Final Blog Reflections

As this course comes to an end, I have gained so many wonderful insights from the readings and dialogue with my colleagues and instructor.  I have enjoyed learning about the early childhood field from many different perspectives including those of international early childhood professionals.  One insight that I gained was that education and the early childhood field is an area that is important to the international community as well.  One interesting article that I read was about the rebuilding of war-torn Libya.  In the article it discussed how rebuilding the education system was a priority of the country.  It was wonderful to see that this new Libya values education and aims to put it at the forefront of their reconstruction.  Another consequence of learning about the international early childhood field was the need for early childhood support in many areas.  There are so many wonderful child advocacy programs promoting the healthy development of children, including Harvard University's Global Children's Initiative.  This Initiative focuses on education people about the importance of early childhood development, encouraging decision makers to develop policy that benefits young children.  I also learned that the issues affecting the children in our country are very similar to issues internationally, for example, poverty.  Poverty is a concern in many areas of the world as well as in my own community.  I noticed that similar programs are offered in countries to combat the issue of poverty.  My goal for the early childhood field would be to work together with other professionals in the international community to share resources and ideas that would benefit all of the children of the world.  It would be wonderful to have a global commitment to the healthy and safe development of our young children. 

Getting to Know International Contacts - Part 3

             While exploring the website, I came across an article called “Libya: the Will to Change”.  I found the information in the article interesting because after the period of unrest in Libya, not only were the school buildings destroyed, but also the educational system.  Libya finds itself in a good position to rebuild the education system in Libya the way that they want to.  With the help of UNESCO, Libyans plan to improve educational policies, regulate private education and train teachers.  They are not concerned about the enrollment of students, but in the quality of education they receive.  Libya plans to develop high quality school systems to meet the needs of their students.  I think it is wonderful that education is at the forefront of the redevelopment of this country. 

                Another article, “The Role of Education in a World of 7 Billion People” discussed the importance of education to the success of the world.  It mentioned that with an increasing population, providing education to all of the world’s children is a daunting task, especially with tightened budgets and limited resources in the classroom.  UNESCO described its stance on the area of education in this world.  They believe that every child has a right to an education and the education they receive can be huge factors in the fight against poverty and HIV.  The higher educated one is the less likely they are to fall into one of these unfortunate situations. 

                Overall, after viewing the website, I see that UNESCO is a very positive force when it comes to education.  Not only do they promote and advocate for the field, but they are also participants in many countries that are trying to revamp their education system. 

 Resources

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

Sharing Web Resources

I have been following the Children’s Defense Fund website.  This week, I explored a link called “CDF News”.  This linked to several news stories around the country focusing on issues such as racial gap and exercise programs.  I decided to read a news story based out of Chicago, called “Chicago’s Growing Racial Gap in Child Poverty”.  This news story examined poverty levels among children in Chicago and stated that “more than one in three Chicago children are living in poverty” (Bogira, 2012).  According to Bogira (2012) however, this statistic is skewed because less than 1 out of every 11 white kids are living in poverty while 1 out of every 2 black kids are living in poverty.  This is a startling statistic.  In fact, Chicago has higher poverty rates for every racial group, with the exception of whites, than the national rates (Bogira, 2012).  According to research, the racial gap in Chicago’s poverty levels appear to be growing, with a 10.6% growth among black children from 2000 to 2011 (Bogira, 2012).  Bogira (2012) believes that this gap is caused by segregation in schools and neighborhoods; he describes two distinct “black neighborhoods” that have been segregated for over 50 years.  He later describes these neighborhoods as suffering with issues of fire, joblessness, crime, and high dropout rates (Bogira, 2012).  Bogira (2012) brings it to the reader’s attention that this is not an issue that can just be ignored, which is what is happening now.  He plans to continue addressing this issue in an effort to make others aware and to hopefully move forward with positive change. 

Another news story on the website did not relate to the field of early childhood, but it did relate to education opportunities for immigrants.  Some states have tried to reduce spending by cutting funds available for American citizens who are the children of illegal immigrants (Preston, 2012).  Some Universities view these children as out of state residents because their parents are not naturalized citizens; this causes problems such as tuition that can be three times as high as in state tuition (Preston, 2012).  Some children also have lost their scholarships because of these rulings.  Recently, the Federal District Court ruled this unconstitutional, but many students were afraid of fighting this issue because of the fear of deportation of their families (Preston, 2012).  In this article, it was clear that accessibility of higher education was a concern for immigrant families.  This is similar to the problems families face with costs of child care and the fear that if families take advantage of benefits that it may affect their immigration status.   

