I have learned numerous ideas about early childhood education through international resources. Here are just a few....
1 - There are many similarities in the challenges faced in the US with regard to the EC Field, and the challenges faced abroad.
2 - Connecting with international EC professionals is not always easy. Persistence is key! However, once those connections have been made, a conversation can begin that stimulates our ideas and thoughts on EC education.
3 - Personally, my desire to assist with the early childhood field abroad has been stimulated and I hope to one day be able to travel and connect with children in foreign countries.
One goal I will set for myself will be making the time to do more international studying of effective practices and programs. While simultaneously expanding my knowledge of the various cultures within my community.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education Webpage
This week I chose to look through UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education Webpage via:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
A couple of very interesting news pieces and informational pieces were discovered! It is truly remarkable what we kind find with the click of a mouse. There is almost an overload of information given to us through the internet so it is especially helpful to visit the websites of organizations we know and trust.
First thing I began to read was an article on the global education initiative. The ultimate goal of the group that met is to "ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030". There were seven proposed "targets" discussed that will help to achieve the overall goal. This kind of initiative serves as motivation and inspiration for all early childhood educators. Through global perspectives we realize that the issues are bigger than we are and will involve complex, strong, and individual thinkers and doers to find solutions.
Under the "Access and Equity" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access-and-equity/) section many issues on the global scale are ultimately the same on the local level. The website discusses the distribution of resources with respect to the need. This is just as much an issue in most of our own communities as it is on a larger scale. Universal access to resources, whether learning or otherwise, should be a priority and UNESCO shows that it is indeed a priority.
One of my favorite readings was regarding "Quality" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/). The quality of early childhood education should be evaluated based upon the overall education a child receives. What I mean by that is the fact that children are not just in early childhood care to learn vocabulary, shapes, etc., but to learn social skills, receive encouragement and motivation, and enhance school readiness.
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
A couple of very interesting news pieces and informational pieces were discovered! It is truly remarkable what we kind find with the click of a mouse. There is almost an overload of information given to us through the internet so it is especially helpful to visit the websites of organizations we know and trust.
First thing I began to read was an article on the global education initiative. The ultimate goal of the group that met is to "ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030". There were seven proposed "targets" discussed that will help to achieve the overall goal. This kind of initiative serves as motivation and inspiration for all early childhood educators. Through global perspectives we realize that the issues are bigger than we are and will involve complex, strong, and individual thinkers and doers to find solutions.
Under the "Access and Equity" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/access-and-equity/) section many issues on the global scale are ultimately the same on the local level. The website discusses the distribution of resources with respect to the need. This is just as much an issue in most of our own communities as it is on a larger scale. Universal access to resources, whether learning or otherwise, should be a priority and UNESCO shows that it is indeed a priority.
One of my favorite readings was regarding "Quality" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/). The quality of early childhood education should be evaluated based upon the overall education a child receives. What I mean by that is the fact that children are not just in early childhood care to learn vocabulary, shapes, etc., but to learn social skills, receive encouragement and motivation, and enhance school readiness.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Global Children's Initiative
This week I chose to review and research the Global Children's Initiative website:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/
The initiative should indeed be a global one, which involves high-power people all over the world recognizing the importance of early childhood programs and development. Not only does this help the well-being of all people in different countries, but it is economically profitable to educate and ensure healthy development for all children. This leads back to the importance of varied programs and practices depending on cultural diversity, economics, and environmental surroundings.
Much of the focus of the website was on children in critical conditions. This is something that tore at my heartstrings. It is so painful to hear of children suffering, and people in general suffering. This is just one more reason to tackle the problem at an early age, rather than later when conditions and situations are so dire that they can not be reversed. Health issues are at the heart of many economic problems. This leads to high child mortality rates and is devastating to many communities future productivity.
One of the most interesting parts of the website was an article about implementation in Brazil. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/applying_the_science_of_early_childhood_in_brazi/ Seeing the effects that the research in the United States has on other parts of the world is not only interesting, but motivating. We can take our own experiences and help another community in places that are geographically so diverse. One of the most essential parts of integration of the Global Children's Initiative was training early childhood professionals to be leaders and coordinate this movement. It requires multiple people working together to create and facilitate an initiative to help all children of Brazil.
I have signed up for the newsletter and look forward to reading more about expansion and learning more about this particular initiative.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/
The initiative should indeed be a global one, which involves high-power people all over the world recognizing the importance of early childhood programs and development. Not only does this help the well-being of all people in different countries, but it is economically profitable to educate and ensure healthy development for all children. This leads back to the importance of varied programs and practices depending on cultural diversity, economics, and environmental surroundings.
Much of the focus of the website was on children in critical conditions. This is something that tore at my heartstrings. It is so painful to hear of children suffering, and people in general suffering. This is just one more reason to tackle the problem at an early age, rather than later when conditions and situations are so dire that they can not be reversed. Health issues are at the heart of many economic problems. This leads to high child mortality rates and is devastating to many communities future productivity.
One of the most interesting parts of the website was an article about implementation in Brazil. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/applying_the_science_of_early_childhood_in_brazi/ Seeing the effects that the research in the United States has on other parts of the world is not only interesting, but motivating. We can take our own experiences and help another community in places that are geographically so diverse. One of the most essential parts of integration of the Global Children's Initiative was training early childhood professionals to be leaders and coordinate this movement. It requires multiple people working together to create and facilitate an initiative to help all children of Brazil.
