Sharing web resources

As I continued to learn more about the organization Zero to Three this week, I focused on aspects of the organization that dealt with my professional role as the lead teacher of a pre-kindergarten class.  While on Zero to Three’s home page, there was a tab entitled “care and education”.  From there, I chose the child care tab because I wanted to know if there was anything that pertained to my role as an educator.  I looked at the most popular information and found information about preparing children for preschool, how to choose quality care, as well as parenting and professionalism which is a journal of a stay at home mom. 

I decided to take a deeper look at what this organization feels is important when choosing quality care.  The website described things to look for in a good caregiver, such as being loving and responsive, responding to each child individually, and providing a stimulating environment.  There was also a list of several things to look for when touring a center as well as questions to ask during this time.  From this, I was able to get a better idea of what parents should be looking for when they come into my classroom for a tour.

The website for Zero to Three offered a lot of information about current issues and policies.  The information was broken up into several categories: action center, building early childhood systems, federal policy, infant-toddler policy issues, policy guide, and state and community guide.  The one thing that I found exceptionally useful was a policy pocket card that provided information that would help us talk to policymakers.  It provides information about what we can do as educators and it makes the point that now is when the payoff begins when investing in early childhood education.  I learned that investing in our children provides the following benefits today:

·         It helps get children ready for school

·         It helps improve the health of adults and children

·         It provides economic recovery and growth

·         It helps create jobs

·         It helps parents work

In addition to the benefits that can be seen today, there are several future benefits as well:

•         “Better child and adult health outcomes

•         Strong economy

•         Higher graduation rates

•         Increased productivity

•         Higher earnings

•         Stable, dependable workforce

•         Lower special education costs

•         Reduced health care costs

•         Decreased job training costs

•         Less crime

•         Fewer teen pregnancies

•         Less poverty and dependency on public assistance

•         Competitive in the global market” (Pearson, 2009).

I did a search to find information relating to economics and the early childhood field.  One article stood out to me more than the others.  The article opened with the following quote from Robert Dugger of Partnerships for America’s Economic Success:

            “More private sector leaders, economists, and policy-makers are recognizing that if we do             not get child development and education right, it will hurt our long-term prosperity.           That’s because the strength of our labor force is a key to economic growth and fiscal    sustainability” (Pearson, 2009).

A lot of the information in this article went along with what I have learned this week about economists, scientists, and politicians all agreeing that investing in early childhood education now will yield the best return on the investment.  Before this week, I didn’t realize that so many people were now supporting early childhood education.  Sure some people may have their own personal agenda, but in the end, support is what matters.

References

Pearson, K.  (2009).  A proven return on investment: economists and the business community advance a birth to five policy agenda.  Zero to Three.  Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Return_on_Investment.pdf?docID=9421.

Podcast: International views on Poverty

I have not received a response from my global contacts so I went to the World Forum Foundation website (http://www.worldforumfoundation.org) and listened to a podcast in which Michael Kalinowski, of World Forum Foundation, interviewed Maysoun Cheyhab, the regional Early Childhood Care and Education Coordinator at the Arab Resource Collective (ARC) in Lebanon.  Maysoun Cheyhab works with doctors, policy makers, and the early childhood community to raise awareness about early childhood development and child rights as well as providing education and trainings for early childhood educators to teach best practices. During her interview, she discusses what she feels was one of the most rewarding projects she was a part of since joining the ARC.  This project was a psychosocial project that started just after the war on Lebanon.  The war lasted 33 days and affected everyone, men and women, boys and girls.  There was a lot of destruction including more than 100 elementary schools in the area.  Support was definitely needed at this time for everyone living in Lebanon.  The ARC stepped in and set up the psychosocial support project where parents and teachers were trained on how to identify emotional and social reactions children will experience due to the war.  The biggest part of this project was that adults, parents, and teachers got the help they needed first in order to provide the support for the children.  The ARC was able to address the family as a whole and provide them with coping techniques and strategies to help them succeed in life after the war. 

I was unable to make contact with Maysoun Cheyhab or Michael Kalinowski from the podcast so I went to the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s website and learned about poverty in China (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org).  Through my study on poverty in China, I learned that much has been done in terms of reducing poverty and as of 2001, only 5 percent of the population lived under the national poverty line.  Unfortunately this statistic is not accurate for all of China, as areas such as Western China are not experiencing this economic growth as quickly.  Compared to China as a whole, Western China is also at a disadvantage in terms of children’s mortality rate and overall academic success.  There is a social security system in place that helps the poor but the money allocated doesn’t meet all of the needs for food and shelter.  CHIP (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre) is working with the Ministry of Civil Affairs to possibly increase the amount of help to ensure that funds are available to assist with school attendance and help rural areas receive assistance.  

