Over the last 8 weeks I have learned much concerning different international policies and laws that are trying to become established or are being fine tuned to insure all children are receiving the chance to attend a quality early childhood program.
I have realized that chronic poverty is prevalent all over the world. Poverty affects children the same way no matter where they live. We as early childhood professional need to help with poverty at home.
I also understand that all parents no matter where they reside has the same dreams and aspirations for their children as parent in the united states have for our children.
One personal goal I have for myself is that I need to broaden my horizon and go beyond the four walls of my child care business and be an advocate for more families. I believe that the knowledge I have gained needs to be shared with more than just the people that are conveniently around you. I also believe the more you give out the more you receive.
I have realized that all the worlds early childhood field need to be improved. The early childhood field is broken in much of the world. One goal for the early childhood field is to become aware of the international issues so when and if the children and families come to America we will be better equipped to serve them.
I feel we as early childhood professional need to put aside any biases we have and work together for the good of the children.
I truly enjoyed working with each of you. I have learned much from each of you. Best of luck in all you set out to do.
Deborah
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Getting to Know Your Interational Contacts Part 3
Solutions on early childhood development in the Asia Pacific region.
Children under the age of three years is an age that is often neglected in this region of Asia - Pacific. This region tends to focus on preschool and primary school years. Over three hundred participants came together from different countries. UNESCO'S states even though the policy development in early childhood care and education in the Asia Pacific region has progressed much still needs to be done. The mortality rates for children under five needs to go down. Malnutrition needs to be reduced, increase access to services for children under three, and national framework needs to be established that are comprehensive and address the diverse needs of children from birth through early childhood.The conference aim is to equip policy makers, practitioner and parents with information on early childhood development for the under three period. Also they will have a number of hands on workshops on how to utilize resource materials.
Big Push Workshop to Accelerate Early Childhood Care and education in Africa
Among the 19African countries that have joined the Big Push initiative to accelerate education for all the four countries have chosen to focus on loosing early childhood care and education. The Big Push workshop want to familiarize the participating countries with existing training modules on indigenous early childhood care and education helping them to move forward. The modules form the IECCE model which provides tools skills and resources to people working with vulnerable children and families. One of the fundamentals of IECCE model is that local and indigenous children are to be educated within their cultural context.
The reason these two articles was interesting to me is because my focus in early childhood is being an advocate for vulnerable children, I also believe that we must take a holistic view of the child which includes their culture.
Lima Statement Prioritizes Equity, Inclusion and Quality Education
The Lima statement is a calling for a guarantee that all have the right to education. The statement also respond to the diversity in the region. The document highlights the need for quality, equity, and inclusion. This allows the teachers to have a key role in the education of the child. The Lima statement states that achieving equity and inclusion requires securing the right to education for all children, young people and adults. This will help them realize their potential and aspirations. This requires responding to the diversity of the needs among all learners by increasing their participation in learning and by reducing exclusion from and within education.
This article resonated with me because the article speaks of addressing the diversity in each child. Children do learn in different ways and when we learn to accept diversity in each child it will help with exclusion.
Children under the age of three years is an age that is often neglected in this region of Asia - Pacific. This region tends to focus on preschool and primary school years. Over three hundred participants came together from different countries. UNESCO'S states even though the policy development in early childhood care and education in the Asia Pacific region has progressed much still needs to be done. The mortality rates for children under five needs to go down. Malnutrition needs to be reduced, increase access to services for children under three, and national framework needs to be established that are comprehensive and address the diverse needs of children from birth through early childhood.The conference aim is to equip policy makers, practitioner and parents with information on early childhood development for the under three period. Also they will have a number of hands on workshops on how to utilize resource materials.
Big Push Workshop to Accelerate Early Childhood Care and education in Africa
Among the 19African countries that have joined the Big Push initiative to accelerate education for all the four countries have chosen to focus on loosing early childhood care and education. The Big Push workshop want to familiarize the participating countries with existing training modules on indigenous early childhood care and education helping them to move forward. The modules form the IECCE model which provides tools skills and resources to people working with vulnerable children and families. One of the fundamentals of IECCE model is that local and indigenous children are to be educated within their cultural context.
The reason these two articles was interesting to me is because my focus in early childhood is being an advocate for vulnerable children, I also believe that we must take a holistic view of the child which includes their culture.
