. The qualification carried UCAS points to allow entry to university depending on the overall grade achieved. It was quite clear at the time that the grades students achieved were quite low and very few went onto university. I believe this to be for the following reasons (a) students were not properly assessed at interview and were on the wrong level of course, (b) there was a high level of turnover of staff which affected the teaching of the students and causing disaffection. There was also a big drop out rate. I remember well, my first day in the classroom, being bombarded with complaints. In 2007 CACHE reviewed the content of the syllabus as the previous syllabus was quite dated and childcare practice had changed considerably. The new syllabus carries the same format of placement and academic work and still continued to carry UCAS points. The grading of the assignments changed into a point system instead of the previous system of pass or refer. The students also have to complete a research task and a short seen scenario exam. This I feel has led to students achieving higher grades and more have gone onto university. The department has been running this Level 3 Diploma for the past three years but last year we were advised that the qualification would hange along with NVQ’s being discontinue. This has had a big impact on the department as a whole. The introduction of the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce will be the only qualification available for students to study to become childcare workers. The delivery of the course is very much based on the NVQ delivery of observed assessment and a knowledge portfolio. We have started to run a pilot group for this new qualification an d it has involved various changes in the department and in the teaching. Students now have to be allocated an assessor who has an A1 qualification and students only attend three days a week every other week. Already, this has posed problems in that the course is designed to be taught holistically and not unit led as the previous qualifications. It is designed so that the assessor and tutor work closely together. This does not work in our department as assessors are constantly out observing students leaving little time for feedback to the tutor. This makes it very difficult to support students and ensure that they are progressing. However, we have recently been informed that due to the qualification not meeting the needs of the employers and students the previous qualification will continue running for at least another year while they review the course. In conclusion, childcare and qualification has developed in line with the needs of the family and society starting with the wet nurse through to nannies and governess. It has also developed in line with government policy and the social and economic needs of the country along with current thinking of child development at the time. Childcare roles have not disappeared but still exist in a modernised way as can be seen in the reappearance of the wet nurse. The status of childcare however still remains low and this is reflected in pay and conditions. Many nurseries still don’t pay above minimum wage or provide sick pay, and often only the minimum holiday requirement. Until this is addressed the status and moral of childcare workers will not rise. There is still a culture of thinking that â€Å"anyone can look after children† and it is still a predominantly female role despite campaigns to attract male candidates. The calibre of students that is seen during interviews are on the whole, students from lower class backgrounds which could have contributed to the introduction of EMA. The fact that students don’t have to pay fees for childcare courses and its workplace element, adds to the perception that they are easy courses. The college funding system makes it very difficult to decline students who we feel not appropriate to the course, and the system makes it difficult to withdraw students who prove to be unsuitable. This does not lead to providing the best possible care for young children. Significantly and in contrast to this is that to train as a Norland Nanny today requires a student to pay full fees and this only attracts the more affluent students who want to train in the profession. Also, to employ a Norland Nanny, is seen as a status symbol by families, thus highlighting social status despite it’s qualification being the same as achieved at college. The only difference being that the Norland Certificate is achieved at the end of the course on top of the qualification and seen as a â€Å"stamp of excellence† The old range of qualifications enabled students to access the qualification that best suited their learning and training needs such as on the job training or a full time college course. The new qualification does not take these needs into account. The new qualification does not fit with young students who have no experience. This is one of the issues that has been highlighted along with the course only being a year in duration. It is quite worrying that a sixteen year old could become a fully qualified level 3 in a supervisory position with only one year of training. There are also wider issues in that the government has reduced funding, (currently there is no funding for over nineteen’s) along with the demise of EMA, making access to college less accessible for less well off students which causes a social divide. The next year will provide interesting times in childcare qualifications and a review in our own department in the teaching and delivery will provide its own challenges in that e-learning is being introduced along with apprentiships. This will mean training in the use to technology as well as new assessment methods. Staff will have to adapt their delivery of lessons as well as developing a closer working partnership with assessors, which at the current time is fragmented. There will need to be changes in the current systems in place and this will no doubt cause frustration to some staff who find adapting to change difficult. On a more positive note the updating of skills for staff will only improve the range of teaching techniques available to them, hopefully providing better outcomes for students.

Strategies To Sell Seoul As A Leisure Destination Tourism Essay

Strategies To Sell Seoul As A Leisure Destination Tourism Essay This diploma paper introduces Seoul, the growing market as a leisure destination. The purpose of this paper is to find and suggest ways for Seoul to become a popular leisure destination for Europeans. The paper starts with introduction to Seoul, analysis of tourists who visit Seoul. Furthermore, this paper provides three ways for Seoul to become a popular leisure destination for Europeans by clear three steps including increasing awareness, marketing which gives Europeans motivation and information, and an improvement on Seoul as a tourist city. Chapter one is an introduction to this paper, which gives a general thought about Seoul as a leisure destination. In chapter two, there will be a closer look at Seoul. Starting from general introduction to South Korea, this chapter shows tourism industry in South Korea and a few attractions in Seoul which are divided into both traditional and modern points. Chapter three deals specifically with statistics related to visitors of South Korea, concentrating on difference between Asian and European visitors. Then, it leads to stepping stone of ways for Seoul to become popular among European leisure-oriented travelers. Chapter four shows the importance of international events in terms of national image and tourism. To build awareness and images of South Korea is linked for Europeans to be motivated to think about visiting South Korea. This chapter will explain this and gives a case. In chapter five, Hong Kong which is the one of the most popular destination in Asia is analyzed to be compared to Seoul. By understanding and learning from the metropolis, Hong Kong, the milestone of next two chapters about marketing strategies and development of Seoul will be set up. Chapter six suggests marketing strategies to sell Seoul as a leisure destination for Europeans. As marketing strategies, the roles of government and media will be shown. Chapter seven is about how to improve Seoul as a leisure destination. Through SWOT analysis, a few points will be suggested to develop Seoul to attract Europeans. In chapter eight, the last chapter, there is a conclusion based on all the chapters of why this research is important and published. Introduction This diploma paper was created to find and suggest ways for Seoul to become a popular leisure destination for Europeans. The capital city of South Korea, Seoul, has many both traditional and modern attractions and great potentials to attract Europeans as a city tourism destination. However, it is not as much well-known as the fascinating cities in Asia such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Shanghai. For Europeans, Asia would seem to be somewhere new and adventurous. Since they do not know and are curious about the continent, their expectations of what they want to experience are somewhat oriental. However, some major cities like Tokyo are very westernized, modern but yet have their own uniqueness based on traditions and culture. Moreover, they would like to go to those places and see the real lives of the country. This is called City Tourism, which means that the city itself has lots of tourist attractions of accommodation, transportation, amusement facilities, culture, and food to make people from outside to be motivated to visit. Those both sides of attracts encourage Europeans to see oriental, traditional Asian parts and experience the real life of metropolis in Asia. In that respect, Seoul has true colors of South Koreas culture and tradition behind and yet as a metropolis of more than 10 millions of residents, tourists would be able to see and experience how Korean live. In other words, Seoul has the real charms of pull Europeans. Then, why Seoul is not yet the popular and concerned destination for Europeans to travel? This paper demonstrates the reasons and answers for the question. First reason is that South Korea is still not well-known, especially for European tourists, which leads to the fact that it is crucial to increase Europeans awareness of national images so that they would know and be motivated to visit South Korea. Also, there is lack of marketing strategies for Europeans to be encouraged to travel Seoul. Finally, Seoul should be improved more in terms of tourism industry, including cultural tourism, various activities and events for tourists, the needs of overcome language barriers, and so on. South Korea was not the destination for leisure purposes until late of 1980s. After holding successful Olympics in Seoul, the world had started looking at the country differently, while images of South Korea would have been poor and developing country after the Korea War. Furthermore, 2002 World Cup Korea Japan has definitely helped Korea to become a tourist destination that people talk about. Importance of international events, which will be acquainted later in chapter 5, is one of the major factors for a country to be well-known and improve tourism industry. 