Final Blog Assignment

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

1.       Wanting to travel to other countries to help children living in poverty.

2.       Not being able to contact an international professional

3.       Subscribing to international educational journals.

                                       One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the

                                      spirit of collegial relations.

                         

                       Continue to try and make contact with an international professional in the early childhood field.  

Early Childhood Education Quality Pod Cast

http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2012/podcast_improving_the_quality_of_early_child_care-67930

This pod cast advocated for parents to understand how to choose a quality child care facility for their children. The pod cast suggests parents should ask questions about child care centers to ensure the programs quality. Parents should ask questions about the type of training teachers receive and questions about the teacher’s background. Parents should have choices on quality settings. The biggest problem for parents is the cost of high quality child care.

According to the pod cast some states don’t require early childhood teachers to have a high school diploma for teachers. Some states only require teachers to have a high school diploma.

The child care development block grant has not been renewed in 16 years. The current child care development block grant has no minimal training requirements for educators, it does not require background checks for educators, and it has no requirements for inspections. The child care development block grant needs to be revised to ensure the health and safety of children.

Policy makers need to be educated to change the laws so that early child care facilities can offer higher quality care for children.

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

Early childhood education is an issue of different government sectors which include education, social affairs, and health.

The biggest issue for most countries is to improve early childhood education but resources are scarce.

The 1990 Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA), stated that countries should view early childhood as part of basic education.

Sharing Web Resources

Some of the outside links on the Zero to Three website lead to the Zero to three Facebook website, Pod Cast about research in child development, and rally for babies videos on youtube.

I thoroughly searched through the Public Policy link on the website. From there I searched through infant-toddler policy issues. There are three additional links: Good Health, Strong Families, and Positive Early Learning Experiences. I chose good health and from there I explored developmental screenings. There is information on premature infants and early intervention for abused and neglected infants and toddlers.

Insights I gained from the website this week. There was a study conducted on parents of infants and toddlers. Based on the study babies can sense their parent’s moods beginning at birth. 34% of parents think their child can not sense their moods until they are 6 months of age. 53% of parents say that the way they were raised will have a major influence on the way they approach parenting.

http://www.zerotothree.org/

Equity in Early Childhood Education In Thailand

What I gained from the Pod Cast.

Families in Northern Thailand feel education is important and it begins with families. Families play a vital role in the well being of children.

Government day care is provided to families in need in Thailand.

The responsibility of early childhood education is for families, communities, and government responsibility to ensure children are receiving early childhood education.   

 In Indonesia less than 4 % of public investment is made in education and development occurring at ages 0-3.

Age 0-3 is the stage where the most brain development occurs.

In Indonesia 0-3 is the most neglected age group when it comes to education.

Pod Cast link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ELKVCyx7n8

What I gained from Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website

1. Mental health is an issue that is not addressed properly in children around the world. It is urgent to identify the problem and create effective policies that are responsive in different cultures. 
2. The center of the developing child at Harvard University has developed a project that will use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil.
3.  The center “A Good Start,” is a project in Santiago, Chile, to improve early childhood education. The idea is to improve the quality of educational offerings for four-to-six-year-olds, particularly in the area of language development.

Sharing Web Resources

              What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current             prof      professional development? The budget cut section from the news section in head                         start seemed relevant to my professional development. I have to make a decision on how                   much longer I can work for head start do to the continuous budget cuts to head start. I want                    to own and operate my own preschool therefore I must decide when I am going to start this                 new phase of my career.

              Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did              you      find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

              Ideas on the website showed how people can stand up for head start. It states Stop the                           Cuts, Stand up for Head Start. This made me think of this issue in a new way because I I                      immediately starting thinking of ways to save Head Start and add money to Head Starts                                     Budget.

              What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your                    und     undertrstanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early                        childhood field? The website has an advocacy section which allows people to support                                  head start by donating. The website also has a research section which states NHS                                  maintains a close relationship with researchers in the field.

PodCast and Childhood Poverty in India Overview

I chose to watch a podcast about poverty in America. I found the podcast on youtube  here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPuS_Cl_2gc

Insights from the podcast:

• The Federal Reserve found that 40% of Americans lost their wealth over a 3 year period 2007-2010.
• Compared to previous recessions the unemployment rate is higher.
• Unemployment is a problem in America.
• The poverty rate went up during the recession.
• Wages at the bottom are a big problem.
• America’s middle class is shrinking according to the 2010 CENSUS and Nearly half of the population is poor or low income.
• If you wait until you are 21 to get married and have a baby, you have a smaller chance of being in poverty and low income. 

Facts about Childhood Poverty in India:

• Two-fifths of the world's malnourished children live in India.
• Child labor is a huge problem in India
• For rural families some children go to work at the age of 6

http://www.heal.co.uk/child-poverty.html

http://twocircles.net/2012jan11/childhood_poverty_remains_reality_india.html

Sharing Web Resources

Zero to Three is a national nonprofit organization that focuses on the care of all babies and toddles. They ensure all babies and toddlers have a great start at life by providing parents, professionals, and policymakers resources and knowledge on how to foster early development of children. They also promote healthy and safety for infants and toddlers. One issue that stood out to me on the website was the maltreatment of infants and toddlers. The website states “Early experiences powerfully shape the developing brain and can have both immediate and lifelong impact on health and well-being. Infants and toddlers are disproportionately at risk for maltreatment. They account for over three-quarters of child maltreatment fatalities”. When focusing on the health and development of infant and toddlers the issue of maltreatment has to be addressed. It’s a sad situation to deal with therefore it is important to provide information for parents to help reduce maltreatment from occurring. The website offer helpful resources to prevent maltreatment. One fact that saddens me from the website is “Every 7 minutes an infant or toddler is removed from their home due to alleged abuse or neglect”. Zero to Thee is taking actions to help prevent abuse and neglect.

“ZERO TO THREE created the Safe Babies Court Teams; a project rooted in developmental science, which aims to:

1.    increase awareness among those who work with maltreated infants and toddlers about the negative impact of abuse and neglect on very young children; and,
2.    change local systems to improve outcomes and prevent future court involvement in the lives of very young children”.

Website:

http://www.zerotothree.org/