Through this assignment, I was able to see that poverty can be seen all over the world and for different reasons.  Some places experience poverty as a way of life for as long as some people can remember.  Other places are struck with a disaster or event that leaves them in a state of poverty.  Either way, people are affected everywhere by poverty and it is through organizations like the ARC and CHIP that help those in poverty make the most of their situation and hopefully turn things around.

Sharing web resources

The organization I chose for this project is Zero to Three (www.zerotothree.org).  Zero to Three is a national nonprofit organization whose focus revolves around children birth through age 3.  Their goal is to educate, train, and support parents, teachers, and policy makers in order to enhance the lives of children everywhere. 

Zero to Three offers a newsletter however as of today, I have not received my first issue.  There is a section on the website where you can browse public policy.  For this part of the assignment, I decided to look at the current actions listed.  One issue that caught my eye was urging our representative to vote no on the House Reconciliation Bill that the House of Representatives voted on last week.  According to the Zero to Three website, this bill would affect millions of people, mainly low income children and seniors.  This is definitely something that would affect many people in my community, as I live in a lower income community.

Through this assignment, I realized the importance of staying on top of issues that affect us and our community as a whole.  It is easy to feel like things are someone else’s problems or that we are too small to make a difference but in the end, one voice is all it takes to make a change.  I am glad I found this organization and I look forward to learning more about the issues and trends associated with the families and children in my community, as I can be the one voice that makes a difference.

Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts
The first part of this week's assignment was to contact two early childhood professionals outside the United States.  In order to do this, I first went to the Global Alliance section of the NAEYC website.  Unfortunately after several undeliverable e-mail messages were returned to me, I decided to reach out to my personal contacts.  I posted a message on facebook asking for help.  I was able to get two names and e-mail addresses.  As of now, I have made contact but am waiting for a response.  I feel sure that I will hear back from them soon. 

Part 2: Expanding Resources
The next part of this week's assignment was to enhance my knowledge of early childhood by choosing a early childhood organization in which to study, as well as their resources.  For this assignment, I looked over a few websites and decided to learn more about the organization Zero to Three.  I am currently employed with a daycare center that serves children 6 weeks to 5 years of age.  I also foster children who are under 5 years of age so I decided to chose this organization because I felt like I could learn a lot professionally but I could also apply this knowledge to my personal life. 

This week's assignment made me realize the importance of my circle of friends.  Not only were they helpful in putting me in contact with people outside of the United States, but they have been a huge support throughout my educational journey.  I strongly encourage my fellow classmates to reach out to their circle of friends because they can be helpful in establishing contacts of other professionals. 

My Supports

I receive support from a variety of sources, almost daily.  My children are supportive by helping me around the house as well as doing things for themselves.  My family and friends are always there for me whether it is as a soundboard for me to express my thoughts or feelings, or to offer physical assistance when I need an extra hand or to babysit my children when I need a little time away.  My co-workers offer support by encouraging me and helping me when I need help in my classroom.  My Pastors and church family offer support spiritually as I grow closer to Christ.

There are other things in my life that offer support that may sound silly but are a major part of my life.  One of which is my car.  If I didn’t have it, I would have some major adjustments to make in my life.  Another would be that of running water.  I depend on this daily for a number of reasons.  Without clean running water, I would have to make more adjustments in my life, all of which would add more stress.   

I am fortunate to have a wonderful support system.  From my friends, family, co-workers, Pastors, and my church family, I am blessed beyond words.  I have not always had a strong support system but there have always been one or two people that I know I can turn to if I needed help.  Understanding who you can count on to be your support system is important, especially if a crisis or challenge emerges. 

One challenge that comes to mind is if something were to happen to one of my children.  Accidents and sicknesses happen but they can be challenging, especially for a single mother with other children to take care of.  I know that my parents and friends would be there to help me with anything, especially my children.  My Pastors would offer spiritual support as well as physical support if there was something that could be done.  My co-workers would step up for me and make sure my classroom was covered.  My church family would be there for me in any way they could.  Because I have such a strong support system, I know that all I would have to do is ask if there was anything I needed.  There are some people I wouldn’t even have to ask at all.  They would just step in and help in any way they could.

The biggest benefit of having such a strong support system is that I know I am not alone.  I know that there are people in my life who want to share my happy times, to rejoice my accomplishments.  I also know that I don’t have to face life’s challenges alone.  I always have a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, and a friend at a moment’s notice.  If I woke up one day and my supports were gone, I would be extremely heartbroken.  I know that I would still go on with life, but the joy of life’s simple moments would be gone.  I would feel empty and alone.