Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

 Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I have chosen the alternative 'Global's Children's Initiative website: (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative

Insights from the website:
First, there is the need for new ideas to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty around the world. Why is this so critical? Because of the  inequalities in school achievement, workforce skills, and lifelong health status compromise a nation’s competitiveness in a global economy.


Secondly, science tells us that the foundation for successful adulthood begins early in life. The substantial gap between what we know about the roots of growing disparities in health, learning, and behavior and what we are doing to promote the well-being of vulnerable children internationally provides a compelling agenda for strengthening policies and investments that focus on the earliest years of life.

Finally,  the global program will focus on three strategic areas:

•  Reframing the discourse around child health and development in the global policy arena by educating high-level decision-makers about the underlying science of learning, behavior, and health, beginning in the earliest years of life.
•  Supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track; and -building leadership capacity in child development research and policy—focused on both individuals and institutions—in low- and middle-income countries to increase the number and influence of diverse voices and perspectives that are contributing to the growing global movement on behalf of young children.
• Building leadership capacity in child development research and policy—focused on both individuals and institutions—in low- and middle-income countries to increase the number and influence of diverse voices and perspectives that are contributing to the growing global movement on behalf of young children.

 The pathways to equity lie not only in the hands of policy makers but also in the hands of all who play a part in how children grow and develop. To ensure the development and maintenance of linguistically and culturally-responsive pedagogy, curricula, standards and policies in early childhood education we need equity education for all involved.

Resources

'Global's Children's Initiative': Retrieved from (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative

Sharing Web Resources

 Sharing Web Resources

 Center for childcare workforce . Retrieved from http://www.ccw.org/index.php

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

The information on making the connection- ADVOCACY and OUTREACH, was very insightful. It was very fitting for this week since we are concentrating on investing in our children at an early age. Advocacy is part of what we do and what others should be doing. The organization through advocacy came together with other professionals came together in what they referred to as 'Worthy Wage Day' to recognize the important work early childhood professionals do every day to make a difference in the lives of children. They advocated for early childhood profession and the nation's future - the children.

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The newsletter highlighted the AFT president, Randi Weingarten,  article named  'What Matters Most.' In the article Randi stated, "If high quality early childhood education were a stock or a commodity investors would be racing to invest in these programs that routinely yield a high rate of return." Our politicians have devoted funds for children in early childhood before they start elementary. However due to the downturn of the economy some states cannot support programs that benefit children and families. The question is "WHAT MATTERS MOST?" Should federal funds go towards investments of our  young children, or should it go towards other programs not including children? This is debatable in my opinion because many believed that early childhood education does not matter. If the opportunity to provide much needed funds to greatly expand access to high quality early childhood education and other early learning program then what will become of children and families especially those at-risk? The decision to allocate much needed funds as an investment in early childhood and early learning program should not be made an issue but should be mandated in my opinion. The decision should not be finding the money but how much is needed to give as many children as possible access to an early start on success. Investing in early childhood education is a down payment for the nation's future success.

 What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field.



Covering Pre-K -New investments in our little learners; by the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, Teachers College, Columbia University

http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=80&Itemid=67

 For years, preschool was the stepchild of education largely ignored by policymakers and researchers. That has changed dramatically, thanks to the convergence of new findings in neuroscience, child development and economics. Policy makers, educators, foundations and business leaders  are now pushing for greater access to preschool.

 The Economics of Inequality·    Working together.

http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=190&Itemid=70

 James Heckman writes, "The logic is quite clear from an economic standpoint. We can invest early to close disparities and prevent achievement gaps, or we can pay to remediate disparities when they are harder and more expensive to close. Either way we are going to pay. And, we'll have to do both for a while. But, there is an important difference between the two approaches. Investing early allows us to shape the future; investing later chains us to fixing the missed opportunities of the past. Controlling our destiny is more in keeping with the American spirit."

 What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

 Parent Outreach http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=50

The economy has put stress on the families of children you work with every day. Stress can correlate to the way in which a parent takes care of his or her child. As a result, that same child may suffer the same amount of stress causing impact on his or her well-being.  Early childhood providers have the unique ability to help the children and families who are currently experiencing an increase of stress due to the daily connection with parents. This is an issue and thus the website has provided valuable information and resources to help us in reaching out to parents and families of the children we educate.

Resources include:

·    Touch points in early care and education (Brazelton)

·     Kids Health

Resources

Center for childcare workforce . Retrieved from http://www.ccw.org/index.php

Parent Outreach:  http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=50

The RAND Corporation. (2008). What does economics tell us about early childhood policy? (Research Brief). Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2008/RAND_RB9352.pdf

Getting to know international contacts

Getting to Know Your International Contacts: Grenada

My conversational partner was Mrs. Lucy George Felix, the teacher in charge of the pre-school program in a  small village  named Post Royal, in Grenada. I had the opportunity to  conversate with her on poverty because I am now in Grenada visiting my mother and other relatives. Mrs. George works in a village where children are deprived of the basic needs for survival. They live in dilapidated houses, they collect water from the streams, they have little or no food, and sometimes she has to provide food for the children using her own resources. The conversation was very emotional and at times her expression on the experiences were so daunting I myself had to take deep breaths trying to overcome those emotions. I gasped, "What a pity!" From the exchanges there were little differences in the what was stated and what was discussed by Dr. Grace. The same kind of poverty is exhibited in the community. The people lack energy to even get up from where they sat. "I have seen hunger, deprivation, homelessness and diseases." Mrs. George Felix concluded.

