Final Blog Assignment

When I initially enter this program as an undergraduate my intention was get ahead of the game by having four Masters classes completed before applying to an Education program.  The foundation course was only the beginning to gaining knowledge about the education of young children.  The three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field

1.      International or homeland the challenges are somewhat similar

2.      All children deserve an early foundation in education

3.      Support and funding in the field seem to the constant that children, parents and educating professional need to make this field work.

The goal I would like to see is one international network where educators in all aspects of the field can go regularly to ask questions, share insights and experiences.  The network should include community supports where any individual can seek assistance related to their need.  Blackboard continues to provide online relationships with each person in my group.  I hope I have succeeded at supporting each of you individually in the expression of your thoughts about the issues and trends in the field.  You all have certainly provided this for me.  I hope to meet you again in future courses in this program. 

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS-PART 3

Over the past several weeks I have continued to connect with some international contacts to no avail.  I have not had any responses; this week I explored UNESCO’s Early Childhood Care and Education website.  The insights I gained this week from UNESCO was found on the sites areas of action in the literacy tab.  I discovered thirty-eight percent of African adults are illiterate and two-thirds of those are women; half of the continents parents are not able to help their children with their homework.  The government of the country allocates about one-percent of the national budget to education. 

UNESCO’S role is to coordinate literacy efforts in Africa by building capacities among national and expert officials to make non-formal education part of sectorial policies and monitor and evaluate efforts at the national level (Unesco, 2014).  Advocating for more resources of non-formal education by increasing the budget allocated to literacy (Unesco, 2014).  .  Finally to create and adopt innovative approaches such as using mobile phones and radios to marginalize populations (Unesco, 2014).  . 

September 8 is considered International Literacy Day; it is celebrated worldwide however the main global celebration took place in Dhaka (Unesco, 2014). Literacy when developed from basic to advanced level are required for critical thinking, sense of responsibility, participatory governance, sustainable consumption and lifestyle, ecological behaviors, biodiversity protection, poverty reduction and disaster risk reduction (Unesco, 2014).  Literacy is the basis for lifelong learning and it plays a crucial role in the creation of peaceful societies (Unesco, 2014).

 

 

Reference:

Unesco Early Childhood Care and Education, 2014. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/earlychildhood

Sharing Web Resources ll

One of the outside links I chose to follow is the Child Care & Early Education Research Connection.  The sites lead to another link that is about children and education.  I found information about immigrant access to prekindergarten.  Gelatt, Adams, & Huerta 2014 children of immigrants make-up a quarter of children in the United States and they have lower rates of prekindergarten enrollment than children born in the United States.  Gelatt, Adams, & Huerta 2014 indicate immigrant parents may need extra assistance enrolling their children in kindergarten when they face language and literacy barriers, Transportation and work schedule challenges, or difficulties providing documentation.  The authors suggest using other sources of documentation as proof of age, residence, income and social security number because immigrant parents may not have these forms of identification for their children and requests for this information can make parents nervous.  Gelatt, Adams, & Huerta indicate the use of baptismal or hospital records can prove a child’s age; the income of parents can be verified by pay stubs, tax statements or letters from their employer. Families should be made aware that Social Security information is optional and necessary for school enrollment for their children. 

The information from Gelatt, Adams, & Huerta helped me understand that immigrant families are not aware that enrolling their children can be without challenges if they had this information written for them in language they could comprehend or if they were provided translators, or immigrants serving in community organizations.  Another strategy for making the enrollment process accessible for immigrant families is to offer a variety of location and times as well multiple ways to enroll such as by phone, online, in person or by mail.  The end goal is to ensure an education for all children. 

 

Reference:

Gelatt, J., Adams, G., & Huerta, S. (2014, February). Improving access to prekindergarten for children of immigrants enrollment strategies . Retrieved from http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/resources/27143?author=Gelatt, Julia&paging.startRow=1

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

I have made multiple attempts to contact an international early childhood professional with no success.  I have opted to use the alternative assignment to explore Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website.  The information I found interesting is Un Buen Comienzo “A Good Start” project in Santiago, Chile that was established to improve early childhood education through educator development.  The main focus of the project is building children’s language and literacy skills along with parental involvement and child health because 20 percent of Chilean children are affected by pollution related respiratory disease and obesity issues. 

I found some of the same issues in education that exist in the United States also takes place in other countries such as low-income families having lower levels of reading comprehension.  The aim of Un Buen Comienzo is to help improve literacy in children by encouraging parents to get involved; Gehrman, 2008 stated fifty percent of parents from different social classes report never reading books to their children. 

The second insight I found interesting is the training was not limited to the educators but to everyone who worked in the classroom to encourage more of a team approach than the traditional.  I think having every individual on the same page working towards a common goal is the best approach which leaves no room for error.  Research indicates a high-quality education is one of the best investments a country can make for the future of its children (Gehrman, 2008). 

I found the information indicative of what are the concerns in our education system here in United States.  Chilean professionals realize that reading is an important factor in learning for their children and they have chosen to create a project to ensure children have a fair chance in receiving a quality education. 

 

Reference:

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

Gehrman, E. (2008, February 7). A good start: Childean early childhood program makes a difference. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/02/a-good-start/