Learning about international early childhood creates a cohesive network of professionals who are committed to the same goals. It lets developed countries understand the struggles of some of the underdeveloped countries and possible ways in which they could mentor them through their issues. The underdeveloped countries can use the more advanced countries as a model as to what they eventually want to have. Working together towards the same goal, the best for all children, is important for every country involved. The less developed countries may need assistance in beginning programs for their children or finding the best route to take with government leaders, other professionals and parents in their communities. Learning from countries that have gone through the same changes and how they went about those changes to create the best for their children is vital to early learning communities.
In the spirit of collegial relations I feel it is important for students to understand the struggles of other professionals in our field. We can learn from each other and assist each other in creating solutions to the issues and trends in our field. It is always nice to know that what one struggles with, others struggle with and to be able to work together to create solutions. Knowing that you have professionals both in your own country and in others that are fighting for the rights of children and the best for them makes us all feel less alone in our advocacy.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3
While reviewing the UNESCO's Early Care and Education webpage I focused on the information centered around access, quality and investment. In regards to access the 1990 Jamtien Declaration For Education for All stated that learning begins at birth. In 2000 Dakar Framework for Action included the development of early childhood care and education as the first of six main goals. "Participating countries committed themselves to expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children"
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access/).
Countries are realizing that education and learning does not begin at 5 in primary school, learning begins at birth and should be accessible to all children and therefore governments must step in and assist the families that can not provide early care and education to their children.
Quality is focusing on the whole child. High quality care is vital to young children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is no universally accepted definition of high quality in early care and education however the importance of teacher training and parental education and involvement is deemed necessary for a quality site.
Funding plays a huge role in meeting the needs of young children. Some countries are still developing a primary education program and that leaves very little resources available to fund early care and education. Parents turn to private care with parental payments and the governments assist those who can not afford care. There is still a long road to go in creating comprehensive high quality affordable care and education for all young children.
Hiring educated teachers is one way to begin to create a quality environment for young children. Countries view the definition of teacher in many different ways. In Sweden they have changed their profession to state "teachers working with children from birth to 19 and in a range of education settings" fall under the category of teacher (UNESCO, 2004). Teachers then take specialized classwork in the age group of the children they plan to work with. Spain has divided its teaching staff into two groups by having the qualified teachers work with children over the age of the 3 and assistants work with children under the age of 3 (UNESCO, 2004). This does not put highly trained teachers working with the youngest children.
As a professional goal I stated that I must continue to advocate for children and families and now I realize I also must advocate for teachers as well. We still have a lot of advocating in terms of salary as well as working conditions for our profession. I also set a goal to work with college students who were entering the field. Knowing that I will need to educate them on child development, curriculum, lesson planning and individualization is great but I must also prepare them to become an advocate in this field as well. They must know how to advocate for children, families and others in this profession.
References:
UNESCO (2004, October). The early childhood workforce in 'developed' countries: basic structures and education. Retrieved from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001374/137402e.pdf
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access/).
Countries are realizing that education and learning does not begin at 5 in primary school, learning begins at birth and should be accessible to all children and therefore governments must step in and assist the families that can not provide early care and education to their children.
Quality is focusing on the whole child. High quality care is vital to young children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is no universally accepted definition of high quality in early care and education however the importance of teacher training and parental education and involvement is deemed necessary for a quality site.
Funding plays a huge role in meeting the needs of young children. Some countries are still developing a primary education program and that leaves very little resources available to fund early care and education. Parents turn to private care with parental payments and the governments assist those who can not afford care. There is still a long road to go in creating comprehensive high quality affordable care and education for all young children.
Hiring educated teachers is one way to begin to create a quality environment for young children. Countries view the definition of teacher in many different ways. In Sweden they have changed their profession to state "teachers working with children from birth to 19 and in a range of education settings" fall under the category of teacher (UNESCO, 2004). Teachers then take specialized classwork in the age group of the children they plan to work with. Spain has divided its teaching staff into two groups by having the qualified teachers work with children over the age of the 3 and assistants work with children under the age of 3 (UNESCO, 2004). This does not put highly trained teachers working with the youngest children.
As a professional goal I stated that I must continue to advocate for children and families and now I realize I also must advocate for teachers as well. We still have a lot of advocating in terms of salary as well as working conditions for our profession. I also set a goal to work with college students who were entering the field. Knowing that I will need to educate them on child development, curriculum, lesson planning and individualization is great but I must also prepare them to become an advocate in this field as well. They must know how to advocate for children, families and others in this profession.
References:
UNESCO (2004, October). The early childhood workforce in 'developed' countries: basic structures and education. Retrieved from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001374/137402e.pdf
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Sharing Web Resources-Division For Early Childhood
As I was looking over the Division for Early Childhood's home page I read through the latest under the "What's New" heading. I followed the link and read the paper titled "DEC Comments on Race to the Top". The comments were written by the President of the DEC, Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Executive Director of the DEC, Sarah Mulligan. The part of the paper that I would like to emphasize stated "While DEC strongly supports the emphasis on engaging and supporting families as a selection criterion we recommend that the final package emphasize not only what early learning systems provide “to” families but how systems partner “with” families. Family engagement is a core element to the success of this initiative and states should be directed to emphasize the role of parents and family members.
DEC notes that many infants and toddlers do not participate in group or program settings in their community. Infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services may receive those services in their home, a family member’s home or in a family child care setting. The application package should be reviewed and revised consistent with this reality to be sure that the home environment is appropriately addressed in this investment. This is particularly true for the existing component of a “State’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System” that seems to more closely align to group or program settings" (Pretti-Frontczak & Mulligan, 2011, pp. 1-2).
The reason I pulled this part of the statement out was because I was impressed with the wording around provided services WITH families. I agree that families must be a part of the early intervention services provided for their children. I believe early intervention is a partnership. It truly does take a village! I was also excited to see the wording around making sure the application package was revised to include settings where infants and toddlers receive their early intervention. There are a limited amount of spaces available in early head start sites. Many children receive intervention services through child care centers, family child cares or at home through Help Me Grow. Creating wording to require these services to be covered too will create more assistance for more children. I think that is very important.
The more I explore this site the more I see how the DEC is working on equity in the early care and education field. They are committed to creating awareness around early intervention, advocating for services for children and families and making the public aware of the services that are available and the ones that will be available in the future. I feel all early childhood professionals should join the Council for Exceptional Children and the Division For Early Childhood so they can keep up-to-date on developments around services for children with special needs.
References
The DEC website: http://www.dec-sped.org/index.aspx
Pretti-Frotczak, K., & Mulligan, S., (2011). DEC comments on race to the top http://www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/policy_advocacy/recent_activities/DECRtoTopELComments%20Final[1].pdf
DEC notes that many infants and toddlers do not participate in group or program settings in their community. Infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services may receive those services in their home, a family member’s home or in a family child care setting. The application package should be reviewed and revised consistent with this reality to be sure that the home environment is appropriately addressed in this investment. This is particularly true for the existing component of a “State’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System” that seems to more closely align to group or program settings" (Pretti-Frontczak & Mulligan, 2011, pp. 1-2).
The reason I pulled this part of the statement out was because I was impressed with the wording around provided services WITH families. I agree that families must be a part of the early intervention services provided for their children. I believe early intervention is a partnership. It truly does take a village! I was also excited to see the wording around making sure the application package was revised to include settings where infants and toddlers receive their early intervention. There are a limited amount of spaces available in early head start sites. Many children receive intervention services through child care centers, family child cares or at home through Help Me Grow. Creating wording to require these services to be covered too will create more assistance for more children. I think that is very important.
The more I explore this site the more I see how the DEC is working on equity in the early care and education field. They are committed to creating awareness around early intervention, advocating for services for children and families and making the public aware of the services that are available and the ones that will be available in the future. I feel all early childhood professionals should join the Council for Exceptional Children and the Division For Early Childhood so they can keep up-to-date on developments around services for children with special needs.
References
The DEC website: http://www.dec-sped.org/index.aspx
Pretti-Frotczak, K., & Mulligan, S., (2011). DEC comments on race to the top http://www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/policy_advocacy/recent_activities/DECRtoTopELComments%20Final[1].pdf
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2
I listened to Episode 6 podcast on the World Forum radio that interviewed Meridas Eka Yora. He has opened 3 boarding schools for children who were orphaned by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. His goal is to try and give children a "normal life". His foundation is known and respected. It is important that leaders take action and create a place where others can go to find help and to be of help to those in need. For the children who were orphaned during this tragedy, their lives were changed for the better because one person cared. It only takes one person to start a chain reaction of help to those who need it. One person who knows the contacts of others who are able and willing to help children.