Poverty does not stem only from economic instability but social factors as well. First, the person may be poor because our capitalist system and our excessively conservative government allow firms to pay people a wage that cannot keep them out of poverty.
Individuals  may simply not have enough education or skills.  In our system, low paid jobs tend to go to those who have not gotten as much in the way of skills or education as those who get the higher paying jobs.  A lack of education or skills could be an individual factor, but it could also come from shortcomings in our educational system.
There may be discrimination that is holding individuals back. This argument is particularly made in the case of people who come from the well-to-do's. If your father is Mr. this then you can get the job. It is like whio has a more prominent name in the village or community. Then the poor will never stand a chance because they are not looked at or considered. Some people are deliberately 'shut off' from the opportunity to have access to a decent paying job, or having a job at all.

 Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. In the case of all the issues of poverty, we cannot just sit and act as if poverty does not exist. The government of many of the small islands/nations are powerless. There are too many negative influences the reason why as a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle. In Grenada, few may not be as wealthy but they can go by with the little they have while others struggle daily to even put food on the table for their children.

We need to advocate for families living in poverty. The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
Let us make the headlines on the newspaper, the radio, the magazine, the television, books, flyers, the internet, on the streets, billboards and make poverty our number one (1) priority. Let us act as if we were in the same boat as our neighbors. Poverty cannot be eradicated in one day but if we work consistently and collaboratively with our partners we will go a long way in helping to change the lives of many.

Resources

 Children’s Defense Fund. (2010). Ending childhood poverty. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/ending-child-poverty/

“The Effects of Poverty on the Early Childhood Community” (approximate length: 13 minutes). Conversation with Dr. Cathy Grace (Director of Early Childhood Development, Children’s Defense Fund).

Rural poverty in Grenada retrieved from http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/country/home/tags/grenada

Sharing web resources

Sharing Web Resources

Center For The Child Care Workforce

http://www.ccw.org/

The focus of the organization is to improve the quality of early care and education for all children by promoting policy, research and organizing that ensure the early care and education workforce is well-educated, receives better compensation and a voice in their workplace for all families regfardless of their ethnic background.

The Newsletter for the month RIGHTS, RAISES, RESPECT
News and Issues for the Early Care and Education Workforce
This newsletter contains the latest information on policy, research and organizing developments around the country related to the early care and education workforce. It is distributed electronically on a monthly basis. It gives information about policies pertaining to diversity in the classroom and elsewhand how important it is to share light on the issues to families.

There is an article that caught my attention. Preschool Curriculum: What's in It for Children and Teachers
Report from the Albert Shanker Institute, 2009
As the Obama administration turns its attention to expanding access to quality preschool education, a new Shanker Institute report shows that the efficacy of preschool programs, both in stimulating children's cognitive development and effectively reducing the achievement gap, can be significantly improved if programs are aligned with new research about how children learn in the academic areas of oral language, literacy, math, and science

The organization highlights English Language Learners who struggle to adapt to their new environment. As Dr. Grace (2011) suggested that parents should continue to speak the home language and provide opportunities for children to engage in the home language while they learn a new language. As professionals  we have to change our way of thinking towards demography and diversity.

The organization directs our attention in helping our children succeed in a diverse environment. I am aware that:

·         Our instructional practice should support children's language;

Our classroom should be rich in language of different cultures

·         All children should be engaged in developmentally and culturally appropriate activities that will promote all aspects of learning and development.

Resources

http://www.ccw.org/
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8524857620692207525

Establishing Professional Contacts

Establishing Professional Contacts Blog Assignment Part 1: 
Since I am a member of the NAEYC I chose this website to become more acquainted with issues globally. I contacted the NAEYC SEEKING GENERAL INFORMATION CONCERNING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WELL BEING and the issues pertaining to their well being.

The Global Alliance of NAEYC http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance

I have also contacted Radmila Rangelov- Jusovic through e-mail.
Email: radmila@costepbystep.ba

I have chosen Website: World Forum Foundation. “A foundation whose mission is to promote an on-going global exchange of ideas on the delivery of quality services for young children in diverse settings.” http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php 
It was difficult to get in contact with this organization. However I have sent an e-mail using this website info@WorldForumFoundation.org

Blog Assignment Part 2: Expanding Resources

I signed up to receive newsletters from the two organizations below.

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php 

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducts and communicates research to support high quality, effective, early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life.

National Black Child Development Institute
http://nbcdi.org/
(Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/

Since 1970, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) has remained steadfast in its mission –“To improve and protect the quality of life for children of color and their families by giving every child a chance.” 

Center for the child care workforce
http://www.ccw.org/

Since there was no specific organizations related to Early Childhood in the Caribbean/West Indies I will further explore the Caribbean to find out about other organizations working for children and families. Specifically, I will contact the Ministry of Education in Grenada, my native island regarding trends and issues in the Early Childhood education.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&xhr=t&q=map+of+the+world&cp=11&qe=bWFwIG9mIHRoZSA&qesig=7wBky6UUs_ZEQNEwPL_BDg&pkc=AFgZ2tlRMZWvZNN6B1yu9o_LZzo1ceVgWYXz1pSnXpSOSlfqb0-zu4YLzPjQGUHZabFsaKNy2Bbw8H8rVqQLAacS_KWXZYfiCQ&biw=1024&bih=546&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&wrapid=tljp130961886179608&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi