Sharing Web Resources

 The organization I have been studying is the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The most recent online e-newsletter covered many topics, including changes around the United States in ECE funding, the difference education of parents make to bilingual children’s school readiness, a summary of countries’ favorable conditions for mothers done by Save the Children, and news articles on budget cuts and education reform in various states, and op-ed pieces on the importance of early education in children’s success later in life.

The sections I found most applicable to my professional development were an article about making preschool a right for children, particularly those from disadvantaged homes. Some state Supreme Courts are directing that states provide quality education programs to children living in poverty, or requiring some state programs to improve their efforts in becoming high-quality. There were also links to resources, one of which was a report from the Center for American Progress that gives tips on teaching English Language Learners. I was very interested to read the section on the ranking of countries’ favorable conditions for mothers. The United States ranked 25^th on the mother’s index and 19^th on the children’s’ index across the globe. Maternal and child mortality rates are high, and the U.S. is said, in the report, to be “lagging behind with regard to preschool education and the political status of women. Performance in both areas places it among the bottom 10 in the developed world.” That definitely is something to be reflected upon and further researched! The report also states that the U.S. is the only developed country without guaranteed paid maternity leave. Prenatal care and family care are part of the early childhood field, and to read these things was a bit shocking. It leads me to thinking I need to learn more about our country’s health care system compared to others. For example, Norway and Iceland were ranked in the top 10. What do they do different? What benefits are seen from the differences? As far as articles that spoke towards politicians’ support of early childhood, that could be seen by an article discussing the Race to the Top grants given to states with high-quality early childhood programs. Grants such as these reflect the government’s support of early childhood care, as do rulings from state Supreme Courts requiring states to beef up the quality of programs. Unfortunately, these messages do not match up to the funding that education receives.

There were a variety of topics on the NIEER e-newsletter that covered issues in the early childhood field globally, nationally, and locally. NIEER also presented a range of types of information, from data and research to opinions, which were interesting to read.

Getting to Know International Contacts (Alternative) Part 1

 As I was unable to contact colleagues from other countries, my blog posting will be of the alternative assignment. On the World Forum Radio (www.worldforumfoundation.org) I listened to a podcast interview of Delfena Mitchell, director of the Liberty Children’s Home in Belize (www.libertyfoundation.org.uk). Central America is rated one in the incidences of childe abuse in the entire Caribbean, and the Liberty Children’s Home has 42 children who have been neglected, orphaned, abandoned, or abused. While they primarily cater to children who have suffered these traumas, they will not turn down siblings that may come along as well. Mitchell explains that the children coming to the home often need time to heal, and do not go to school immediately. Often informal school trainings, theraputic sessions in gardens or on horserides, and time in a safe place with caring adults are what children receive when they come to the Liberty Children’s Home. I emailed the foundation, but did not receive responses to my questions. Still, it is foundations such as the Liberty Children’s Home that give children hope when they have experiences such terrible conditions.

Because I was unable to make contact with a professional, I went to the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (www.childhoodpoverty.org/) to gain some insights on child poverty in the India. Though a look at statistics make it appear that India has made great gains in reducing poverty (from over 50% living below the poverty line to under 30% living below the poverty line from 1973 to 2000) the percent of the population living in poverty has fluctuated quite a bit in this time period. India has worked to reduce the high numbers of people living in poverty through programs and industrial growth, however they still have significant work to do to ensure children are receiving education that prepare them for the industrial growth and emphasis on technology and information. There also continues to be severe health issues for those living in poverty conditions.

Through these brief investigations, I have learned that poverty is caused and continues for many different reasons. While Liberty Children’s Home supports children who are homeless because of a variety of reasons (one aspect of poverty), India faces challenges in health and education reform that keeps up with the industrialization of India. In order for children and families to get out of the cycle of poverty, they must be given the opportunities to overcome the shortfalls in health care and education, lest the cycle continue.

Changing Demographic and Diversity- Connections between Theory and Practice

The organization I have chosen to learn about and subscribed to e-newsletters is the National Institute for Early Education Research, at http://nieer.org. This organization’s main focus is to provide research-based advice to professionals in the early childhood field, those who make policy decisions, and researchers in order to create and maintain high-quality early education. They also work with policy makers on the state and national levels and other organizations to stimulate research projects and disseminate information into the early childhood field.

This week I browsed a couple of articles found on NIEER’s website that spoke of the importance of early education. One focused on how quality early education can lead to closing gaps in skill-sets in the workforce for the future, while another focused on how quality early education reduces the chance of children requiring retention, remedial services, or special education. The issue is clear: quality early education is key to future success in children, and as such, needs to be supported more by policy and funding. Despite the clear benefits of quality early education, the current programs are not abundant, and so many children who may be considered “at risk” do not receive the services they so need!

I learned quite a bit from the resources of this week. Much like adapting curriculum so it meets the learning needs of individuals and is culturally responsive, it is also important that teaching strategies are individualized to the different issues children may be facing, such as immigration (the change of coming to a new country) or displacement of children and families through wars, as they may need different supports. It is also important to not just acknowledge a child’s culture, but to actively teach acceptance and social justice through structured experiences and modeling it in our lives.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 For part 1, establishing professional contacts, I have attempted to establish contacts with professionals in Ireland and Greece. Unfortunately, I have not heard from either contacts, and so I may need to take part in the alternative. I will continue to try to get into contact with these professionals, however, and may just need more time. In the mean time, I have looked at the World Forum Foundation to learn about early childhood education around the world. I am starting to see the importance of looking at the early childhood field as a global concept, as it is our responsibility as early childhood professionals to advocate and support all children and all families, and that we can learn much from one another.

For part 2, I found it a bit more difficult to choose one website, as there is much to be learned from all of them! I did make the choice to dive into the National Institute of Early Education Research, as it offers newsletters, publications, research, and opinion pieces that cover a wide variety of early education topics.