Sharing Web Resources

http://www.zerotothree.org/

The reason I was drawn the ZERO to THREE website was the fact that they provide parents, caregivers, and professionals with a variety of meaningful and relevant resources that help answers questions they have regarding development. Two of the courses that I teach are Child Development and Environments and Curriculum for Young Children and this website has great information that I can readily access for my courses. Students always have questions regarding challenging behaviors and how to manage behaviors such as how to handle the "NO!" that toddlers are famous for. This website has great strategies, tools, and hints with how to guide behaviors in a positive manner. I will continue to encourage my students to visit this website so they can build resources as well as their knowledge regarding young children.

The information in this website reinforces within me the importance of providing children with early experiences that sets the foundation for all of the learning that follows. I love how the website explains that just because a child puts on their big backpack and heads off to kindergarten does not mean that children are magically prepared and ready with the necessary skills and tools to start school.  Learning does not just start when children begin their journey in school rather it begins the moment children begin life and with the relationships they build with the people around them.

The website has a section on public policy which provides information on their years of research-based expertise on infant and toddler development to ensure that public policies reflect best practices and current research in support of young children (Zero to Three, 2012).  The ZERO to THREE website has a Policy Network that can be used as a vehicle for professionals to use their knowledge and expertise to impact public policy for infants, toddlers, and their families.

Getting to Know My International Contacts - Part 1

                                        

I was fortunate to make contact with two international early childhood professionals from New Zealand and England the first week of classes, but I am awaiting their response to the e-mail I sent on Monday regarding the issue of poverty.

On Monday, I e-mailed both of my contacts explaining how learning from someone who works in a different part of the world will help me grow a professional early childhood educator. I continued to explain that in the course that I am currently taking we have been examining different issues that impact our programs and communities. I explained how this week that the issues related to poverty are the focal point. I asked each contact to identify any issues of poverty that they may encounter in their professional life. I also asked them if they are aware of any initiatives or organizations that either support poor children and families, or work that towards the elimination of poverty in their community.

Due to the fact that I did not receive a response prior to today, I decided to do the alternate assignment which was to visit the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre to read about childhood poverty in one country, however the website was not working. http://childhoodpoverty.org/

            

Since I could not access the website for the alternate assignment, I decided to do my own search on the issue of childhood poverty in New Zealand. While searching, I came upon the website of the Child Poverty Action Group. http://www.cpag.org.nz/about-us/

The Child Poverty Action Group was formed in 1994 out of the concern of the increasing level of poverty in New Zealand and the effects that is has on children. 

Guiding Principle:

Their guiding principle is the right of every child to security, food, shelter, education and health care.

Core Objectives:

The Child Poverty Action Group’s Core Objectives is to promote better policies for children and young people, to promote awareness of the causes and consequences of child poverty, and to ensure all activities and decisions respect other cultural perspectives.

The website has many resources such as articles, papers, events and presentations that everyone has access to. There are many topics that the website discusses such as; health, education, social security, social hazards, household expenses, and tax policy. The website also identifies effective ways that people can help.

I also found a great article, "Solutions to Child Poverty in New Zealand: Evidence for Action for further information if you are interested. http://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/EAG/Final-report/Final-report-Solutions-to-child-poverty-evidence-for-action.pdf

I understand that people are busy and maybe my contacts required more time to think about the request regarding  the issue of poverty. I hope they respond and if they do, I will update my Blog. :)

  

Sharing Web Resources

We have been learning throughout the course of our studies that the early years set the foundation for a child’s healthy development and life-long learning. We understand the value and benefits of building early relationships with children as these positive relationships help to provide positive learning experiences. When asked to find an early childhood related website I was drawn to ZERO To THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families as I share the same values, beliefs and passion with regards to children.

ZERO to THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.

http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

Here is the ZERO to THREE Organizational video so you can learn more about their website.

ZERO to THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers with the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development.

Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. ZERO to THREE was founded in 1977 by experts in child development, health and mental health. Their role is to promote the understanding around key issues affecting young children and their families, including child care, infant mental health, early language and literacy development, early intervention and the impact of culture on early childhood development.