2. Seoul as a tourist destination Introduction to South Korea Geographically South Korea is located in East Asia, between China and Japan. The Korean peninsula is roughly 1,030 km long and 175 km wide at its narrowest point. The land area is 99,200 sq km, and it has a population of 48.6 million people. From Gojoseon which was the first form of country to after Japanese occupation, Korean War and division, Korea has more than 5,000 years of history. After Korean War and division from North Korea, the Republic of Korea had developed economy remarkably from 1960 to 1980s, which is called Miracle on the Han River. South Korea is a member of the OECD, and is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank and an advanced economy by the IMF and CIA. South Korea is now a member of G-20 and will hold the annual G-20 meeting in 2010. History of tourism industry in South Korea Along the development of economy, tourism industry also has been growing. This figure shows that the number of people visiting Korea from other countries rise remarkably from 11,109 in the year of 1961 to 6,155,047 in 2006. Especially, between 1980 and 1992, Asia-Pacific region moved from being a minor player in the international tourism scene to becoming the fastest-growing and most talked about region of the world. And one of the fastest-growing markets was South Korea according to WTO (World Tourism Organization). Figure 1. Visitor Arrivals in South Korea from 1961-2006 Introduction to Seoul Seoul is the capital city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the worlds largest cities. It is also the second largest metropolitan area. Seoul is located on the Han River in the center of the Korean Peninsula. Even though it may not be the center of South Korea geographically, Seoul is definitely the center of economy, politics, culture, and transport. Also, it is known as the hub of East Asia. Not surprisingly, this figure shows that among foreign visitors to South Korea, more than 70 percent of them visit Seoul. Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Visitors (%) 85.0 80.9 78.1 76.8 73.4 Figure 2. Percentage of foreign visitors to Seoul taken from total population of foreign visitors to Korea Seoul is a very attractive city which has both oriental and modern characteristics. Traditional places such as palaces, temples, and traditional house villages attract people from the West as oriental attractions which are unfamiliar and interesting. Also, Seoul as a modern metropolitan city which shows how westernized Seoul is. Seoul as an oriental destination in Asia Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace) (Seoul has been a capital city for approximately 600 years. Therefore, there are a lot of palaces, especially the ancient royal palaces of the Joseon Dynasty: Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, and Changgyeonggung.) Gyeongbokgung is the first palace of the Joseon Dynasty which was built in 1395 and remained the core nucleus of autocratic rule through much of Joseon period. It was the palace where the head of state conducted important matters, received foreign envoys, and assembled his court in royal rituals. Enthronements also took place here. (It is 340,000 m2 (square meter).) Remarkably, the most representative edifices of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond are still relatively in tact. Woldae and the sculptures of Geunjeongjeon (The Royal Audience Chamber) represent the past sculpture art which was the trend back then. The National Palace Museum of Korea is located south of Heungnyemun Gate, and the National Folk Museum is located east within Hyangwonjeong. Bongeunsa (Bongeun Temple) One of the unique facts which attract people from Western countries is Korean Buddhism. Bongeunsa is one of only a few traditional Buddhist temples found in the city. Surprisingly, it is located in the busy, fast-paced part of the World Trade Center area. It is a pleasant place not only for Korean to visit but also for travelers to get to know Korean Buddhism culture. Temple Stay is what people can experience daily lives in a temple and learn Buddhism culture and spirits. In fact, lots of visitors stay there from few hours to 2 days to get to know Korean Buddhism, exotic culture. Bukchon Hanok Village There are traditional Korean houses remained in Bukhon Hanok Village. Most of houses are residences, but there are galleries, traditional workshops which sell fine jewelries, Korean restaurants, and minbak (Korean traditional Bed Breakfast). Insa-dong (Insa District) Insa-dong, located in the middle of the city, is an important place where old but precious and traditional goods are on display. Galleries, traditional restaurants, traditional teahouses, and cafes take place the whole area. The shops in Insa-dong are very popular among all age groups, because each one is unique. For young people especially, cheap but yet traditional and fine goods are sold in carts on the street. There are about 100 galleries in the area which travelers can see every example of traditional Korean fine art from paintings to sculptures. Seoul as a modern city N Seoul Tower N Seoul Tower is the landmark of Seoul. It is located on top of Namsan Mountain and is a place where you can get fine views of Seoul. Built in 1969, it was a satellite tower but opened to the public in 1980. Besides fine views, the tower has restaurants, cafes, and shops. Lighting show which takes place every night is also attractive for visitors. Myeong-dong (Myeong District) Myeong-dong is a massive shopping district where has all kinds of brand name shops and department stores are clustered along the streets and alleyways. Myeong-dong also has family restaurants, fast food, and Korean, Western and Japanese food. Hangang (Han River) and Cheonggyecheon (Cheonggye Stream) A place of relaxation and convenient waterway transportation, the Hangang River is the center of Seouls urban renewal. Visitors come to the banks of the Hangang for leisure and recreation, an urban respite from the hectic pace of everyday life. Cheonggye Stream had been the biggest wholesale market in Seoul for more than 40 years after the Korean War. However, after renovation construction in 2003, it is now a beautiful tourist attraction and a leisure place for Koreans. Beautiful 22 bridges are decorated with 9,000 lights and 1,500,000 plants. Its length is 5.84 kilometer and 12.04 kilometer of walking paths are available. Especially, during December, the light show installed in the Cheonggye square which is the end of the stream is stunning. COEX The COEX (Convention and Exhibition) building serves as the World Trade Center Seoul that includes a convention center, exhibition hall, and mall. It is a place for international conferences and cultural and arts events. It has successfully held the 3rd ASEM, the Noble Peace Prize, OECD international workshop, and many other international conferences. It has more than 200 exhibitions and over 2,000 international conferences and events annually. The COEX mall which is an underground shopping mall is the largest shopping center in Seoul. Also, it constitutes many other leisure places such as Aquarium, Megabox Movie Theater, Kimchi field museum, event court, and food court. Especially, Aquarium has more than 40,000 fish of 600 species and dozens of large sharks. Moreover, two chain hotels are connected to the place. Hongdae area Hongdae stands for Hongik University but also around the university, the area is for nightlife, various activities, and art performance. A lot of youngsters in Seoul spend their free time clubbing, shopping and enjoying gigs in this area. Especially, the last Friday of each month in Hongdae is Club Day, a wristband-powered event which allows entry to more than a dozen major clubs for the price of one. Itaewon Itaewon district is a place where various foreign cultures gather. Located between the southern slopes of Mountain Namsan and the Han River It started in the early 20th century, when it was a residential district for Japanese colonialists. Foreign communities form in the place, therefore many restaurants serving international dishes are found in this area including cuisine from India, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Thailand, and Mexico, foods that are not widely available in Korea. 