As I reviewed the Center on the Developing Child website I found they are creating work groups to focus in on and learn more about important areas in early childhood systems. "Guided by these strategic objectives, the Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:
Global Gathering in Moscow Put Spotlight on Early Childhood Issues-"In 2000, the world’s governments established a set of ambitious international goals—such as ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring that every child worldwide completes at least a primary education, and reducing child mortality by two-thirds—to be achieved by 2015. While progress has been made towards these targets, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015 is not so far away, and governments are struggling to meet their obligations" (Lawton, 2010). It is clear that issues affecting children are happening all over the globe and many countries are struggling to find ways to lessen the impact these have on young children. I am curious to see how close the countries come to meeting these goals by 2015!
The website offers a direct link to their journal as well as signing up for their mailing list. I signed up for their email newsletter. With so many resources in our field I sometimes become overwhelmed and forget which sources to check out. Signing up for newsletters and updates from important sites such as this remind to educate myself on their newest research and support for our field.
References:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/
http://www.fajarhidayah.com/en/photogallery/others/Fajar_Hidayah_brief_history.pdf
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio
As I reviewed the Center on the Developing Child website I found they are creating work groups to focus in on and learn more about important areas in early childhood systems. "Guided by these strategic objectives, the Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:
- early childhood development;
- child mental health; and
- children in crisis and conflict situations.
Global Gathering in Moscow Put Spotlight on Early Childhood Issues-"In 2000, the world’s governments established a set of ambitious international goals—such as ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring that every child worldwide completes at least a primary education, and reducing child mortality by two-thirds—to be achieved by 2015. While progress has been made towards these targets, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015 is not so far away, and governments are struggling to meet their obligations" (Lawton, 2010). It is clear that issues affecting children are happening all over the globe and many countries are struggling to find ways to lessen the impact these have on young children. I am curious to see how close the countries come to meeting these goals by 2015!
The website offers a direct link to their journal as well as signing up for their mailing list. I signed up for their email newsletter. With so many resources in our field I sometimes become overwhelmed and forget which sources to check out. Signing up for newsletters and updates from important sites such as this remind to educate myself on their newest research and support for our field.
References:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/
http://www.fajarhidayah.com/en/photogallery/others/Fajar_Hidayah_brief_history.pdf
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Sharing Web Resources
The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has many usable components to its website. I feel one of the most important is their "About DEC" tab. Under this tab numerous resources can be found for early childhood educators, policy makers and researchers. The resources found here are the DEC Position Statements, Concept Papers and Recommended Practices. I felt the Position Statement titled "Responsiveness to Family Cultures, Values and Languages was a valuable resource for educators. This paper defined culture and values. It discussed the importance of individualized services and that responsiveness "grows from relationships that have a mutual respect and appreciation for individual culture, values and language" (DEC, 2002). I think it is important for early childhood educators to value and respect the parents, families and children in their classrooms. That being said another area that affects children and families is poverty. Continuing to value that family regardless of their economic situation is vital to relationship building that must take place to create the best environment for each child.
Once a person becomes a member of the DEC they can join a special interest group. The special interest groups form to discuss topics such as research, professional development, Children's Action Netwrok (CAN) and early intervention.
The DEC has also appointed work groups to work on a strategic plan for 2009-2012. Each work group has a goal to focus on. One goal states "to advance governmental policies that promote evidenced based practices for infants, young children and families" (DEC, 2010). I think the DEC would need evidence from research to show early intervention works for young children, economists to show that early intervention saves money in the long run for services provided for children with special needs and the politicians as a voice writing policy that continues to fund research and fund early childhood initiatives.
I feel that as I grow as a professional in the early childhood field I find their is an abundance of advocacy work that needs to be done. Our voices will need to be constantly heard to continue the funding for our field. Research will need to continue to show the needs of children as well as the results of quality early childhood for all children, economists will need to continue to show the "return on investment" and that early intervention and early care and education for all children is cost effective and politicians will need to continue to push for policies and funding that help the children and their families of our nation.