At ZERO TO THREE they envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential.

ZERO TO THREE is unique in their multidisciplinary approach to child development. Their emphasis is on bringing together the perspectives of many fields and many specialists is rooted in the robust research studies showing that all domains of development—social, emotional, intellectual, language and physical—are interdependent and work together to promote a child’s overall health and well-being in the context of his family and culture

ZERO to THREE website has a free monthly e-newsletter. The monthly e-newsletter includes:

* Age-based information on child development

* In-depth article on common child rearing issues and challenges

* Parent-child play activities that promote bonding and learning

* Frequently asked questions

* Research on child development and what it means for parents

The website also includes issues on maltreatment with regards to child abuse and neglect, the importance of health and nutrition, challenging behavior, and many other issues relevant to parents and professionals.

One thing in particular that caught my attention was the heading "Behavior and Development" and how they have 14 topics under that particular heading. Each topic has information, interactive tools, handouts, articles, and powerpoint slideshows all the help parents and professionals in supporting and nurturing the health and development of infants and toddlers.

The website also has a bi-monthly journal that you can subscribe to which is ideal for professionals who work with and care about very young children and their families.  The May 2014 issue is "Addressing Maternal Depression."

This website provides a wealth of information and I look forward to sharing more with all of you on a weekly basis!

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Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

        Establishing Professional Contacts

At times I get so busy with what surrounds me, both personally and professionally, that having this opportunity to connect with other early childhood professionals outside Canada and the United States is an amazing chance to gain more knowledge and learn from other professionals from around the world.

I have had the pleasure of teaching many students who bring an abundance of diversity to my classroom. I also have the opportunity to teach many International students who come to Canada to study Early Childhood Education. We have students from Egypt, China, Japan,New Zealand, India and Africa. Some of our students in our program are also very fortunate to have the opportunity to do their last practice teaching placement abroad. I just supervised two students who completed their final placements in England and Italy....what an experience that would have been for them! 

Being so fortunate to have connected with so much diversity has been amazing. These connections helped me with the process of contacting other early childhood professionals living outside Canada. Last year I had a student who did her final placement in New Zealand and she had an incredible experience. I contacted the manager from “KiNZ Early Learning Center” in New Zealand and introduced myself and explained the reason for contacting her. I was so surprised that she replied the following day explaining that she would love to share their experiences with me. She added that if there was anything I needed in particular that she would help as much as she could. She expressed that they are involved in many changes and it would be great to connect. In her e-mail, she sent me the link to her program. https://kinz.org.nz/Kinz/Templates/KinzHome.aspx?siteId=4&menuItemId=122

One of my students who just graduated from our program in April is from Nigeria and I contacted her to see if she could help direct me to the path towards finding an early childhood professional in Nigeria. She explained that her sister who stills lives there is also studying early childhood education and that she will contact her and see if she can help. My student was so excited to have the opportunity to help me with this request….I hope it all works out!!

I thought that I should try and make another connection just to be sure! One of my students who just completed her final practice teaching placement is England had an amazing experience, so I thought it might be great to connect with them. I contacted the manager of “Daisies Day Nursery” in England and explained the reason behind my e-mail. I am just waiting upon her response.

Expanding Resources

Wow! What a great list of resources to choose from that not only enables us to expand our resources, but also our knowledge. I must be honest as it took some time to choose! J  The early childhood related website that I decided to choose is, “ZERO to THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.” I find that their website has so many relatable topics that are relevant and meaningful for parents and educators.  ZERO to THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers with the knowledge to nurture early development. Their mission is to promote health and development of infants and toddlers. Here is the URL for their website. http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

I was successful with signing up for their newsletter and I received my confirmation on Wednesday that they received my request. In my confirmation they explained that I will receive my first newsletter the first of next month! J

I am very excited to begin this journey of connecting with other early childhood professionals and building my resources. It will be interesting to read the different websites that other classmates chose and to learn from one another!