3. Analysis of tourists visiting Seoul This chapter acquaints with analysis of tourists visiting Seoul, South Korea. Based on the International Visitor Survey 2008 which was published by KTO (Korea Tourism Organization), this chapter will determine characteristics of visitors to South Korea, reasons why Asians travel South Korea more than Europeans do, which leads to differences between Eastern and Western tourists to South Korea. Also, this chapter includes key points which lead to answer the question; how Seoul can attract Europeans. It is important to mention that most of statistics and surveys used in this chapter are based on South Korea, not Seoul. However, since more than 70 percent of visitors to South Korea travel Seoul, those figures are clearly explained to figure out about Seoul. 3.1. Statistics of visitors to South Korea First of all, the figure is provided to show you percentage of visitors to South Korea in 2008. In 2008, the total number of visitors to South Korea was 6,890,841. 72.7 percent of visitors which means that 5,018,219Â  were from Asian countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and Thailand. The second largest proportion of the pie was people from Americas. The number of Europeans who visited South Korea in 2008 is 592,303, which is 8.6 percent. 1.9 percent of visitors were from Oceania and 1.1 percent of visitors to South Korea were from Middle East such as Turkey. The smallest percentage, 0.4 percent of visitors was Africans in 2008. Figure 3. Percentage of visitors to South Korea The pie shows that visitors are mainly from Asia. To indicate this fact more obviously, the chart below is provided to see from which countries are the most visitors to South Korea. Clearly, the massive numbers of visitors are from near countries to South Korea such as Japan and China while only Russia is included this chart. Top 10 countries travelling South Korea (2008) Rank Country 1 Japan 2 China 3 United States 4 Taiwan 5 Philippines 6 Thailand 7 Hong Kong 8 Russia (Federation) 9 Canada 10 Australia Figure 4. Top 10 countries travelling South Korea (2008) 3.2. Reasons why Asian travel South Korea more than Europeans Since more than 70 percent of travelers to South Korea are Asians, it is critical to find ways to attract Europeans by comparing with Asians, especially Japanese and Chinese who visit South Korea the most. Therefore, this sup-chapter will demonstrate reasons why Asian travel South Korea. There are several reasons why Asians travel South Korea more than Europeans such as geographical locations, more accessibility, Asians knowing South Korea and its culture well, and the Korean Wave. 3.2.1. Geographical reasons First of all, Asian countries especially Japan and China are nearer to South Korea than other countries so that it is easier and cheaper for people from those countries to visit South Korea. It takes an hour to visit Seoul from Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing by airplanes. For them, it might be even nearer to travel Seoul rather than other cities in their own countries and it is still other country which motivates them to travel for leisure purpose. Because of geographical factor, there is more accessibility for Japanese and Chinese to visit Seoul. While almost people from other countries visit South Korea by airplanes, some of Japanese and Chinese travel South Korea by ships. As an example of comparison, there are approximately 30 flights in one day from Seoul to Tokyo, 26 flights from Seoul to Beijing, while only 5 flights in one day from Seoul to Paris. 3.2.2. Cultural reasons Since China, Japan, and Korea are located all in Northeast Asia, they have some common and similar cultures behind them even though they all are individually unique. Therefore, tourists from China and Japan to South Korea feel more comfortable about travelling South Korea because they know the country. Moreover, they have more knowledge and experience about South Korea from education, media, and so on. 3.2.3. The Korean wave The Korean wave refers to the significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world since the 21st century. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of South Koreans and South Korean goods in China. Globalization has had an impact on pop culture to be opened to foreign countries for last decade. Especially, Korean TV dramas are really popular among Asian countries through the whole generations. As an example, Japan is the one of the countries influenced by Korean pop culture popularities, which leads to increase of Japanese travelers to South Korea. NHK, Japans public broadcaster introduced Winter Sonata as the first South Korean TV drama shown on its satellite channel in 2003. The TV drama created many syndromes about itself and because of its explosive popularity, Winter Sonata was aired twice in the same year and NHK published novels based on the screenplay and program guidebooks, as well as to produce DVDs, CDs and videos for both entertainment and for learning Korean. Meanwhile, travel agencies offer tour packages that highlight shooting locations of Winter Sonata and rare moments to meet the stars. The economic effects of Winter Sonata in South Korea have enormously benefited not only the entertainment but tourism industries, as well. As a result from Korean Wave, Japanese visitors accounted for 41.6% of 1.99 million visitors to South Korea in 2004. 3.3. Differences between Asian and European visitors There are mainly two obvious differences between Asian and European travelers; purposes of their visits and places that they visited. This subchapter will indicate the basis to determine ways to bring more Europeans to visit Seoul. 3.3.1. Purpose of visit Generally speaking, the percentages of business-oriented visitors and leisure-oriented travelers to South Korea are similar in 2008 according to the pie given below. Those two constitute more than 80 percent. However, people who visited for business/professional activities are slightly more than people who came to South Korea for leisure/entertainment/vacation reasons. Figure 5. Purpose of visit (2008) According to the chart below which shows the nationality and purpose of visit, there is a significant difference between Asian and European travelers. Asians, especially Japan and Taiwan, tend to visit South Korea with leisure purpose, while there are more Europeans who came for business or professional activities than those who came for leisure purpose. The difference between business and leisure purposes is more than six times among Europeans. The Number of Case Business/Professional activities (%) Leisure/Entertainment/Vacation (%) Friends/Family visit (%) Total 11,978 42.0 40.4 11.5 Japan 4,318 25.6 63.2 8.9 China 2,128 39.2 37.1 13.1 United States 1,108 57.3 12.2 23.9 Taiwan 587 29.3 62.9 4.5 Russia (Fed.) 249 68.5 10.6 10.8 Canada 190 50.8 15.8 28.5 Australia 175 50.6 25.0 11.9 Germany 165 76.9 8.7 9.8 England 159 76.0 8.3 10.9 Figure 6. Comparison of purpose of visit (2008) 3.3.2. Attractions in Seoul There are two statistics about popular attractions in Seoul given. According to the first chart, the most visited place with 52.8 percent is Myeong-dong where has various shopping places and restaurants. The second and third most visited attractions are both market but yet have different characteristics. Dongdaemun market is also famous place for shopping different items, mostly clothing. Travelers who visit Namdaemun market discover this place very interesting. Because everything from cheap electronic products to vegetables, live fishes supposed to be cut and sold right away shows the real looks of Koreans. Also, they could find some traditional goods in cheap prices. 43.7 percent of answers to the survey dedicates to ancient palaces. Other places from Insa-dong where keeps traditional looks on the whole district to N Seoul Tower, the landmark of Seoul and Lotte World, the largest amusement park are visited by international visitors. Figure 7. Places Visited in Seoul However, a clear difference of the most visited place between Asians and Europeans is determined. For Asians, the most visited places are Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun market, which shows that they liked to go shopping in Seoul. Meanwhile, ancient palaces attract Europeans including English, Germen, French, and Russians according to the survey. Country Japan China Taiwan England Germany France Russia The most visited place Myeong-dong Dongdaemun market Dongdaemun market Ancient palaces Ancient palaces Ancient palaces Ancient palaces Percent 74.9 % 63.9 % 82.5 % 49.2 % 56.8 % 63.6 % 52.9 % Figure 8. The most visited place 3.4. Conclusion Based on figures analyzed in this chapter, three main conclusions are determined in order to sell Seoul as a famous and popular destination for Europeans. First of all, Europeans awareness of Korea should be increased so that they are motivated to travel. Secondly, not only to increase Europeans awareness but also to promote tourism industry, the government should do more marketing and advertising through various and effective ways. At last but not least, Seoul itself should become a more attractive and comfortable tourist destination. And that needs several factors like preserving traditional attractions, solving language barriers. From next chapter, this paper will fully concentrate on those three points. 4. International events for national image and tourism This chapter focuses on national images and their impacts on tourism as the first step to bring more Europeans into visiting Seoul. The reason why this chapter is the first means is that raising their awareness is created by raising well-known, attractive and positive national images. At first, definition and importance of national images will be introduced, and then this chapter will deal with international events, which help effectively a venue to be known. To hold international events such as Olympic Games, Football World Cup, and exhibitions are crucial for a city or country to raise its images, which eventually make tourists motivated and attracted to visit before, during, and after the event. At the end of this chapter, there will be a case study about 2002 World Cup Korea Japan to demonstrate it. 4.1. National images Since the advance of globalisation, national image and reputation have become more critical assets in the modern world. In order to build national images, governments try to develop those under the name of national branding as a marketing technique. The reputations of countries are similar to the brand images of companies and products. The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers. The brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot. To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. Likewise, a country needs to build its own images in order to understand and attract target audiences including foreign tourists. Every country has its own characteristics, also referred as brand images. As mentioned above, some national images built in target audiences cannot be influenced by the governments efforts. Because those images are formed by personal experience, the media, and so on. However, the government could improve and create positive and attractive national images to make potential tourists consider visiting the city or country by national branding. Images about tourism tend to last until the reality. Charming images promote collecting information and activity to try to visit the destination. Formed images become expectations about the destination. Expectations have impacts on evaluations. Influence on images depends on the degree of knowledge and experience of the destination. Figure 9. Seoho Uhm 1998, The study about measuring destination images The study of tourism The figure above was published by a Korean expert from the institute of tourism in University of Kyonggi. It shows that images of destination are built not only by actual attributes of the destination but by potential tourists and their desires of travel activities. 4.2. Impact of international events on tourism

Activities in a Childcare at Home Setting

Activities in a Childcare at Home Setting IDENTIFY THE CORRECT DOCUMENT REQUIRED FOR CHILDCARE  IN A HOME SETTING The correct document for setting up a Child Minding Business, which will receive approval  from OFSTED, (an Independent Regulatory Body) for schools includes; 1) Child Record Form : This form must contain the Child’s Name, Date of Birth, the parent/carers’  Address and contact details, the Doctor’s name and address, details of two emergency contacts,  Medical history, Immunisations (DTP, Whooping Cough, MMR, Hib, Chickenpox), any allergies,  Dietary, Medical conditions, Religion (if any). This Record Form provides important  information about the child being cared for and will be the first form to be accesses in case of  emergency. 2) Child Information Record Form: This book is to write down in information required by OFSTED.  The document contains daily reports about the child being cared for. This includes: food eaten,  Nappies changed (if necessary) or anything that happens to the child during the day. This  Information book can be A4 or A5 binding exercise book. It must be taken home every day  or weekly by the parent so that they will be aware of what their child is learning or doing in  the Care setting. This book also enables the parent and the Child Care Provider to communicate  every day on matters that are not urgent. 3) Child Care Agreement Form: This form contains the contract agreement between the Parent  and the Care Provide. The agreement form contain necessary information such as child’s contact  details, parent/guardian information, starting date, Days and hours the child will attend the  Care Setting, collection time, payment and fees paid to the Care Provider. This form can be  purchased through the National Association of Child Minders (NCMA). This association can  also provide Legal issues if there is any. The form contains what the parent is agreeing on. 4) Accident Record and Incident Form: This form provides full report of any accident that  have occurred, where it happened, name of any person present at the time and the type  assistance or First Aid given to the child (if any). Also, the form must include date, name  and signature of the person who filled the form. There is also a section in the form that  the Parent of the Child must sign to confirm that they are aware of the accident.  A duplicate copy should be made in case the parent needs a copy. The Incident form is to  write down what may happen after the accident. Like depression or upsetting the child. 5) Existing Injuries Form: This form is to document what happened before the chid  started the Child Care setting. Any mark or injury found on the child, must be written down  on this form before the parent drop the child. The parent and the Care provider must sign  the form that they are aware of the injury. The form must be dated. 6) Fire Safety Form: In case of fire outbreak in a Child Care Home, this form is needed to  write down details of how the children are evacuated. The children must be given  training or fire drilling from time to time. Dates and numbers of children that participate  in this drilling must be documented in this form. All this activities must be dated and  signed. Local Fire Service can also carry out free safety checks. 7) Vehicle Records and Parent Permission for a Child to Travel in a Vehicle:  This form is used to record information about the vehicle being used to  transport children to trips in the Care setting. The vehicle must be registered for the purpose of driving the children around and must be insured. Parents must  give consent before the children can travel in the vehicle. This trip can be organised  regularly to a park, playgroup or a planned group outing. 8) Prescription and Non-Prescription Medical Record Form:  This is a medical form that is needed to be filled, when drugs is giving to a child in  a Home care setting. The form must include Name of drug, dose and how often  the drug should be given to the child. The parent of the child must give permission  on how the drug should be given, and must be recorded on the form. Non-prescription  drugs like Paracetamol or antihistamine must also be given with the parent’s permission. 9) Outing and Consent Form ; These forms are in two types, One for writing small  Trips and the 2nd for arranged large trips. The form contains what types of trip,  type of transport, by foot, by the Carer’s Car, or the Child Carer’s Car. A consent letter  must be written and signed by the parent before the trip and filed in the child’s file.  Another form may also be needed for big outings, or financial contribution. 10) Financial Forms – This contains Record of Payment of Fees, Invoice and Receipt .  There are 3 types of financial forms for recording fees paid into Home Care  Setting. The form is use for payment of fees and record fees paid by the parent, it must  be signed by both parent and the Care Provider. A tear-off-slip can be used as a receipt  to the parent. This receipt is necessary in case of disputes or when purchasing educational  products from the Child Care Provider. Also, the original Invoice is necessary. It contains the  Child Carer Provider’s Name and Address, Invoice Number, Date, Description of goods being  Invoiced for and total amount paid. 11) Record of Complaint: This form contains who made a complain, the nature of complain, incident date, full details of complain, how it was dealt with and action taken. The form should be signed and dated by the Child provider. This is necessary in-case of future reference or required  by OFSTED, especially if the allegation is serious or is an abuse.   DESCRIBE THE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE USED TO STIMULATE A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT.   (REFERENCE MADE TO PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BOTH BABIES (0-12months) AND CHILDREN (1-5years) The following are skills that can aid a child’s development; GROSS MOTOR SKILLS: This term mean a whole range of physical movements made by a Child or Baby like Crawling, Rolling, Walking and Skipping. Play is very essential for a child’s development. Throwing or catching a ball, Riding a Bicycle and Hopscotch helps for develop a child’s growt. FINE MOTOR SKILLS: This skill involves the control of muscle movements like, Fastening Clothing,  writing, drawing, using a knife/ Fork and using Scissors. It makes a child to use all their movements  to do all this activities in the Child Care setting. Multi-sensory Toys are also part of this skill to  develop baby’s sense. These Toys can be used by baby’s from 9 months, when they can be able to  pick up and grasp an object. Some Toys can be squeezed to make noise, some soft fruits like Banana or sticks of soft Bread can be given to the child to eat. They are good for baby’s hand and  Eye co-ordination. From 12 months old, a baby loves dropping toys from their Cot. Babies like bright colours  and the noises of dropping toys into a sorter. By this, Fine Motor Skills are developed. From 24 months, this Fine Motor Skills activities changes, a dressing up box is now needed in the  Home Care, were colourful dresses, buttons and zips are stored. This is because, dressing and  undressing are favourite pastime for many baby’s and the dressing up box encourages them to  Be creative. Also, Painting, drawing and colouring are good ways of developing children skills,  especially colouring books. Water is also a good way of fine motor skill, with children playing  with water in warm weather outside the Care Setting. INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: Babies – There are many Multi-Sensory baby books which are good  for the development of a child’s knowledge. These books have pictures, and are made of Mirrors,  Crinkly fabric and Sandpaper’s attached to them. Babies like to touch them when reading  Stories. Also, Music, Singing and Colourful, Noisy Toys are good for a child’s development. TODDLERS: Toddler’s loves Card games like Flash Cards, Board games like Dominoes, ‘Connect 4’  Which are popular games that are good for numeracy skills. They also have enquiring mind which  makes them ask questions about their surroundings and what they learn daily in the Care setting. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Play is a good way in developing social skills on children in a safe environment. Children can act different type of rolls like, a Post Office, were children talk to customers and staff behind the counter. Or Hospital setting, were they act as Doctors and patients. All these rolls have different cloths that the children can put on, and can be stored after used. WRITE A DRAFT FOOD HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY THAT CAN BE USED IN HOME CHILD CARE  SETTING, AND EXPLANATION OF GOVERNMENT STANDARDS 6 AND 7 SHOULD BE INCLUDED. In a Home setting, Government have 14 standards that a Child Provider requires. Two of this  are Safety and Health. SAFETY: Every registered Home Care setting must make safety inside and outside a very important  part of the setting. This is to prevent accident in the home. Government Standard 6 Policy must be considered by the Care Provider to promote Safety  outside, Safety in the Home environment and to prevent accidents. This safety standard  includes, safety and security outside and indoors, Gardens, Out building, Kitchen, Gas/Electricity,  Fire safety, outings and transport. Also, the Care Provider should make sure that Plugs are blocked  with plastic safety plugs, child Car seats are fitted properly, all straps are fitted, Stairs must have  gates if required, and Toys must be clean and checked regularly. HEALTH: In a Home Setting, healthy environment is necessary to prevent the spread of infection and in-case a child is ill, necessary measures must be taken. Government standard 7 Policy is concerned  with health and hygiene of children in and outside a Care setting. This standard deals with Hygiene, Sandpits, Animals, Medicine, Handling of food, Sick children, First Aid and Smoking. Children can  contract infectious bacteria from Sandpits, Animals and Sick children in the Care setting, and this can be dangerous for them. Therefore, it is important to remove any person, structure or animal that  is contaminated by bacteria, in-order not to cause harm to a child or adult working in the Care  Setting. It is also important that strict food hygiene in the Care setting is necessary to prevent contamination. CONSTUCT A TRAVEL PLAN WHICH DISCUSES THE VARIOUS FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN  INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN CARRING OUT A VISIT AWAY FROM THE CHILD CARE SETTING Plans to take into consideration when taking children to trips to new destinations includes; WALKING: The Child Care must have a suitable Pushchairs, Reigns, Reflective Tabards to know how many children are walking with them. All the children must be taught Road Safety, that is, how to cross the Road. Adults must accompany the children walking for this planned trip. Emergency equipment like, Contact details, Mobile Phone, First Aid Kit or any Medication a child may need for the trip. BY TRANSPORT: Permission must be taken from the parent before travelling on public transport. The type of transport used must be known by the parent. In-case the children are travelling by Bus or Train, make sure that they wait safely at the Bus stop or at the Train Station before the Transport arrive. -Number of children travelling by public transport and those travelling by car or  a staffs registered Car must be known. Children travelling during rush hour must be old enough to stand. TRAVELLING BY CAR: The Car being used must be insured for business purpose. Written permission from parent must be taken. The Car must have enough sit. The Car must have enough fuel in the tank. The Car must have a First Aid Kit and necessary medicines. All the children travelling must be safe to travel with sit belt. The Care Provider must have a Breakdown Insurance Cover and Mobile Phone to use in-case of emergency. It is important to carry out a Risk Assessment when going on a trip for the first time. The Risk Assessment form contains anything that is dangerous to a child’s health, safety or in-case of any danger they may encounter on the trip. The trip can be postponed or avoided, depending on the result of this Risk Assessment.

A Look Into the Human Genome Project :: Science Technology Genetics Papers

A Look Into the Human Genome Project Would people buy a set of books that repeated the same four letters in random order page after page? Or would this information be more convenient to the public if on a computer disc? Many people would agree with the idea that this set of books would be boring. Surprisingly, America and the rest of the world are buying the information in this set of books. In fact, these books contain the human genome. The mapping of the genome (or writing this set of books) is a 15-year project that has brought many ethical issues to attention. History of the Human Genome Project The United States Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health joined forces in 1990 to kick off a 15-year effort to reach two goals: Catalog the genes in human DNA Determine the three billion bases (the four letters in the set of books) in human DNA that encode for genes (U.S. Dept. of Energy 1998). On the international level, the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) was founded. Their goal is to encourage trading of research findings and techniques (National Reference Center 1998). From the national standpoint it brings back memories of The Manhattan Project. Internationally, this cooperation is unprecedented (Shinn 1996). Before the organization of the Human Genome Project, the Department of Energy had biologists and physicists studying the Hiroshima survivors. From this data a GenBank was made. This was the first database for DNA sequences (Gert, et al. 1996). Watson, who won the Nobel prize for his discovery of the double helix, was appointed as the first director of the Human Genome Project. He appropriated three percent of his budget to ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) involved with the project (Shinn 1996). Even from the beginning it was anticipated that this project could have both positive and negative outcomes. One goal to be reached after five years was to have markers every ten centimorgans (Gert, et al. 1996). This goal was stated in 1991 and achieved in 1994 - a year ahead of schedule - when a map with markers every two to five centimorgans was published (Casey, et al. 1995). Sequencing would then follow with a focus on areas of disease and in reducing human error. The main goal for the next five years would be markers every one centimorgan (Gert, et al. 1996). Technical Aspects Ideally, the final map will have both physical and genetic information.

Heraclitus - Permanent Flux :: essays research papers

Permanent Flux It is said that every great journey begins with one step. This is not true. A more accurate saying would be, â€Å"every great journey begins with the idea of the journey†, thus leading to the idea of the step, and so on. The steps will surly follow an idea, but nevertheless the ideas will always precede any action. Once one gets an idea in one’s head, one must either forget it, or act on it. Such as the case with the first Philosophers, known now as the Pre-Socratics. The Pre-Socratics, which started around 600 B.C.E., formed ideas of a journey to enlightenment of their society. Instead of dismissing this idea, they thrived off it and took the first steps toward teaching an entirely new way of thinking. These first thinkers of philosophy, which has an appropriate meaning of the love of wisdom, wanted to know more about life, earth, the stars and most importantly, the â€Å"being† of it all. Though not the first of the original thinkers, Heraclitus of Ephesus, wa s among this group of lovers of wisdom and revolutionized the world with his idea of â€Å"being† and allowed mankind to follow in his steps. The Pre-Socratics are known for creating philosophy by searching for a rational order to their world and their being. Prior to the philosophers, man simply accepted the mythological stories and supernatural concepts. The philosophers, however, approached questions to by observing their surroundings. This was the world they could touch and feel, therefore making it an ideal foundation to their quires. The first of the Pre-Socratics examined the natural world and assumed the â€Å"stuff† that made all things â€Å"be† came from the natural surroundings around them. For example, by an early scientific and rational approach, the Pre-Socratics took the four elements of the world, as they knew them to be (water, air, earth, and fire), and studied them. Some deduced water to be the â€Å"stuff†, while others looked to air, or the earth to answers their zealous questions of being. Heraclitus, on the other hand, found a unity in all the elements, and related â€Å"beingà ¢â‚¬  to â€Å"fire†. His reference to fire, however, is purely metaphorical. While his predecessors focused on the actual elements they felt were the â€Å"stuff† that made the existence of being, Heraclitus’ only focused on fire to demonstrate his metaphysical concept of constant flux. Heraclitus is noted for saying, â€Å"there is nothing permanent except change.

Essay on Australian Culture Essay

The composers of In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer and Love Letter: McIver’s Baths have helped me to further understand Australian culture by using a variety of language devices and techniques to uncover the Australian culture. Chris West, the author of In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer reveals that Australians respect the harsh landscape and presents beach culture as a prominent aspect n the lives of Australia. Helen Pitt, the author of Love Letter: McIver’s Baths, uncovers Aboriginal beliefs in Australian principles and shows that multiculturalism is freely accepted in Australian society. West conveys the Australian landscape to be harsh and rugged, yet respected and valued by Australians. West personifies the land and describes how it â€Å"points like a crooked finger†. The use of the verb â€Å"points† gives the land an intimidating quality. West continues to describe the land as â€Å"a patch of God’s country. † The juxtaposition of the two phrases suggests that the Australian is feared but respected and cared for by Australians. This comparison has broadened my understanding of the Australian culture. This idea is similar to Pitt’s description of the beach â€Å"which is as curvy as the female form. † The simile creates a unique attractiveness, which is intriguing but is appreciated in Australian culture. Both West and Pitt expose an underlying appreciation of natural beauty in Australia, confirming my understanding of Australian culture. Pitt has employed the use of figurative devices that helped extend my understanding of Australian culture. â€Å"You nursed me†¦your swell embraced me in a way she no longer could. † The use of apostrophe gives the baths motherly qualities. The verbs â€Å"nursed† and â€Å"embraced† mimic the actions of a mother caring for her child. The quote also alludes to the old Aboriginal beliefs that the land is mother. This reveals that Aboriginal culture and beliefs are still present in today’s society and highly respected in Australian culture. In West’s article, there are also allusions to Aboriginal culture. He describes children playing on the beach â€Å"under the watchful eyes of black-clad elders†. Both composers display an aspect of Aboriginal culture and its importance in Australian society, thus deepening my understanding of Australian culture. In West’s article, beach culture is displayed as a prominent aspect in the lives of Australians. He describes businessmen and how they â€Å"peel off their swimsuits in the beachfront parking lots, towel down and don sober business attire then drive straight to work. † The use of the verb â€Å"peel† suggests that the beach and beach culture is part of them, that it’s in their skin and soul. Pitt reinforces the idea that being at one with sea and its surrounding environment is what is truly valued in Australian society. â€Å"I took refuge in your barnacled depths, reacquainting myself†¦with what it meant to be Australian. † Both composers explore the notion that having connection with the beach is genuinely valued in Australian culture, thus challenging my understanding of Australian culture. In Pitt’s article, multiculturalism is celebrated by showing the freedoms that we as Australians, no matter what cultural heritage we have, are able to enjoy. â€Å"Muslim women frolicking in burkinis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The use of the verb â€Å"frolicking† suggests that the women feel comfortable enjoying the Australian environment without fear of prejudice from other cultures. The revelation of the carefree attitude towards cultural diversity in Australian culture has expanded my understanding of Australian culture. West also presents the acceptance of a diverse range of culture in his article. â€Å"Families of newly arrived Mediterranean immigrants fetch extravagant picnics†¦from the trunks of Japanese-built sedans† Both composers clarify that people of other cultures and religions are accepted and welcomed in Australian society. The confirmation has contributed to my understanding of Australian culture. By manipulating a range of language devices, both composers have challenged and reinforced my understanding of Australian culture, beliefs and values. West and Pitt both confirm that the harsh yet spectacular landscape of Australia is respected and cherished in Australian culture. They both uncover Aboriginal beliefs that are still present in today’s society. Multiculturalism and beach culture are both thoroughly exposed by West and Pitt. In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer and Love Letter: McIver’s Baths have definitely helped me to further understand Australian culture.

How Far Libraries in Primary Schools Assist in the Education System Essay

Education all over the world has evolved into a more complex system of teaching methods, areas of learning to be taught, curriculum, tools to be used in the mode of instruction chosen, language to be used in the instruction, and many more. As schools respond to these needs, a parallel program to upgrade the states of the schools’ libraries is also necessary. Studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between library programs and levels of performance among children in the primary schools. Thus, the advocacy in pursuing strategic plans to better equip the libraries in primary schools is growing. Libraries have organized into a solid association as they seek the support of the government not only in terms of legislation but more so on adequate funding to rehabilitate the libraries of primary schools. A primary school library serves as the media center for students, faculty, staff, and parents that serve each of their purposes and interests. For a student, the school library is the place where he gets information relative to classroom assignments and projects. It could also be the source for a student’s interest in children books, caricature books, comic books, adventure books which he usually shares with his friends and classmates. For the faculty and staff, the primary school library is the source of relevant materials such as stories, poems, songs, and structured activities which serve to enhance the teaching method and enrich teaching modules. For parents, the primary school library serves as a refresher forum in order for them to catch up with their children’s assignments and works. A good primary school library is a place where children are taught how to love reading. There is focus on the enhancement of reading habits among children. Some early rewards system may be established to grow the reading habit. There should be a significance of motivation in promoting student reading. Meanwhile, teachers and parents are coached on how to support the child’s learning how to love reading. Guidelines in improving reading promotion programs are in place. (Johnson, J. Creating fat kids who don’t like to read. Sept/Oct 1999, Vol. 18 Issue 2 p96). LITERATURE REVIEW The availability of materials in this subject matter is not broad. However, studies conducted in this area showed more or less identical results. These findings only strengthen the thesis of this work. Most of the materials that can be used in research studies on primary school libraries are on fund-raising activities in order to grow the number of books in the primary school libraries. Only a handful could be read on the focus and evaluation of primary school libraries. In a documentary by Pat Miller, he discussed on how librarians can attract children to the library where interest from among these children seems to have faded. The perception among children that the library is the home of antiquated and boring books should be dis-abused and re-aligned to the basic truth and tradition that children needs to develop the habit of reading to equip them for a better future. Moreover, she suggests librarians to make library a kid-friendly by taking cues from their electronic lives–providing library games, encouraging student chat, teaching with video and audio, and making the books relevant and personal. Moreover, she recommends librarians to cater all learning styles and to consider factors like gender appeal in taking steps to enhance the students’ interest in library (Miller, Pat. Is your library kid-friendly? Library Media Connection. Worthington, Mar 2008. Vol 26, Issue 6 pg22). In Jesuit schools like the Ateneo de Manila University, the primary school library serves as the resource center for teachers as they weave stories into the everyday lessons aimed at building at total formation of the child. This is in conjunction with the school’s strategy of promoting a class teacher scheme of imparting knowledge. The self-contained classroom develops students through integration of subject matters using reading skills and values as the thread. Storybook weaving approach is the key in achieving a self-contained classroom strategy. In this context, the primary school library provides various and extensive collection of storybooks for both the teachers and the students. The purpose of a school library according to The School Library Association (January 2006) is to provide a wide range of multimedia resources to support teaching and learning throughout the key stages, ad foster a reading and information culture that promotes independent motivated readers and learners for life. One of the main objectives of a primary school library is to cultivate interest for reading among children with the end of developing the habit of reading among them as they grow into well-informed adults. Developing enthusiasm for learning through reading is the focus of library work (Dubber, Geoff. Cultivating Curiosity: information literacy skills and the primary school library. Januray 2008). The use of a rewards system in creating interest for reading among children may be a good incentive at the beginning. But weaning children from getting rewards for their reading habit should be done at an earlier stage. The enthusiasm to be in the library to read books should be out of a habit and personal interest cultivated in the child through earlier intervention programs. This updated and revised Guideline, taking account of the 2007 Government literacy teaching objectives, explains the importance of embedding information literacy into a whole school, ICT and curriculum context. It outlines and explains the processes of research for young children and shows ways that teachers and librarians can develop and promote information literacy and related ICT skills through the primary school library and link it to classroom practice. It also includes a very useful and practical case study, some templates, and a reading list. (Dubber, 2008). Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a sample of more than 20,000 children who started kindergarten in fall 1998, researchers found that many children do not experience key elements in their schools that maximize their learning outcomes: * 30 percent of all children attend elementary schools that do not have strong principal leadership * Just over half of all children are in schools where their teachers meet together regularly to plan sequenced and coordinated instruction. * 15 percent of children are in schools where teacher turnover is a problem (Peckham, Suzanne. â€Å"Specific School Traits linked to Elementary Achievement Scores. † The Education Digest. Mar 2008. Vol 73 Issue 7 pg 76). In other parts of the world, like China, learner-centered teaching is as a way to nurture active learners who can innovate and solve problems. Teacher education programs are beginning to adopt learner-centered methods as well. In the U. S. , learner-centered approaches, which emphasize teaching for meaning, have been promoted for some time. Primary teachers now get three years of training, and the eventual goal is for all teachers to have at least four years of training. Traditionally, Chinese teacher education has concentrated on subject matter. In the last decade, however, there have been calls for expanding professional preparation by establishing closer links between schools and universities, by having prospective teachers study educational theory and apply their skills through practice teaching, and by having teacher educator’s model effective pedagogy. Meanwhile, U. S. policy makers have been promoting shorter, alternative routes to teaching, including on-the-job training (Preus, Betty. â€Å"Educational Trends in China and the United States: Proverbial Pendulum or Potential for Balance. † Bloomington: Oct 2007. Vol. 89 Issue 2; pg115). The library department should take the initiative to create and implement simple activities that attract children to their school library. These activities should point back to good old books like literature and establish a connection of the lessons, phrases, morale of these books to the present times. This would create an impression in the minds of children why these books are still read up to this day. (Weisburg, Hilda and Ruth Toor. â€Å"Brush Up your Shakespeare. † School Librarian’s Workshop. Berkeley Heights: Spring 2008. Vol 28 Issue 5; pg 16). The primary school library serves as the motivator of interest in children while it is a data center for adults like teachers and parents. The former brings about awareness and interest while the latter reinforces needs to bridge the gap between children and adults. The interest that is developed in a child should be continuously strengthened by an unconditional support from the parents, teachers, and other significant others. Support from parents may be through a grant of some additional time for the child to enjoy the library. The physical set-up of a primary school library is a determining factor in achieving the goal of creating interest and enthusiasm among children insofar as their need to visit the library is concerned. Library design plays an important role in the realization of a primary school’s goal of cultivating the habit of learning through reading among primary school children. The tangible and the intangible goals of a primary school library go hand in hand. (Dewe, Michael. Ideas and Designs: Creating the Environment for the Primary School Library. October 2007). It is very essential that the government or other non-governmental entities give support to the initiative by giving funds for the rehabilitation of public libraries. The government units may also have a parallel program in which to recognize and appreciate children who read books and other materials in the library. A well-resourced school library plays a key part in assisting learning across the school and is essential to support the wealth of opportunities for studying the locality. An accessible, attractively presented collection of local materials that includes a range of formats will enhance effective learning and raise the status of the library within the school and beyond. (Southcombe, Dianne. Setting the Scene: Local Studies Resources in the School Library. 1999). The presence of a teacher-librarian would help in the pursuit of good library programs. To maximize the impact of a primary school library in aid of the school curriculum, a regular updating of the library’s policy and development plan are necessary. The aim is to develop the library as the school’s resource and focus for learning. (Harrison, Kay and Tricia Adams. Practical Paperwork: Policy Making and Development Planning for the Primary School Library. February 2007. ) Achieving a successful school library is a bit like gardening: â€Å"little and often, with regular input to obtain healthy growth and year-round interest. (Harrison and Adams. 2007). The school’s annual calendar should include such events as would introduce the children to the use of its primary school library. Making children aware of the existence of a good primary school library in their vicinity is the first step towards the goals of establishing a good primary school library. School programs like book events should be included in the school’s calendar of activities for the year. (Dubber, Geoff and Elspeth Scott. Brilliant Books: Running a Successful School Library Book Event. 2nd edition. April 2005). A library is only as good as the material it contains and the access it provides for its users, so efficient stock management is essential for effective resource provision (Lemaire, Kathy. Shelf Life, Shelf Matters: Managing Resources in the School Library. 2nd edition. October 2004). Times are changing and libraries need to keep abreast on recent development in technology. Otherwise, there would be a gap between children and the libraries in general. With the advances achieved by the new information technology systems as well as the prevalent use of mobile phones for SMS, primary school libraries need to go beyond; than just providing children resource materials for reading. (Murphy, Richard. Going online: Developing LRC Web Pages. May 2003). The introduction of the Internet and its associated information handling/literacy skills is quickly becoming a key development in the effective use of primary school libraries. Many schools are realizing the potential of the Internet as an exciting and dynamic curriculum resource for raising pupil attainment, developing a pupil awareness of ICT for a real purpose, and promoting literacy. (Dubber, Geoff, et al. The Internet, the Primary School Library, and the Independent Learner. 2002). The rehabilitation of libraries includes those in the public schools. The funding from government is necessary (Ward, Helen. Book bonanza spurs pupils to test success. The Times Educational Supplement. London: October 26, 2007, Issue 4760. pg 15). Accessibility and ease of use of the primary school library are focus areas that need to be addressed as well by the school as it aims to develop awareness and interest among children. There are systems and tools which are available in the market to address this concern. This will help in ensuring confident use of the primary school library among children. Additionally, teachers would be aided in the instructional process of guiding children towards the regular use of the library. The school’s direction in integrating library use and school curriculum will dictate the degree of interest that the school provides in addressing ease and accessibility concerns on the use of its library. (Lemaire, Kathy. Issue Systems for the Primary School Library. 2nd edition). A key results area always requires a key process indicator to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiencies of the program. Performance measurement is being required by some governmental agencies to ensure continuous improvement of standards and attainment of objectives. Measuring the success of the primary school library in its ultimate end of awakening and cultivating interest and enthusiasm to learn among children is a real opportunity to evaluate the success thus far and to continuously strategize for improvements. (Scott, Elspeth. Measuring Success: How Effective is your School Library Resource Centre? 2001). â€Å"Enjoyment of reading at the youngest possible age sets us up for life as full members of a literate society† (Attenborough, Liz. Project Director of the National Year of Reading. As cited in Primary School Guidelines, 2002). A research study conducted by California School Libraries Association from 1993 to 2005 showed that where there is a library overall program consisting of quality and adequate staffing, flexible hours of availability, and collaborative support to school curriculum, the goal for establishing any library for that matter is achieved. In addition, 99. 4 percent of grades 3-12 students in Ohio believe school libraries and their services help them become better learners [Ohio: Todd, Kuhlthau and OELMA, 2004]. The relationship between school library program services and student achievement was not negated by other school or community demographics, [Missouri: Quantitative Resources, LLC, 2003]. The relationship between school library program development and test scores is not explained away by other school or community conditions at the elementary or middle school levels or by other school conditions at the high school level, [Oregon: Lance, Rodney, and Hamilton-Pennell, 2001] (Cited in California School Libraries Association. School Libraries Do Make A Difference. Research Studies from 1993 to 2005 in Sixteen States). In 2001, a research study was conducted among Texas school to examine school library resources, services, and use, on the basis of School Library Programs and how these made an impact on the students’ performance measured in the reading portion of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. The research study showed that in schools were a good library program exists; students got higher percentage performance than those who had poor library resources and programs. (EGS Research & Consulting. Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. April 2001). The same study shows that where there is collaborative work between Library Staff and the teachers, higher percentage performance among students’ reading skills is achieved. (EGS Research & Consulting. Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. April 2001). The Texas Library Journal Volume 77 No. 4, Winter 2001 reported on the state of the libraries in Texas and how the government committed its support in the rehabilitation of their libraries. Texas believes in the necessity of transforming libraries in order for them to meet the requirements of the present. While books would still be books and the love of books would always be there, the Association of Texas Libraries advocate for the application of advance technology in their libraries to ensure wider reach and expanded services. (Texas Library Journal, 2001). I will end by returning to the question I posed in my introduction. Will â€Å"the love of books† disappear? There is the love of the content of books, and there is the love of books. For those for whom the two are inseparable, the answer must be no, the love of books won’t disappear; but perhaps eventually all the people who love books in the traditional form will disappear. I think that could take a very, very, long time. Weeks asks: â€Å"If it has no pages, just a magic tablet that emits sounds, sights, smells and tastes, is a book still a book? †13 For me, the answer is yes. I can accept â€Å"a substantial compilation of ideas or actions commonly displayed on a viewing device† as the future definition of â€Å"book. † As a librarian, I must be a philistine: I’ve always loved the content more than the package. [Juergens, Bonnie, Executive Director of Amigos Library Services](Texas Library Journal, 2001). he ex Libraries are vital to children’s achievement in school. As they need to develop their informational needs and reading habits, children need libraries and good library programs. But they would not be able to use these available materials on their own. They need the supportive details from adults like the Librarians, their teachers, and their parents. A collaborative work among these three significant others of children are necessary. (Newman, Susan. â€Å"The role of school libraries in elementary and secondary education. † Teacher Librarian. Seattle: October 2002. Vol. 30 Issue 1, pg 74). The Library Power Program at Chattanooga TN’s Lakeside Elementary School has found a direct correlation between students’ use of the library and the level of their test scores in reading comprehension and reference skills (Anonymous. â€Å"Positive correlation between student library use and test scores. † Teacher Librarian. Seattle: Jan/Feb 1999. Vol. 26 Issue 3. pg61). The Lance Model and the Alaska study focused on evaluating the impact of good librarianship to the reading capabilities among primary school children. Several key findings were reported in these studies which point to the direct relationship between good library programs and student’s level of reading performance. (Williams, Doroty, Louisa Coles and Caroline Wavell. Impact of school library services on achievement and learning in primary schools. A critical literature review. 2002). At Lincoln Elementary School in Hawaii a program which involves children from the 5th and 4th grades are given the opportunity to work as library aides†¦ The current library aides conduct this recruitment meeting where they talk about their duties and responsibilities to help students decide if being an aide is something they really want to do. Applicants go through a rigorous one-week training period that tests their commitment and desire to serve as library aides. Throughout the training, the aides take notes and provide the trainees with individual scores for their attitude, respect, and knowledge. (Muranaga, Karen and Emmi Masumura. Library Aides: Building Character, Advancing Service. Worthington. Jan 2008. Vol 26 Issue 4 pg10). METHODOLOGY Several works are undertaken to assess the direct correlation between library programs and the reading performance among primary school children. The methodology in all these researches is more or less similar. Research study methods are used to gather data either for quantitative or qualitative analysis. The validity and availability of this data cannot be questioned and denied. Test measurements, especially those required by the state for regulatory purposes, are extensive and widely represented. Case study research is the recommended methodology to use in library studies. Researchers could use the case study method to further study the role of the librarian in implementing specific models of service. For example, case study research could examine how information-seeking behavior in public libraries compares with information-seeking behavior in places other than libraries; to conduct in-depth studies of non-library community based information services to compare with library based community information services, and to study community networks based in libraries. (The Case Study as a Research Method. Uses and Users of Information LIS 391D. 1. Spring 1997). Case studies are complex because they generally involve multiple sources of data, may include multiple cases within a study, and produce large amounts of data for analysis. Researchers from many disciplines use the case study method to build upon theory, to produce new theory, to dispute or challenge theory, to explain a situation, to provide a basis to apply solutions to situations, to explore, or to describe an object or phenomenon. The advantages of the case study method are its applicability to real-life, contemporary, human situations, and its public accessibility through written reports. Case study results relate directly to the common reader’s everyday experience and facilitate an understanding of complex real-life situations. (The Case Study as a Research Method. Uses and Users of Information LIS 391D. 1. Spring 1997). The method of Convergent Analysis simply uses a set of questions based on the area of study being undertaken. These questions are set in a standard format. A parallel run is made by reviewing relevant studies and setting them in the same format used for the set of questions prepared for the study. Analysis is done by comparing the results of the two standard formats and assess on convergent points. (Norris, Cathleen, et al. Convergent Analysis: A method for extracting the value from research studies on technology in education. Peer-Reviewed. 1999) Review of relevant studies and a re-examination of the original search strategy. It is also recommended that a kind of longitudinal study of impact of primary library provision on learning, based on the implementation of appropriate standards be also undertaken. It is also recommended to conduct a quantitative study used in the USA for use with KS1 and KS2 SATs and pilot to establish whether the methodology is transferable to the English primary education. A qualitative evaluation of the intervention using standards and any indicators may also be developed. (Williams, Dorothy, Louis Coles and Caroline Wavell). Impact of school library services on achievement and learning in primary schools. 2002). A study conducted by ETI used varied assessment tools in attaining its objective, namely: data collection through surveys; fieldwork through questionnaires and interviews; observation of children in selected settings; case study method (â€Å"Evaluation of Public Library Summer Reading Program. † The Los Angeles County Public Library Foundation. Final Report. December 2001). Fieldwork method may also be used in ascertaining the questions in the area of study. This fieldwork may consist of questionnaires distributed among selected representative population and interviews conducted among selected authorities in the area of study. (Dubazana, Khanyi. Integration of the school library into the curriculum. Education Library and Information Technology Services). CONCLUSION From the foregoing literature sources, we can safely say that there is indeed a need for a well structured primary school library. The structure includes not only the physical set-up but also the books inside the library, the library staff, and more importantly, the library program. These are the pillars of a good primary school library that supports the early development of the school child. Children believe what they see. If they see lines and lines of good attractive books then it would already create the interest in them to check out the books and go through the pages of some of them. They cannot be forced to read in an environment that is not conducive to reading. In the latte case, the inadequacy of the library would backfire any effort to arouse the interest in the child and develop the reading habit. The presence of warm and hospitable library staff would sustain the interest in the child-reader. The program that the library can offer to children is a factor that sustains the child’s interest and children would keep on going back to the library which would be as second home to them. A comprehensive work on the area of direct correlation between good library program and reading skills among primary children is relevant today. The educational trend nowadays is towards the extensive use of advance technology even in the primary schools. Reading books has become a thing of the past for many as more and more have shifted to reading information, data, stories, and news from the internet. But this shift from the good old printed material to the easy access to internet sources should be seen on a positive note. There is an opportunity to still arouse the child’s enthusiasm through the implementation of a good program. The library staff should not feel demotivated by this trend. Rather, the Library staff should continue to introduce innovations and attract children to access the library more often. The results of the study as mentioned in the above discussions should serve as an eye opener for all schools and government agencies to work collaboratively in developing the young minds into future reading-individuals. The habit of reading should be sustained all throughout the stages of his life. The shift from print to media sources of reading should be addressed positively. Awareness and campaign strategies as well as the use of a reward system in order to promote interest in reading among primary school students. The use of the internet and the advancement of technology, policies, strategies should be seen as complementing strategies in the total development of the child. The shift from printed materials to web reading among children should be addressed in order to eradicate the confusing stand on this issue; there is never a substitute for reading good printed books. Thus, while we embrace the advances of technology in the field of learning and education, we should not forget the solid foundation of reading good books from an early age. This is not only for learning and cognition. Rather, reading is very much a part of a child’s growing up with family bonds, societal norms, and tradition. The role of primary school libraries has always been to create an environment that arouses the child’s interest in books. A good library physical set-up and programs would be a good answer to the proposition – children perform excellently in the primary schools where school libraries collaborate with the school’s curriculum. It is time to begin reshaping our vision for 21st-century school library media programs, and the best way is to assemble a study group, a professional learning community, a district group of teacher-librarians, or just yourself. Compare and contrast these standards documents and then read your own mission statement. What essentials remain the same? What are different? Who needs to know? What should happen next? (Loertscher, David. Find Out What Should Work. Teacher Librarian. Seattle: December 2007. Vol 35 Issue 2 pg 40). REFERENCES Anonymous.â€Å"Positive correlation between student library use and test scores. † Teacher Librarian. Seattle: Jan/Feb 1999. Vol. 26 Issue 3. pg61. Attenborough, Liz. Project Director of the National Year of Reading. As cited in Primary School Guidelines, 2002. Cited in California School Libraries Association. School Libraries Do Make A Difference. Research Studies from 1993 to 2005 in Sixteen States. Dewe, Michael. Ideas and Designs: Creating the Environment for the Primary School Library. October 2007. Dubber, Geoff. Cultivating Curiosity: information literacy skills and the primary school library. Januray 2008. Dubazana, Khanyi. Integration of the school library into the curriculum. Education Library and Information Technology Services. Dubber, Geoff and Elspeth Scott. Brilliant Books: Running a Successful School Library Book Event. 2nd edition. April 2005. EGS Research & Consulting. Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. April 2001. â€Å"Evaluation of Public Library Summer Reading Program. † The Los Angeles County Public Library Foundation. Final Report. December 2001. Harrison, Kay and Tricia Adams. Practical Paperwork: Policy Making and Development Planning for the Primary School Library. February 2007. Juergens, Bonnie, Executive Director of Amigos Library Services](Texas Library Journal, 2001. Lemaire, Kathy. Shelf Life, Shelf Matters: Managing Resources in the School Library. 2nd edition. October 2004. Loertscher, David. Find Out What Should Work. Teacher Librarian. Seattle: December 2007. Vol 35 Issue 2 pg 40. Miller, Pat. Is your library kid-friendly? Library Media Conne