Resources

Bogira, S. (2012). Chicago’s growing racial gap in child poverty. Chicago Reader. Retrieved from                 http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2012/10/04/chicagos-growing-racial-gap-in- child-poverty

Preston, J. (2012). Court rulings help illegal immigrants’ college-bound children. The New York Times.      Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/us/florida-and-new-jersey-courts-aid-   illegal-immigrants-college-bound-children.html?_r=2&ref=us&

 

Getting to Know your International Contacts - Part 2

             I have been watching the podcasts for the alternative assignment.  This week, I watched TJ Skalski.  Skalski is the principal of Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School in Alberta.  Skalski describes the community as one with damaged, depressed, and hungry children who display feelings of worthlessness.  No wonder the school has had 5 different principals in 5 years.  Skalski was the first principal in the history of the school to remain for more than 1 year.  She has a vision of reinvesting in the kids, focusing on making culture and language a priority.  TJ Skalski explains that many of the families in the community feel caught in a trap, she hopes to inspire the children and families to want more for themselves and to follow their dreams.  It seems like such a massive task to change the way of thinking of an entire community that has been feeling worthless for years.  I love that TJ Skalski feels that this is her calling and she is willing to do whatever it takes for the children and families of the community.  It is inspiring to me to hear of one person making such a difference. 

                The website offered much information about global issues.  Harvard University’s, Center on the Developing Child has started the Global Children’s Initiative.  This Initiative promotes child health and development around the world.    The Initiative uses scientific studies and research in order to advance the Center’s mission.  They focus on three main areas.  Most importantly, they aim to educate decision makers about the science behind how children develop hopefully encouraging the decision makers to make developmentally appropriate decisions for young children.    Also, the Initiative focuses on developing understanding of how healthy development occurs as well as increasing the number of perspectives and advocates that are speaking on behalf of young children.

                One global issue is the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project.  The Zambian Ministry of Education, Harvard University, and several other organizations have developed the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project.  This project aims to develop more understanding of early childhood experiences on developmental, health and educational outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.  While much research has been conducted in developed countries, little has been done in this area.  The Project has developed an instrument for assessing the physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development of these children before and during their education.  This type of assessment has not been conducted before and the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project hopes to use the data to better understand early childhood development in the country.   

Resources:

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)

World Forum Foundation Radio.http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

 

Sharing Web Resources

The website I have been looking at during this course is the Children’s Defense Fund.   One topic on the Children’s Defense Fund website is the issue of the federal budget.  This issue is very relevant to our topic this week as well as myself as an educator and a citizen.  The website is advocating for funding for education and supplies data in support of this funding.  It is advocating for policy makers to support a budget where cuts to education are not included.  The website states, “The biggest threat to America’s national security and long-term economic well-being is the failure to protect, invest in and educate all our children right now (2012).”  While some politicians support investing in children, others don’t.  The CDF website describes the Ryan Budget, “The Ryan budget is an assault on children and the poor while protecting the interests of the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Rather than make the $55 billion in defense cuts required by sequestration in 2013, it actually increases funding for defense, so programs serving children, vulnerable families and the poor would be even harder hit in sequestration than anticipated, as those cuts are shifted to non-defense discretionary spending (2012).”  Through this information, I see that while some politicians are supporting investments in education, others are not.

 

    The website also offers information about the state of early childhood education and care.  It mentions scientific studies that show investments in early childhood programs can produce high rates of return, more so than other investment opportunities (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012).  It also mentions that children need a access to early learning experiences, and these programs are not available to all people.  The website also mentions the Common Core standards and the need for children to access full day Kindergarten in order to prepare for the rigor.  One thing that is not mentioned in this section is information about best practices for early learning.  It leaves me wondering if the website is in support of the Common Core standards or do they have criticisms about it?   

 

Resources

Children’s Defense Fund, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org

Getting to Know International Contacts

After multiple failed attempts at contacting professionals through the UNICEF website, I decided to try to contact Early Childhood professionals at Victoria College in England and The University of Sydney.  Neither of these attempts yielded any results, so I am choosing the podcast alternative assignment.

I watched the podcast featuring Maysoun Chehab.  Maysoun Chehab is the Early Childhood coordinator at the Arab Resource Center, a non-profit government organization, in Beirut, Lebanon.  She works to raise awareness of Early Childhood issues, such as care and development, child rights, and trains caregivers on best practices.  The focus of the podcast was her work in Lebanon after the 2006 war.  After the war, many children and families were affected, so Chehab went into the villages of Lebanon for support.  Maysoun and the Arab Resource Center educated teachers and parents about the reactions children may have post war.  Following this training, she provided parents and teachers with knowledge about coping techniques and strategies to support the children and themselves.  The war destroyed most of the primary schools and Lebanon had much rebuilding both physically and emotionally.  

I studied the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center website.  I specifically looked into childhood poverty in the country of Kyrgyzstan.Kyrgyzstan is a country previously occupied by Russian and has suffered many economic setbacks, which contributed to the country's poverty level. According to the website, in the 1990's, over 60% of the population in Kyrgyzstan were living in poverty. The extreme poverty contributed to the country's lack of health care and education experience.  Analysts are concerned that the poverty in Kyrgyzstan is going to continue and become a cycle.  The government is working to reduce poverty by implementing programs like the National Poverty Reduction strategy.  This program aims to promote economic growth, build a fair society, and tackle childhood poverty.  Many organizations in the country are joining the effort to reduce poverty, but much work is needed to reach the goal. 

Poverty seems to affect every country, no matter the size, location, or how influential the country is in the world.  Poverty can be the result of economic depression or the result of war.  While it is a concern, it seems that many people are concerned about this issue and are working hard to reduce poverty and the harmful effects.

Resources 
Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/)
World Forum Foundation Radio. http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

Sharing Web Resources

    The organization I chose to study is the Children's Defense Fund. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/)  The Children's Defense Fund is a non-profit child advocacy organization that aims to create a level playing field for all children.  They do have a monthly news letter that highlights the top stories or issues the organization is working on.
    The issue I found most interesting an relevant is called, "Be Careful What You Cut".  The organization warns the federal government to be careful when making decisons about fixing the deficit.  With the upcoming Presidential election, the economy and tax cuts are a current topic that has everyone interested.  The Children's Defense Fund is seeking support to prevent cuts that will effect young children and their families.  They highlight a few interesting statistics about possible cuts.

1. Early Education Cuts: Cutting Early Education investments will increase the chance of a young boy going to prison to 39%.  The website also mentions that paying for prison costs up to three times more a year that it would cost to invest in early education.
2. Health and Food Cuts: If cuts are made to Medicaid and food stamps, it will negatively impact children's health and nutrition now and in the future.  Also, according to the Children's Defense Fund website, health and nutrition issues can lead to poor school performance which can result in increases in teen pregnancy. The cost of paying for teen pregnancy is $10 billion a year.
3. Tax Credit Cuts: If the government cuts Earned Income Tax, child poverty would increase by 23% in the future (http://www.childrensdefense.org/) .  The website explains that children of poverty are more likely to drop out of high school and would therefore be less likely to be contributing members of society.  Another statistic offered by the organization states that paying for a high school drop out costs more than $125 billion over the course of a lifetime. 

As the demographics change in our country, more families and children will be able to benefit from the programs offered by our government.  A cut to these essential programs will effect all families and children, especially those who depend on government assistance programs.  In order to assure a successful future, these programs need to be saved!   

Resources
Children's Defense Fund http://www.childrensdefense.org/index-1.html
 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

    This week, I tried to establish several contacts through the Global Alliance website, however every email that I sent was returned as undeliverable.  I then contacted several contacts through UNICEF.  I chose countries that I have a personal connection with or countries that have a successful education system.  As of today, I have yet to hear from any contact, but hope to hear from at least one country that I contacted.  I am excited about learning from an early childhood professional in another country.  I believe that everyone benefits when we are sharing and implementing new ideas.  I hope that I won't have to choose the alternative assignment and I am looking forward to gaining more insight into the early childhood field.
    After spending some time browsing the websites, I decided to choose the Children's Defense Fund.  Since I will hopefully be connecting with professionals from other countries, I thought I would choose a website that was committed to the well being of children here in the United States.  I chose the Children's Defense Fund website because of it's commitment and advocacy for children.  Children do not have a voice in this country and I believe it is important for adults who have a genuine concern for our nation's youth to speak up.  I am also interested in joining an advocacy group in order to be a part of that voice. 
    The Children's Defense Fund has a clear focus and many "priorities" that they believe need to be addressed in the United States, including poverty and children's health.  A main point made throughout the website is that in order to continue to have a thriving and successful country, investments need to be made in our country's youth.  As an educator, I couldn't agree more.  Politics come into play through the website as well.  They encourage investing in children's education and not cutting funds from the education department. 
   The Children's Defense Fund was created my Marian Wright Edelman, who was a civil rights advocate along with Dr. Martin Luther King.  I love how the group is continuing the pursuit of rights for those who may not be able to do it themselves.

If anyone has had more success establishing contacts or knows of a better way to establish a personal contact, I would like to have that information!
 

Issues and Trends In the Early Childhood Field