Final Version May 5 07

44
While education staff in public schools are identified as teachers, the mix of child
care and educational services within preschool programs causes confusion about what to
call the early childhood practitioner. Ferguson (2004) has identified three similar and
interchangeable terms, early childhood educators, child care providers and child care
practitioners. In addition to these terms, those who work with children are called or call
themselves, day care workers, preschool or nursery school teachers, and caregivers
(Caldwell, 2004).
Looking for a common, singular term that more aptly describes the role is the aim
of many across North America (Caldwell, 2004; Ferguson, 2004). If care is considered
less important than education as it connotes a custodial function similar to babysitting
and education has more status in society the question becomes where the emphasis
should be placed (Ferguson, 2004). Caldwell (2004) sees the present-day terminology
issues as an outcome of the merging of two fields. Early childhood education and care
were once considered totally different from one another, mainly because of their different
antecedents. Now according to Ferguson (2004) the borders between care and education
have become blurred.
The dichotomous disparity in the field represents distinct images related to
nursery schools and day care. Nursery schools are considered an educational service
while day care, a social welfare program. The half-day nursery school is usually privately
funded for the middle class and affluent, whereas day care is often publicly funded for the
lower class and poor. Nursery school is seen as a service for children and day care is
considered a service for parents, providing institutional, custodial care or babysitting
(Caldwell, 2004).