Reflecting on international websites and podcasts

Outcomes I have from studying podcasts and websites related to the international early childhood field are:

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      1)      Issues like poverty are global.  Anyone can be affected for a number of different reasons.  Thankfully, there are several organizations working to help those who are less fortunate and help overcome these issues.

      2)      Understanding issues and trends on a local level as well as an international level can help broaden our viewpoint on the early childhood field.  It can also help spark new ideas or offer new suggestions to solve problems in our own community.

      3)      All children are entitled to quality education, regardless of their background or where they live.  Advocating for children has become an important part of my personal and professional life.  Learning about issues and trends on an international level has opened my eyes to how big these problems really are.

4    4)      Through my weekly blogs, I have learned the importance of having a network of people who have a common passion.  Maintaining contact with my colleagues will be an important part of my role as an advocate.  I have grown personally though my blog but I have also grown by reading and corresponding with my colleagues. 

I believe a goal for the early childhood field in terms of international awareness of issues is to keep educators and advocates informed on both the issue and what is being done around the world.  Because early childhood exists everywhere, everyone needs to work together, share ideas, and empower each other to help make a better world for our children.  No one country, state, county, or city should try to overcome the issues related to early childhood alone.  If we put our resources together and work as one, our children will see a brighter tomorrow.

Internation Contacts- part 3/ ALTERNATIVE

This week, I investigated UNESCO’s Early Childhood Care and Education webpage, which can be found at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/.   Three things I learned through this webpage are as follows:

1.       1. I found out that UNESCO organized the first World Conference on ECCE in September of 2010.  Through this conference, a global action agenda known as Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations was put into place.  Since the World Conference, UNESCO has been working with Member States, partners, and other stakeholders to follow through and make sure the Moscow Framework is being implemented as planned.  

2.       2. I learned that April 22^nd through 28^th was Global Action Week.  The Global Campaign for Education organized this event as a way to raise awareness on the importance of education for all children on a global level.  The slogan for this week was “Rights from the start!  Early Childhood Care and education now!”.  The focus was on one of the goals of Education for All, which is “expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children”.

3.       3. The last thing I looked at was an article that talked about 10 reasons to invest in early childhood education.  Some of these reasons were 1) it is a right, 2) it is crucial to children’s brain development, 3) it encourages values in children, and 4) it yields higher investment returns.

I learned a lot through my investigation but the one thing that sticks out to me the most was the article about investing in early childhood education.  Throughout this class, we have been talking about different issues and trends in early childhood.  Until this class, I never really looked at early childhood as an investment in terms of an economical standpoint.  Since that portion of this class, I seem to be finding this information everywhere.

Sharing Web Resources, continued...

 

As I continue my study on the Zero to Three website, I noticed three areas at the bottom of the homepage that lead me to another website.  The options I had to choose from were Military Family Projects, National Training Institute, and Early Head Start.  I decided to take a closer look at the Early Head Start component to see what information was available. 

                From Zero to Three, I was lead to the Early Head Start National Research Center at www.ehsnrc.org.  On this homepage, there were several headings to choose from.  I wanted to see what products were available.  Tip sheets, technical assistance papers, a sharing knowledge series, breastfeeding guide and online lessons were available.  Looking at the tip sheets, they were divided into several categories including child development and early learning, family engagements and relationships, health safety and nutrition, program design and management, and program options. 

                The newsletter I have been receiving from Zero to Three offers information pertaining to children’s growth and development at certain points in their life.  There isn’t really anything pertaining to current issues or trends, or at least I have not seen any thus far.

                Back at the Zero to Three website, I did a search of equity in early childhood care and came up with a few hits.  The first was a pdf file for Early Childhood Colorado.  This pdf file suggested strategies for equity outcomes in early childhood, family support and education, health, as well as social, emotional, and mental health.  The other thing that caught my attention was “Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Futures- a Judge’s Guide”.  This guide was packed full of information related to understanding federal laws and programs, meeting the needs of very young children in dependency court, physical health, mental health, and developmental needs.  I highly recommend this article to anyone working with children and families.  It can be found at http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Healthy_Beginnings.pdf?docID=9822.

                By studying the Zero to Three website, I was able to see that there was more information available to me regarding equity and excellence in early childhood.  I have grown up somewhat in the technological era so I knew that there was a lot of information available to me through things such as the internet, but I really didn’t understand how useful one website could be in promoting early childhood learning and how it could offer support to parents and teachers.  I am so glad I chose this website and look forward to learning more and more about what it has to offer and ways I can continue learning about the issues and trends in our field.