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/

Sharing Web Resources

The section of early childhood and latest news offer relevant information for my position as a PK teacher. I can go there and read about things HCZ uses in their programs and reflect on what I’m doing currently. Reading the latest news section keeps me current with social events, policies, or positions that are taking place.

Harlem Children’s Zone president/CEO Geoffrey Canada was named one of the world’s best leaders in Fortune Magazine. I was happy to see that people who dedicate themselves to the educational field can really make a difference in the lives of so many. Also because of his hard work politicians, like President Obama has used Geoffrey’s work with HCZ to offer programs, such as these, in states where education is at a low. This is the positive support we need from politicians in the early childhood field.

Geoffrey Canada offers his position on poverty. He believes that providing children with high quality care with help with this issue. He also suggests 5 steps that could help make a difference.

1) Reform the bureaucracy.

2) End the public school monopoly.

3) Attract and retain more great teachers.

4) Make teaching and learning full-time jobs.

5) Create incentives for excellent teachers.

Seeing these 5 steps made me think about the issue of gaining and retaining highly qualified teachers in a new way. I think that creating incentives  and better pay for school educators would definitely help when trying to shape more high quality early childhood education and care programs.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

I still have not been able to get a contact to communicate with for this assignment. So I was attempting to do the alternate assignment by assessing the childhoodpoverty.org webpage, but I was unable to pull up the page. I contacted the professor about my concerns about the assignment. So being stuck in a stand still, I decided to type in Google search about CHIP and found out they partner with Save the Children. So I decided to look into their website and research poverty concerns in Nepal, Asia. I was devastated to find out how poverty has really had an effect on children and families in this country. Also I was able to find the following facts  and statistics , according to Save the Children (2014):

·         “Poverty Rate: 24%”

·         “Save the Children's programs support the formation and development of women's groups, community-based organizations, and self-help groups with leadership training, management skills, and limited seed money to expand access to credit.”

·         “Entrenched poverty and a decade of violent political instability have taken a toll on the Nepalese people, although a lasting peace is gaining momentum, creating real hope for long-term political reconciliation. Much of the population lives in remote rural areas on the plains and others living in scattered settlements in the hills and mountains. More than one in three people in Nepal live in extreme poverty, subsisting on less than $1 per day.”

Resources

Save the Children (2014).  Nepal. Retrieved from

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150545/k.B8DE/Nepal.htm?sessionid=1395538383308.1816

Sharing Web Resources!!!

The organization I chose to study is called the “Harlem Children’s Zone” or HCZ for short. The link to the website is www.hcz.org/home . The organization focuses on providing free educational services to children and families in the community of Harlem. The program offers services to pregnant mothers and cares for these children up to after high school.  The project first started in 1970 but had expansions in 1990s, under the leadership and vision of president, CEO Geoffrey Canada, working with only several blocks in the Harlem neighborhood. The project has been such a success that the block area of the project has been widened and offers services like Baby College, early childhood programs, elementary school, high school, and even college preparatory classes, and also community outreach services.

A current issue or trend that caught my attention, as it relates to change in demographics, is the ‘Promise Zones’ that President Obama wants to use to model these same efforts with five places in the U.S. that are dealing with poverty and helping children. These five areas will be San Antonio, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Southeastern Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I feel that with the success HCZ has had in the community of Harlem, these five areas will have a great success, as well. Building the community and helping assist children with better education will essentially lower poverty and allow for more productive members of society to be raised out of these communities. It will eventually help the area and people living there in the long run. Check out the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/us/politics/obama-announces-promise-zones-in-5-stricken-areas.html?_r=0 for more information on the ‘Promise Zones.’

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Hello to All,

Contacting professionals has been an adventure for me. I didn’t know what direction to take on my own to establish contact with someone outside the United States, so I found it helpful to go to the resources provided on blackboard. I chose two contacts from Europe using one of the websites provided, but I wasn’t able to establish any communication with them. I pursued two more contacts from Europe, as well; I have emailed them a few days ago explaining who I am and my purpose for the contact. Unfortunately, I have not got any responses back. However, I will remain hopeful until the beginning of this upcoming week. If I don’t get responses, then I will most definitely choose the alternate assignment for part 1. Choosing an early childhood organization website was much easier for me. I decided to stick with early childhood organizations within the United States. I looked through the resources provided and picked two that stood out the most to me which were Society for Research in Child Development http://www.srcd.org/ or  Harlem Children's Zone http://www.hcz.org/. After exploring each website, Harlem Children’s Zone resonated with me the most. I feel personal connection because I represent that race/ethnicity and also professional connection because in my school district’s pre-k classes, we serve children that are considered ‘at risk’ (homeless, minority, or low-income). I can’t wait to begin my journey with this organization and with my personal contacts, whoever they will be. If anyone has been successful with establishing contacts, please share with me, so I can confirm mine.

Thanks in advance,

Tierra Jackson