Lima Statement Prioritizes Equity, Inclusion and Quality Education
The Lima statement is a calling for a guarantee that all have the right to education. The statement also respond to the diversity in the region. The document highlights the need for quality, equity, and inclusion. This allows the teachers to have a key role in the education of the child. The Lima statement states that achieving equity and inclusion requires securing the right to education for all children, young people and adults. This will help them realize their potential and aspirations. This requires responding to the diversity of the needs among all learners by increasing their participation in learning and by reducing exclusion from and within education.
This article resonated with me because the article speaks of addressing the diversity in each child. Children do learn in different ways and when we learn to accept diversity in each child it will help with exclusion.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Sharing Resources Week 6
Upon opening up the website Harlem Children's zone I scrolled to the very bottom of the page.There I found a caption titled documents and publications. In the documents and and publications I found biennial reports, annual highlights of achievements, papers and reports, financial reports and poems written by the founder of Harlem Children's Zone Geoffrey Canada.
The area that I searched was the titles mentioned above. The biennial report comes out every two years. The title of the 2012-2013 was speaking concerning disrupting the cycle of poverty by helping children overcome a staggering array of issues. The article was stating that children in poor communities face many hurdles to their education. They have inadequate schools, violence at home and in the streets. Not sufficient health care, chaotic home lives, disengaged parents, homelessness, meager cultural and recreational opportunities.
Another issue we have been studying is school readiness for our children entering kindergarten. This article is titled Supporting the Entire Child - and an entire community of children. This article states that in 2012 all of the children that attended the Pre K Gems program tested school ready. They take a holistic view of each child they are servicing.
This program is fighting with all they have to have equity for their children. They do have many grants that they are waiting for responses from. This site did show me how they are having great success with the children that goes through their program. They have 92% of their high school graduates attend college.
The document Focusing on Results in Promise Neighborhood is a discussion paper trying to receive grants money from the federal initiative to help support what is taking place in the 97 neighborhoods of Harlem Children's Zone. The document was authored by the HARLEM Children's Zone, Policylink, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy, with contributions from Child Trends.
Once again this websites tell us how they take a holistic view of the child. They work with all children from babies to college students. They teach them to play chess. They watch the streets so the children can get home safely. They have many security people on the streets of the 97 blocks of Harlem to make sure children are safe until they get home.
The area that I searched was the titles mentioned above. The biennial report comes out every two years. The title of the 2012-2013 was speaking concerning disrupting the cycle of poverty by helping children overcome a staggering array of issues. The article was stating that children in poor communities face many hurdles to their education. They have inadequate schools, violence at home and in the streets. Not sufficient health care, chaotic home lives, disengaged parents, homelessness, meager cultural and recreational opportunities.
Another issue we have been studying is school readiness for our children entering kindergarten. This article is titled Supporting the Entire Child - and an entire community of children. This article states that in 2012 all of the children that attended the Pre K Gems program tested school ready. They take a holistic view of each child they are servicing.
This program is fighting with all they have to have equity for their children. They do have many grants that they are waiting for responses from. This site did show me how they are having great success with the children that goes through their program. They have 92% of their high school graduates attend college.
The document Focusing on Results in Promise Neighborhood is a discussion paper trying to receive grants money from the federal initiative to help support what is taking place in the 97 neighborhoods of Harlem Children's Zone. The document was authored by the HARLEM Children's Zone, Policylink, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy, with contributions from Child Trends.
Once again this websites tell us how they take a holistic view of the child. They work with all children from babies to college students. They teach them to play chess. They watch the streets so the children can get home safely. They have many security people on the streets of the 97 blocks of Harlem to make sure children are safe until they get home.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 2
Global Children initiative began a leadership program outside the U.S.. The program is called Nucleo ciencia Pela Infancia (NCPI). This is a scientific program that was created to help with strategies to improve the well being and life of vulnerable children in Brazil. The NCPI consisit of six partner organizations. All of the six partners are using science as their base to inform about child development. The NCPI is trying to inform that life long health, learning and behavior starts when children are young.
The title of the next article that caught my attention was Grand Challenges Canada. The name of the program is saving brain. Saving brain is designed to nurture early brain development. This program seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions. These interventions will nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child's life. They are hoping to help break the cycle of poverty. Different projects are being implemented in middle income countries in Africa, Asia, The Carribean and in Latin America.
The third article that I read was Un Buen Comienzo (UBC). A "Good Start " is a collaborative project in Santiago Chile to improve early childhood education. The idea of the program was to improve the quality of education for four to six year old. They were especially targeting language development. In order to improve school attendance and socioemotional development the project addressed critical health areas. They also worked to involve the children's families in their education.