Reference
The Division of Early Childhood http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC
Once a person becomes a member of the DEC they can join a special interest group. The special interest groups form to discuss topics such as research, professional development, Children's Action Netwrok (CAN) and early intervention.
The DEC has also appointed work groups to work on a strategic plan for 2009-2012. Each work group has a goal to focus on. One goal states "to advance governmental policies that promote evidenced based practices for infants, young children and families" (DEC, 2010). I think the DEC would need evidence from research to show early intervention works for young children, economists to show that early intervention saves money in the long run for services provided for children with special needs and the politicians as a voice writing policy that continues to fund research and fund early childhood initiatives.
I feel that as I grow as a professional in the early childhood field I find their is an abundance of advocacy work that needs to be done. Our voices will need to be constantly heard to continue the funding for our field. Research will need to continue to show the needs of children as well as the results of quality early childhood for all children, economists will need to continue to show the "return on investment" and that early intervention and early care and education for all children is cost effective and politicians will need to continue to push for policies and funding that help the children and their families of our nation.
Reference
The Division of Early Childhood http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC
Friday, July 15, 2011
International Contacts-Part 1
I took the alternative route in creating a contact in another country. I chose to listen to a podcast on the World Forum Foundation Radio website. Episode 3 by Delfena Mitchell was about a child living in Belize at Liberty Home, a residence for children who have been abused. Belize is a country in Central America that has the #1 incidence of child abuse in the Caribbean. Belize has a population of 300,000 with nearly 50% under the age of 18. Thirty nine percent of children live below the poverty line (www.libertyfoundation.org.uk). Delfena talks about Joe, a young 9 year old who came to Liberty Home 9 months prior to her podcast with his 6 brothers and sisters. He had not spoken in over a year. He had been physically abused and had observed his sister being abused. They tried home schooling him at Liberty Home and then sending him to the town school but he was kicked out of the school the first week. After being at Liberty Home for 9 months he finally spoke to Delfena while they were on a horseback ride. He told her his grandmother had beat him with a stick and when he was hungry he would hide under his bed to eat so that the other children and adults would not take the food from him. After Joe began to talk they created a schedule for him that consisted of 2 hours of education and the rest of his day outside playing in the gardens. With the combination of going back to school and medication in a matter of weeks they saw huge changes in Joe (http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php). After listening to this podcast I chose to research Liberty Home.
Liberty Home's website is www.libertyfoundation.org.uk. Liberty Home serves 40 children at a time that have been abandoned and/or physically or sexually abused. Many of the children have disabilities, special needs or are HIV positive. Their mission is to build trust with the children that come to live with them. They set up primary care givers for each child so they have one person they can form a relationship with. Liberty Home does not just provide food and shelter but also respects, nurtures and treats children as individuals. They strive to ensure successful placements in foster and adoptive homes.
To learn even more about children and poverty I researched the Childhood Poverty website at www.childhoodpoverty.org. After reading about a couple of countries I learned that in 2001, India had 1.03 billion citizens and 260.2 million of them were living in poverty in 1999-2000. Poverty can happen in any country, in cities as well as rural areas. It will take years to wipe out poverty in any country because there are many factors that need to be changed to decrease and eliminate poverty. When poverty effects children it has life long effects on their brain development and growth. In some countries, such as India, gender biases also play a role in poverty. Girls are kept out of school and given inferior health services. To completely eliminate poverty gender biases must be changed, children must be given better health care as well as nutrition, education must be provided for all children so they can grow up to find jobs that will sustain them and their family. Governments must step in to create better schools, better jobs and better lives for the people of their countries. Eliminating poverty for any country will not happen quickly, but over time it can happen.
References
Liberty Home's website is www.libertyfoundation.org.uk. Liberty Home serves 40 children at a time that have been abandoned and/or physically or sexually abused. Many of the children have disabilities, special needs or are HIV positive. Their mission is to build trust with the children that come to live with them. They set up primary care givers for each child so they have one person they can form a relationship with. Liberty Home does not just provide food and shelter but also respects, nurtures and treats children as individuals. They strive to ensure successful placements in foster and adoptive homes.
