Final Blog Assignment!!!

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for professional and personal development:

1. 1.      I was able to learn about current issues and trends that are taking place internationally. I found out that issues we are dealing with nationally are also affecting others internationally.
2. 2.      I was able to gain some resources to learn more insight about current issues and trends. These resources offer information on trends.
3. 3.      I was able to learn new knowledge about current issues and trends and see what other Early Childhood professionals or practitioners are doing to work on helping fight these issues.

A goal for the field for international awareness of issues and trends is to stay current and continue to share new knowledge learned with other professionals in the early childhood field.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Current issues that are being discussed where I live and work is the change in race/ethnic demographics. As many states may be experiencing, here in Texas there has been a shift in the demographics in the need for more educational programs. Murdock, et al (2012) provides the following statistics, “the future of the United States is critically tied to the success of the education of children in Texas. While accounting for only 15.7 percent of growth in the total population in the United States between 2000 and 2010, Texas accounted for an equivalent of 53.2 percent of the growth in the early childhood and school age population (ages 0-12) alone.” Opportunities for professional development are available to all involved  in education programs. For instance, Head Start offers their employees professional development and even helps assist its teachers in gaining degrees relevant to the field. Public school professionals are required to do so many hours of professional development, this depends on district policy and teacher certification requirements.

Some of my professional goals include developing strategies to use with the diverse group of children I serve as a teacher. Another professional goal I have is to build connections with others in the field to gain more knowledge about early childhood. . The last professional goal for me would be to learn how to apply research studies, strategies, techniques into my own profession as a teacher. I believe that having a resource such as UNESCO’s, will help provide me with information to help me follow my goals and stay connected with other’s in the field of early childhood education.

New insights I gained from the UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” is the following:

1. UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) 

2.  It organized the first World Conference on ECCE in September 2010, which culminated in the adoption of a global action agenda for ECCE called Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations.

3. UNESCO works in partnership with Member States, partners and other stakeholders to encourage timely and effective implementation of the Moscow Framework so that all young children develop their potential to the fullest.

References

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

Murdock, S. H., Cline, M., Perez, D., & Hough, G. C. (2012). Change in the early

childhood and school age population in Texas, 2000 to 2010, and projected to 2015. Houston, TX: Rice University, Hobby Center for the Study of Texas. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from the University of Texas at Austin, Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, Web site: http://www.utexas.edu/research/cshr/pubs/pdf/final_ECEA_Deliverable_1_October_31_2012.pdf.

Sharing Web Resources

    The website I am using as a resource is Harlem Children’s Zone. When I explored outside links they mainly would connect me to a YouTube video or publication to read more about a certain topic the organization wanted to highlight. One for example, was the YouTube video with our president and a student from HCZ discussing her experience in the school program. President Obama announces the use of Promise Zones that will use the model that HCZ uses to help the 5 neediest states lowest in educational support.

    I chose to explore the websites section titled, “Issues.” In this section I was able to find current issues the organization finds important for us readers to explore and learn more about. One issue was poverty to providing more of this type programs to low=income minority families. The C.E.O. and founder, Geoffrey Canada has some videos where he discuss certain issues in short media segments. In this section you can also find articles that touch basis on different issues.

   Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten any newsletters. I just have been exploring the website to figuring out information relavent to the course. When it comes to the discussion for this week on availability, accessibility, and affordability I think that is what HCZ is all about. Providing low-income, poverished, minority children with equable educational opportunities. To learn more I suggest visiting the website www.hcz.org . I think just exploring HCZ’s webpage I learned that will programs like these we can make sure all children are given equal learning opportunities, no matter the race, income, ethnicity. Its programs like these that give us a model to follow by. Thank you HCZ.

Getting to Know International Contacts---part 2

I listened to a podcast from World Forum Radio. Unfortunately, I never was able to establish a contact, so I am completing the alternative assignment. I was able to listen to a podcast from Barbara Jones and learn some information about her and her contribution to early childhood care and education. She shared her story about becoming Montessori teacher years ago. She said it was a philosophy she was unsure about at first, but was in need of work after finishing her college work. She worked at this job and even did some work with YMCA.  She eventually started to develop a passion for Montessori and went on to pursue her certification as a Montessori teacher. She eventually opened her own school in Maine around 1984, Pine Groove Child Development Center. She continues to serve children and families for about 25 years now.

Learning more about the “Global Children’s Initiative” was an eye opening experience. It’s great to know we have this type of project going on currently to help provide children with more opportunities to gain a better education around the world. I was able to learn the following insights about this initiative:

1. There are 3 domains, which include; early childhood development, mental health; and children in crisis and conflict situations.

2. Each of these domains is being guided by a faculty working group that will facilitate continuing cross-disciplinary collaboration; design and implement new projects; and engage additional faculty, students, and collaborators beyond the Harvard community. 

3. This initiative project with work to help support children in low economic situations to more well off children. Ideas will be shared collaboratively with the United States.

Websites:

http://ccie-media.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_09_BarbaraJones.mp3

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/global_childrens_initiative__activities/