Final Blog Assignment

I have genuinely enjoyed learning about organizations on the international level.  When I hear the word “consequences” I immediately think of negative.  For me, most of the consequences are positive.  I have enjoyed learning about the structure of international organizations and where they are allotting their resources.  On some level, it is comforting to know that other nations are struggling with the same trends as the United States.  Since we are struggling with the same trends it is important to bridge our resources together.  I enjoyed learning about different perspectives from the organizations and what they view as priorities within the field.  The only negative consequence I found with trying to learn about early childhood at the international level was contacting individuals working in the field or for organizations. I believe this would have helped me gain a more personal understanding and different perspective of the trends within the field; however, I was unable to make contact with anyone.

One goal related to international awareness within the field of early childhood education is for the United States to not separate from other countries.  If we are struggling with the same concerns and issues, I believe we should combine our resources to make the biggest difference in early childhood.  Communicating and collaborating about what is working and what is not working will help maximize change.

Getting to know international contacts, pt. 3

Although I have been disappointed because none of my attempts to communicate with early childhood professionals around the world have been answered I have enjoyed learning about different organizations that are working to improve early childhood education. 

I explored the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization website this week.  This organization is working to support early childhood education by forming a foundation through policy development. One way this organization works to accomplish this is through two planning strategies.  The first is phasing.  In this strategy the organization is working to respond to the needs of young children in relation to early childhood.  The second strategy is the one that I was impressed by.  It is called partnership.  In this strategy the organization wants to work together to partner with other sectors.  For example, social and health sectors working together.  By partnering together care and education can be addressed within early childhood and for older children.

I also read about quality, access and equity within this organization.  While reading about this I kept seeing the 1990 Jomiten Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action. I wanted to learn more about these policies since it was obviously important to the organization.  The EFA believes that all learning begins at birth and early childhood education and care is an important and basic part of education. The 2000 Dakar Framework for Action is based on improving early childhood education as part of its six main goals.

The UNESCO is working hard to improve early childhood education.  The website offers several resources including publications, evaluation reports, statistics, etc.  There is a lot of great information on this website.   

Sharing Web Resources

As I navigated throughout the website I found a link that had many different publications on it, however, the article I was drawn to the report for the 2011 fiscal year and the impact it has had on children. 

In 2011, child hunger was one area Save the Children stepped up their fiscal donations.  Nearly 10.5 millions children/adults were impacted by this organization.  Not only did Save the Children help worldwide but they noticed that children within the US needed help as well.  According to Save the Children 1 in 4 children go hungry and in addition have no access to early childhood programs. This leaves a four year old living in poverty is 18 months behind developmentally than children not living in poverty.  With the money they have received this year Save the Children has created literacy and education programs within 17 states.  This has helped 185,000 children learn and grow.  Save the Children recognizes how poverty affects education and has made a difference within the field of early childhood education.

 I wanted to know more details about how Save the Children was impacting early childhood.  I found information on their program, Early Steps to School Success.  This program begins with expectant mothers’ and continues through the early education years. This program offers educational services through age 5, support for families and caregivers, and ongoing training for community educators. The goal of this program is to build a strong home-school connection as well as provide parents’ with the skills and knowledge to help support academic growth while providing children with a program that meets their cognitive, social and emotional needs.

Through exploring the website further I realized that this organization recognizes that children in other countries as well as the US are not receiving adequate access to high quality programs.  They recognize the importance of providing families and children with these programs and do so through donations to literacy and education programs as well as creating their own model for school success.

Getting to know international contacts, pt 2

This week I researched the Global Children’s Initiative. The initiative is built on three foundations: early childhood development, mental health and children in crisis and conflict situations. Within the area of early childhood development the goal is to educate, research and communicate effectively to policymakers the importance of investing in early childhood education within the United States and around the world (Center on the Developing Child, 2012).  The second area I learned about was mental health. This area of child development needs to be in the spotlight more.  In order to do that the Global Children’s Initiative has launched three projects around the world.  They are addressing the mental health system in China, developing family based strategies to prevent mental health concerns within families dealing with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and addressing mental health concerns and child maltreatment in the Caribbean (Center on the Developing Child, 2012).  Finally, the Global Children’s Initiative is addressing children within crisis and conflict situations. The goal of this is to work collaboratively with other organizations which bring together a science based and developmental approach to assessing and managing children in man made or natural conflicts (Center on the Developing Child, 2012). 

Within the website I also came across an article, “Targeting Toxic Stress in Children”, that discusses the impact that toxic stress can have on children. Several of the questions mention the importance of having a stable environment. This stable environment helps children feel a sense of security and learn to cope with the stress (Weintraub, 2012).

I believe the Global Children’s Initiative and the article address the issues relating to equity and excellence within the early childhood field.  First, the Global Children’s Initiative is striving to provide equal and excellent programs for children across the globe.  They are educating, researching and communicating to policymakers the importance of investing in early childhood programs and the benefits that can come from the investments.  Second, the article discusses the importance of having a stable environment for children.  If children aren’t receiving this within their home generally the school setting is where children feel the most stable and secure.  Therefore, it is essential that funding and policies be in place that support children developmentally rather than focus on a monetary gain.

References:

Global children's initiative. (2012). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

 Weintraub, K. (2012, February 27). Targeting toxic stress in children. Boston Globe. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2012/02/27/targeting_toxic_stress_in_children/