Final Blog Assignment

Over the past seven weeks we have been engaged in numerous in-depth conversations regarding the array of issues that impact the field of early childhood. We began this course with the exciting challenge of trying to make connections with other early childhood professionals from around the world. This gave us the opportunity to see how these issues are impacting  the field of early childhood in different countries. When reading through my colleagues’weekly Blogs, it was interesting to see that some were successful in connecting with international early childhood professionals, while others were not. For those who were not successful, it gave us the chance for us to learn new information concerning the varying podcasts that they listened to. The information from the Blogs gave me the opportunity to learn and grow with regards to the issues our field faces.

Throughout this course, we have learned about unintended consequences that can either be positive or negative. Learning about the international early childhood field has brought forth positive consequences that have helped me grow both personally and professionally. One consequence about the international early childhood field is that the issues that this field is faced with are universal. All families have the same needs which are for their children to have access to quality care so they have the opportunity to develop to their fullest. I have also realized that is important to keep current with what is happening around the world concerning the field of early childhood. Even though we may live half way around the world from some countries, we can learn for one another. We can use the values and beliefs from other countries and integrate them with our own values. When we learn from one another, it enables us to become a stronger network. 

  One goal that I personally and professionally have for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends would be to work toward becoming a profession where early childhood educators are valued, respected, and acknowledged as professionals……world wide!! I hope that one day we can leave the word “babysitter” behind. Once we work towards becoming valued as professionals, we can work towards employing all early programs with educators who are highly qualified so children can have access to the high quality care they deserve. 

Thank you to all of you who have shared a wealth of information regarding the issues that impact the field of early childhood! It is professionals like all of you who make such a positive difference! :)

Cheers,
Stephanie

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 3

Well, I did not have any luck getting a response back from my international contacts this week. When I contacted my contact from Australia, an out of office message was sent back to me, so I decided to do the alternate assignment this week.

       UNESCO which stands for; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is an organization that I am unfamiliar with, so I found it interesting to spend time navigating through the website to find out what they are all about.  Their mission is to provide international leadership to create learning societies with educational opportunities for all populations, provide expertise and foster partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all, and work as an intellectual leader, an honest broker and clearing house for ideas, propelling both countries and the international community to accelerate progress towards these goals. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/about-us/how-we-work/mission/

One aspect of the UNESCO website that I really liked were the array of themes that they identified that helped to give me a new insight on the issues related to international early childhood education. I took my focus to their themes on; Education for the the 21st Century, Teachers, and Literacy for All.

The UNESCO’s Education for the 21^st Century is trying to put quality education at the heart of development. Their mission has been to aid with the building of peace, poverty, lasting development and intercultural dialogue. They are committed to the reality that everyone has the right to education, and that education plays a significant role in human, social and economic development. (UNESCO, 2014).

“It is not enough to be connected to each other. We also share our solutions, our experiences and dreams in one great community supported by human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

                                                  Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

One of UNESCO’s top priorities is teachers and their training, recruitment, retention, status and working conditions. “Teachers are the single most influential and powerful force of equity, access an quality in education” says Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. They find that the main challenge faced by the teaching profession is both of numbers and quality. In other words, the world needs more and better teachers. The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.  UNESCO works to address this challenge in addition to advocating for teachers and defending their rights. Here is a link to find more information: http://ed.unesco.org/themes/teachers#sthash.zlzkGAMn.dpuf 

UNESCO believes that literacy is a human right and the basis for lifelong learning. Literacy empowers individuals, families, and communities and improves their quality of life. UNESCO is a firm believer that literacy helps to erase poverty, reduce child mortality, curb population growth, achieve gender equality and ensure sustainable development, peace and democracy (UNESCO, 2014). UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts since it foundation in 1946. You can find more information at: http://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy-all#sthash.1LvPr01.dpuf

Reference

UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

The ZERO to THREE website has an array of topics ranging from Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education and, Public Policy. Each topic branches off to issues related to the main topics with some leading you to outside links which gives parents and early childhood professionals the opportunity to gain more insight on topics that they are interested in or just may want to investigate.

Over the past few weeks we have been discussing the issue of equity and how all families and children should have equal access to high quality care. The topic of Care and Education in the ZERO to THREE website identifies criteria of what to look for when choosing child care. The website also identifies that a good caregiver is one who is loving and responsive, respects the baby's individuality, and provides a stimulating and child-friendly environment (Zero to Three, 2014).

Many parents who are looking for child care maybe uniformed or at times misled with the wrong information when trying to understand what "quality care" actually entails. This website identifies the criteria of what to look for in a child care program. This information empowers parents to make better decisions as they will be more informed with accurate information needed. Hopefully this information will also help parents find the quality care that they need and deserve.

The website identifies information on licensing issues with regards to licensing requirements for programs and providers. The website provides an outside link called the Child Care Aware of America. Here is the link:  http://www.naccrra.org/?AddInterest=1152   

The website wants parents to be informed with the correct information so parents can have access to excellence. When parents are looking at programs, they want them to ask the question, "Is the child care program licensed by the state or local government? They also want parents to see if the program they are investigating for possible care is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/?AddInterest=1152  

The website also provides a link to the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition so parents can check to see if the caregivers in the program meet the requirements needed to teach young children. http://www.cdacouncil.org/?AddInterest=1152   The information provided in the ZERO to THREE website helps parents to understand what is quality care and what they should be looking for when accessing care.

The main focus of the ZERO to THREE website is geared to the understanding of early care, so it was interesting to find out that they offer parents with the proper information and the tools to help them with the criteria to look for when trying to access for care for their child. The June 2014 newsletter has not been posted yet, so I was not able to obtain any new information from the newsletter that would add to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care or education. I will post an update once I receive the June newsletter.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 2

UPDATE!!!!

I did hear back from my contact who is an early childhood professional in England with regards to the issue on poverty. I know that we have begun a new conversation, but I wanted to share the information she sent me with you!

Sue explained that poverty is quite a big issue in England at the moment. In 2010, the government published a report by Frank Field. She explained that the document was named, "The Foundation Years" preventing poor children becoming poor adults and talks about they can break the circle of poor children becoming poor adults. After the publication of this report, the government introduced the two year funding. Children from families who are in the benefit system can access 15 hours free nursery (what we call child care). All children over 3 years have been able to use this funding for about 20 years.

The report also goes on to say that only nurseries that have a good or outstanding status will be able to offer families with the help they need. Children who attend settings that do not have good standards can be more harmful to a child than staying at home.

Sue explained that so far, there has not been a great uptake of this funding in this area, but some intercity areas have had a better uptake.

This was the information that Sue communicated to me regarding the issue of Poverty. I have not been able to connect again to gain any further insight on this issue, but I was pleased to have received a response!!! :)

I was hoping to hear back from both of my contacts regarding this week's assignment about any additional information they have about the issues of equity and excellence, but I have yet to hear back! I will update my Blog once I get a response.

  

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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