One last reflection of Issues and Trends

While I was not able to establish any professional relationships with international colleagues, I was pushed to explore issues in the early childhood field beyond that of my community and country, and to see what was out there in other countries. In listening to podcasts and exploring websites I learned about the early childhood field in other countries. Though countries are all in different places in their path to early learning, it is evident that the importance of the early childhood field in regards to care and education is being recognized. While the U.S. focuses on equity and excellence, sub-Saharan Africa is looking at the implications of focusing on health in child development, and Italy has programs such as the Reggio Emilia program that uses children’s environment and natural curiosity to learn. I also saw how organizations are forming links between countries, to assist one another in research and development of programs, and to learn from one another. Just as it “takes a village to raise a child” I believe it will take the uniting of nations to raise the early childhood field to be a priority on educational and social agendas. A third consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is simply learning about who is out there. Endless amounts of research, opinions, professionals and supporters are available to a professional in the field. In knowing that, it seems there should be no situation or issue that I could feel overwhelmed with, as there are many avenues of support. I have also felt that way with my colleagues in this program, from new acquaintances to those who I have shared classes with before. There are professional and personal relationships being established that I have no doubt will continue beyond the class and this program.