To learn even more about children and poverty I researched the Childhood Poverty website at www.childhoodpoverty.org. After reading about a couple of countries I learned that in 2001, India had 1.03 billion citizens and 260.2 million of them were living in poverty in 1999-2000. Poverty can happen in any country, in cities as well as rural areas. It will take years to wipe out poverty in any country because there are many factors that need to be changed to decrease and eliminate poverty. When poverty effects children it has life long effects on their brain development and growth. In some countries, such as India, gender biases also play a role in poverty. Girls are kept out of school and given inferior health services. To completely eliminate poverty gender biases must be changed, children must be given better health care as well as nutrition, education must be provided for all children so they can grow up to find jobs that will sustain them and their family. Governments must step in to create better schools, better jobs and better lives for the people of their countries. Eliminating poverty for any country will not happen quickly, but over time it can happen.
References
Liberty Home http://www.libertyfoundation.org.uk/projects_libertycareprogram.html
Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/
World Forum Foundation. http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
World Forum Foundation Radio. http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Shared Web Resources
As I have studied diversity this week and its effect on children, families, classrooms and communities I feel there is one area that we have forgotten to cover. Children with special needs are part of every community, most classrooms and some families in our areas. These families and children need our support, guidance and encouragement as much as the families from other cultures do. I feel it is important for teachers to understand the rights of the child and the family so they can better support them in the classroom.
I have chosen to learn more about The Division for Early Childhood (DEC). The DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Their websites is http://www.dec-sped.org/. The DEC is about promoting policies and advancing practices to support children with special needs. I chose to research this site because as I present Special Quest trainings I want to have the most up-to-date information to present to the educators in my class on working with children with special needs. The DEC is nonprofit and is funded through membership dues and professional development activities. The DEC is hosting it's 27th Annual International Conference On Young Children with Special Needs & Their Families in Maryland on November 17-19, 2011.
A tab titled "Policy/Advocacy" is at the top of the page and important one that links families and educators of children with special needs to the topics related to policies being set and advocacy that needs to be done. They discuss what is happening in Washington regarding funding and budgeting as well as links to click on for more information regarding the budgets.
There is a button to click on the website that is called "recommended practices" I think this is a great piece to have on the website to keep teachers and families up-to-date on the best practices to reach the goals of the child. They use research as well as knowledge and skills from those who with children with special needs to create their recommendations section.
As the internet is used for information gathering for parents and educators I feel this website is an important resource for families of children with special needs and for all educators. Some teachers feel that they do not need to learn about children with special needs or how they can support them because they do not currently have these children in their classrooms. My advice to them is learn it now before you have a child with a special need so that you will feel prepared to support that child and family. There is nothing worse than feeling inadequate as a teacher and unable to fully support the children and families in your classroom. So being prepared for anything is the best course of action in my book. I think a prepared teacher, though she will not have all the answers, will feel ready to help, assist and love any child that walks through her door.
I have chosen to learn more about The Division for Early Childhood (DEC). The DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Their websites is http://www.dec-sped.org/. The DEC is about promoting policies and advancing practices to support children with special needs. I chose to research this site because as I present Special Quest trainings I want to have the most up-to-date information to present to the educators in my class on working with children with special needs. The DEC is nonprofit and is funded through membership dues and professional development activities. The DEC is hosting it's 27th Annual International Conference On Young Children with Special Needs & Their Families in Maryland on November 17-19, 2011.
A tab titled "Policy/Advocacy" is at the top of the page and important one that links families and educators of children with special needs to the topics related to policies being set and advocacy that needs to be done. They discuss what is happening in Washington regarding funding and budgeting as well as links to click on for more information regarding the budgets.
There is a button to click on the website that is called "recommended practices" I think this is a great piece to have on the website to keep teachers and families up-to-date on the best practices to reach the goals of the child. They use research as well as knowledge and skills from those who with children with special needs to create their recommendations section.
As the internet is used for information gathering for parents and educators I feel this website is an important resource for families of children with special needs and for all educators. Some teachers feel that they do not need to learn about children with special needs or how they can support them because they do not currently have these children in their classrooms. My advice to them is learn it now before you have a child with a special need so that you will feel prepared to support that child and family. There is nothing worse than feeling inadequate as a teacher and unable to fully support the children and families in your classroom. So being prepared for anything is the best course of action in my book. I think a prepared teacher, though she will not have all the answers, will feel ready to help, assist and love any child that walks through her door.
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