I have signed up for the newsletter and look forward to reading more about expansion and learning more about this particular initiative.
Harvard University. (2014). Center on the developing child. Global children's initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/
Saturday, May 31, 2014
The Power of Electronic Resources
To refresh...The website and newsletter I chose was ZERO TO THREE.
Challenging Behaviors is a section of the website and was also addressed in the newsletter for April. This is relevant to my current professional experience because I have been dealing with a particular child who has tantrums and has been hitting and biting. This is pretty common for a two year old, however that doesn't make the situation any easier to deal with. Studying and learning effective methods of dealing with this behavior is necessary for any early childhood professional. We need to begin at the lowest level of behavior to understand why children react the way they do. Looking at their history, family environment, and many other factors allows us to gain a clearer picture of challenging behaviors.
One section I found particularly interesting and made me look at home visiting programs in a new way was the section on depression in families during home visits. This is a very common disease and many families and children suffer from depression, anxiety, and others. Home visits need to be noted in detail and observations should be thorough. This involves training professionals to know what to look for and how to identify depression and other chronic illnesses in a child's environment. This will also lead to a better understanding of how families interact and why children may be acting out or more reclusive.
The Public Policy section of the website is adds to my understanding of how politicians are influenced by media and how their decision affect early childhood education. Many of the resources we use, including ZERO TO THREE, are initially started to bring to light issues and trends to politicians. The federal, state, and community levels of public policy are all discussed. The agendas are made clear and will be submitted to administration and congress for review. Having this information available is such a great feature and allows for a better understanding of current legislative issues.
Challenging Behaviors is a section of the website and was also addressed in the newsletter for April. This is relevant to my current professional experience because I have been dealing with a particular child who has tantrums and has been hitting and biting. This is pretty common for a two year old, however that doesn't make the situation any easier to deal with. Studying and learning effective methods of dealing with this behavior is necessary for any early childhood professional. We need to begin at the lowest level of behavior to understand why children react the way they do. Looking at their history, family environment, and many other factors allows us to gain a clearer picture of challenging behaviors.
One section I found particularly interesting and made me look at home visiting programs in a new way was the section on depression in families during home visits. This is a very common disease and many families and children suffer from depression, anxiety, and others. Home visits need to be noted in detail and observations should be thorough. This involves training professionals to know what to look for and how to identify depression and other chronic illnesses in a child's environment. This will also lead to a better understanding of how families interact and why children may be acting out or more reclusive.
The Public Policy section of the website is adds to my understanding of how politicians are influenced by media and how their decision affect early childhood education. Many of the resources we use, including ZERO TO THREE, are initially started to bring to light issues and trends to politicians. The federal, state, and community levels of public policy are all discussed. The agendas are made clear and will be submitted to administration and congress for review. Having this information available is such a great feature and allows for a better understanding of current legislative issues.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Exploring Childhood Poverty in Nepal
This week I chose to look at the childhood poverty issues in Nepal. I found many interesting facts about this topic, however I am just going to share a few with you. First, lets start out with some basic facts regarding Nepal:
- Children under the age of 15 make up about 40% of Nepal's population
- More than 1/3 of the population lives in poverty
- There are approximately 75,000 neo-natal and post-natal deaths every year
- Majority of children are not provided with any education
A couple of interesting insights I found while perusing the website are as follows:
- Nepal was plagued with violence for nearly a decade over political rule and rebel fighters. This has led to unrest and numerous deaths. The people of Nepal are beginning to see some political stability which should help address issues of poverty and childhood fatality and hopefully begin to bring awareness to the people.
- The growing health concerns include increased prevalence of STD's and the fight against HIV and AIDS. There is a commercial sex trade that has been identified as a direct cause of the disease growing.
- Poor and marginalized women are the focus of education initiatives. Many of the primary school programs are focused on girls and the underprivileged. By creating awareness for all women, they are more capable of making the most of what learning opportunities they do have access to.
The link to the Save the Children site: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150545/k.B8DE/Nepal.htm#challenges
A brief overview of Nepal's history was retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12499391
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Web Resources
ZERO TO THREE (http://www.zerotothree.org/)
This organization is the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. It focuses on all areas of early childhood development including: behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education, and public policy. It serves as a resource for parents, educators, and people in general.
One issue that caught my eye on the website was the press release for response to the 2014 Budget Proposal. Many of the politicians today, Hillary Clinton for example, have advocated on early childhood funding and care. This press release applauds the President for his efforts in bringing attention to the importance of early childhood care. Funding starts with the communities however it ends with the politicians and the national budget. This is a great step forward for the future of early childhood development and the future of our nation.
This organization is the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. It focuses on all areas of early childhood development including: behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education, and public policy. It serves as a resource for parents, educators, and people in general.
One issue that caught my eye on the website was the press release for response to the 2014 Budget Proposal. Many of the politicians today, Hillary Clinton for example, have advocated on early childhood funding and care. This press release applauds the President for his efforts in bringing attention to the importance of early childhood care. Funding starts with the communities however it ends with the politicians and the national budget. This is a great step forward for the future of early childhood development and the future of our nation.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Quotes
This is one of my personal favorites:
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
- Shel Silverstein
And another just because:
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
- Margaret Mead
I would like to thank two blogs from my class for your inspiration throughout my Early Childhood Development class.
FallonGirl Blog: http://cmfeigner.wordpress.com/ and
Little Hands Loving Hard Blog: http://littlehandslovingheart.blogspot.com/
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