Reference
(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)
The title of the next article that caught my attention was Grand Challenges Canada. The name of the program is saving brain. Saving brain is designed to nurture early brain development. This program seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions. These interventions will nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child's life. They are hoping to help break the cycle of poverty. Different projects are being implemented in middle income countries in Africa, Asia, The Carribean and in Latin America.
The third article that I read was Un Buen Comienzo (UBC). A "Good Start " is a collaborative project in Santiago Chile to improve early childhood education. The idea of the program was to improve the quality of education for four to six year old. They were especially targeting language development. In order to improve school attendance and socioemotional development the project addressed critical health areas. They also worked to involve the children's families in their education.
Reference
(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Sharing Web Resources
On the initial page of the website Harlem Children's Zone it stated " A National model for breaking the cycle of poverty. Education + family & community + health = results".That statement resonated with me because in my family child care business I am faced everyday with children living in poverty. As a family child care provider I have been gathering many pamphlets for my parents to different programs to help them combat the present situation they are in.
One of the early childhood programs at Harlem Children's Zone is called baby college. This program reaches out to expectant parents, new parents and other caregivers. This program gives all involved a understanding of how the child's brain works and why it is so important to stimulate it. They also teach the fundamentals of child development. The program teaches all of the skills to raise a healthy and happy babies. Most early childhood programs do not target expectant parents. Reading this article has made me think that we do need to target parents before their child is born. Equipping them earlier can only make the outcome even better.
In 2008 Senator Barack Obama pledged to create a anti- bias program inspired by Harlem Children's Zone. In 2010 President Barack Obama was able to launch that program. The name of the program was "The Promise Neighborhood Program" as part of his neighborhood revitalization initiative. The promise neighborhood program provides federal funding to neighborhoods to help insure cradle to career success. This program is overseen by the U.S. Department of education.
There is a great emphasis on making sure that children are ready for kindergarten. At the Harlem Children Zone they have a program called Harlem Gems. This program targets Pre kindergarten children. The reason this program is different is that it has a summer program for the children before they start in September. This allows the children to explore the classroom and get familiar with many of the materials. In September the children will be ready to thrive from day one. Even though having a preschool program that focuses on getting the children ready for kindergarten is not new having a preprogram that allows children to explore before is a new idea.
One of the early childhood programs at Harlem Children's Zone is called baby college. This program reaches out to expectant parents, new parents and other caregivers. This program gives all involved a understanding of how the child's brain works and why it is so important to stimulate it. They also teach the fundamentals of child development. The program teaches all of the skills to raise a healthy and happy babies. Most early childhood programs do not target expectant parents. Reading this article has made me think that we do need to target parents before their child is born. Equipping them earlier can only make the outcome even better.
In 2008 Senator Barack Obama pledged to create a anti- bias program inspired by Harlem Children's Zone. In 2010 President Barack Obama was able to launch that program. The name of the program was "The Promise Neighborhood Program" as part of his neighborhood revitalization initiative. The promise neighborhood program provides federal funding to neighborhoods to help insure cradle to career success. This program is overseen by the U.S. Department of education.
There is a great emphasis on making sure that children are ready for kindergarten. At the Harlem Children Zone they have a program called Harlem Gems. This program targets Pre kindergarten children. The reason this program is different is that it has a summer program for the children before they start in September. This allows the children to explore the classroom and get familiar with many of the materials. In September the children will be ready to thrive from day one. Even though having a preschool program that focuses on getting the children ready for kindergarten is not new having a preprogram that allows children to explore before is a new idea.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Getting to know your international Contacts Part 1
I still have not heard from the international people or websites I contacted. On the unicef website http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html I found a website about chronic poverty. Chronic poverty research centre (CPRC) was an international partnerships of universities research institutes and NGOs, it completed ten years program in 2011. This research states chronic poverty is and who and where it is likely to happen.
Chronic poverty is prevalent all over the world. The place it is concentrated more is in Sub- Saharan Africa. A high population are poor and they stay poor over long portions of their lives. South Asia economic growth rates are have been improving, their poverty rates are lower but a large number of people still remain in chronic poverty. Within countries chronic poverty is not usually distributed evenly. Most households that are in chronic poverty are located in remote, less favoured or areas that are in conflict.
It is very important to understand the social and economical and political reason and processes that made them poor and keeps them poor. The article stated the knowledge they have about the causes of chronic poverty is limited.
Chronic poverty is prevalent all over the world. The place it is concentrated more is in Sub- Saharan Africa. A high population are poor and they stay poor over long portions of their lives. South Asia economic growth rates are have been improving, their poverty rates are lower but a large number of people still remain in chronic poverty. Within countries chronic poverty is not usually distributed evenly. Most households that are in chronic poverty are located in remote, less favoured or areas that are in conflict.
It is very important to understand the social and economical and political reason and processes that made them poor and keeps them poor. The article stated the knowledge they have about the causes of chronic poverty is limited.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 1
The website I selected for this weeks assignment is National Center for Children in Poverty (http://www.nccp.org/). The vision Of NCCP's is to create family economic security, strong nurturing families and healthy family development. NCCP uses knowledge gained from research to enforce public policies. They are trying to ensure a more positive outcome for the next generation. Because NCCP brings to light emerging challenges and offers ways on how to turn research into practice. this agency is respected by direct service providers and advocates across the country.
This site offers many resources to its users. This agency has publication on a range of topics. These topics can be accessed by date, title, project, topic and facts sheets. Other tools this site offers is called data tools. They include basic needs budget calculator, young child's risk calculator, family resource stimulator, 50 state demographic wizards and a 50 state policy tracker. These tools offer the
viewer the opportunity to view the needs of a family by state and age range.
This site worked on a project called NYC Partners for Preschool Quality for Preschools promoting high quality preschools in NYC high needs communities. They trained staff to create strong support for children's learning. This project also supported the preschool program so that there will be continuous support and hoping for quality improvement.
I obtained a wealth of information from evaluating this website. I knew many families in the United States are the working poor. What startled me was the number of families that are below the poverty level. These parents work but are not making ends meet wages and unstable jobs leaves them under the poverty level and their daily needs are not being met. When children live in poverty it affects the entire development of the child. It may impede the child's ability to learn. When a child is young or if poverty is continuous and deep there is a greater chance of an adverse affect on the child.
(http://www.nccp.org/)
This site offers many resources to its users. This agency has publication on a range of topics. These topics can be accessed by date, title, project, topic and facts sheets. Other tools this site offers is called data tools. They include basic needs budget calculator, young child's risk calculator, family resource stimulator, 50 state demographic wizards and a 50 state policy tracker. These tools offer the
viewer the opportunity to view the needs of a family by state and age range.
This site worked on a project called NYC Partners for Preschool Quality for Preschools promoting high quality preschools in NYC high needs communities. They trained staff to create strong support for children's learning. This project also supported the preschool program so that there will be continuous support and hoping for quality improvement.
I obtained a wealth of information from evaluating this website. I knew many families in the United States are the working poor. What startled me was the number of families that are below the poverty level. These parents work but are not making ends meet wages and unstable jobs leaves them under the poverty level and their daily needs are not being met. When children live in poverty it affects the entire development of the child. It may impede the child's ability to learn. When a child is young or if poverty is continuous and deep there is a greater chance of an adverse affect on the child.
(http://www.nccp.org/)
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Sharing Web Resources
Harlem Children's Zone
The name of the organization I decided to research is Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's zone takes a holistic view of the children and families that they serve. Many of the children involved in this organization have tough challenges in their lives. That is why they give each child indivualized
support. They are hoping to produce self sustaining adults. They have twenty sites across the country.
One of the articles that sparked my interest was titled Healthy Harlem. That is a issue that concerns obesity in children. The organization performs a comprehensive work up on each child. The children that are obese an intensive intervention plan is applied based on the findings. Once again they take the whole child into account. They have age appropriate exercising and start the children on a healthy path teaching them about nutrition. They also work with the parents of the children. They include the parents with cooking classes, a farmers market with free fruits and vegetables. Free fun exercising classes are also provided.
This website is a wealth of information. The HCZ model can be applied to all children from all demographics and diversity. It takes a holistic view of the child and family. It is a great resource for all educators.
References
Harlem Children's Zonehttp://www.hcz.org/(Newsletter: https://donate.hcz.org/signup )
The name of the organization I decided to research is Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's zone takes a holistic view of the children and families that they serve. Many of the children involved in this organization have tough challenges in their lives. That is why they give each child indivualized
support. They are hoping to produce self sustaining adults. They have twenty sites across the country.
One of the articles that sparked my interest was titled Healthy Harlem. That is a issue that concerns obesity in children. The organization performs a comprehensive work up on each child. The children that are obese an intensive intervention plan is applied based on the findings. Once again they take the whole child into account. They have age appropriate exercising and start the children on a healthy path teaching them about nutrition. They also work with the parents of the children. They include the parents with cooking classes, a farmers market with free fruits and vegetables. Free fun exercising classes are also provided.
This website is a wealth of information. The HCZ model can be applied to all children from all demographics and diversity. It takes a holistic view of the child and family. It is a great resource for all educators.
References
Harlem Children's Zonehttp://www.hcz.org/(Newsletter: https://donate.hcz.org/signup )
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Perspectives on Diversity and Culture
The people I asked about there definition of culture and diversity consisted of family members and friends.
African American Male-29- Special Education Teacher
1. Culture - It not only consist of there race and heritage its about where they come from. That includes there morals, values, and belief systems.
2. Diversity- Appreciating differences between people. If we were all the same it would be a boring world.
White Male - 63- Retired
1. Culture - Represents peoples different lives and the way they live them.
2. Diversity - Means cultural differences
African American Female- 31 - License Practical Nurse
1. Culture - Lifestyles, how you are living
2. Diversity - The difference of the culture.
African American Male- 34 - Analyst
1. Culture - Different ways of living life. Different beliefs but advancement, respect and authority among a certain popultion.
2. Diversity - Unlimited ways amongst different groups of people to prosper and govern one another.
White Female- 33- Student
1. Culture - Is a way of similiar language and lifestyle shared by a group of people.
2. Diversity- I quess a mixture of cultures and ideas.
African American Female - 22 - Customer Service
1. Culture- Is the people who raise you and the traditions they pass down.
2. Diversity- The differences between cultures that people use to keep different groups seperated.
The aspects of culture and diversity that we have studied so far in this course are surface culture, deep culture and the dominant culture. Many of the people that I inerviewed had many of the same ideas of what culture and diversity were. I have learned that their are many different features of culture. Culture is a broad set of different life styles and characteristics. In the answers I recieved concerning culture was mostly surface culture. One example of surface culture was "life styles and how you are living." Not many of the answers reflected deep culture. How ever one person did mention it. They reflected the nature of deep culture by stating the following "It not only consist of there heritage and race it about where they came from. That includes there morals, values, and belief systems. The following is a good of example of dominant culture "the difference between cultures, that people use to keep different groups seperated. Even though when I asked she had this answer as diversity. All examples of different types of culture were covered.
My concept of diversity includes acceptance and respect of people. Diversity is recognizing and acknowleding the existence of people with varying ways of life. One of the definition that was given was " appreciating differences between people, if we were all the same it would be a boring world." All of the definition seem to hint around what we have been learning that diversity is. Even people in a same cultural group will still have diversity. No person is the same.
The ways that all of the people's definitions of culture and diversity have influenced my own thinking is that people from different walks of life have different mind set as too what culture and diversity means. I feel that their definitions comes from what they have encountered in their lives. I feel it would not hurt for all to take a diversity course. As an early childhood educator I am very happy to be taking this course. It will better equip me to be more sensitive in the way I see people's differences.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
My Family Cultures
A catastrophe has taken place and we as surviving citizens had to be evacuated. We were only allowed to take a change of clothing and three small items. The first item I would take is my bible, the second item would be a photo album of my family, friends and places our family have visited on vacations. Thinking of my husband I would bring a coin his aunt gave him when we visited her.
As I met people in the refugee camp I would reveal my bible. Letting them know that my bible has given me comfort during many trials and tribulation in my life. Also that the bible has brought my family much comfort in difficult times. Becoming friends with the people in the camp will give me the opportunity to show them my photo album. Informing them that even though my immediate family is here, we still need to remember the family members and friends we have left behind. The photo album would also be an heirloom for our children. It will bring to their recollection the family vacations we have taken and the people they may be missing. The coin my husband aunt gave to him is precious to him. My husband has been through much in his childhood. Living with his aunt is one of the most stable times in his childhood. It is a treasure to me because it is one to him.
All of these items are very dear to me. It would be a difficult choice which item I would keep with me. Thinking over the sentimental value of each item I would keep the photo album in my possession. The reason I would have to release my bible is because verses in the bible tells us to hide the word in your heart and mind. I have read the bible so many times that it is planted in my heart and minds. The coin would be left behind because it will probably not mean much to my children once their dad have passed on.
An insight I have gained in this exercise is that I have all family members at heart. As I grow older I think about my spouse and myself and the last part of our lives, but at the same time I am hoping my children are all set up and have pleasueable reflections of their childhood. Even though my children are all grown and have families of their own I will always have their best interest at heart.I want to leave our children with great memories.
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