Week 4-Blog

I think as myself as a good communicator but I become very nervous when communicating in front of a group of people.  My anxiety level starts to rise when I have to speak to a group of people.  Even when I start to talk in front of my staff at our monthly meetings. When it comes to listening I think I need to improve my skills.  I tend to try to multitask when communicating with others and i realized that I was not giving them entire attention and it was disrespectful.  I also realized that I need to slow down when communicating with others.  Because sometimes my verbiage can be confusing to others because I am talking to fast.

For my Collegues

I want to thank all of you for helping me understand how to be a better communicator and an effective listener.  You all wrote wonderful discussions and blogs and by doing this I had to examine myself and see what I needed to do to achieve my goals as an educator.  Many of you gave examples in your discussions that resembles some of the issues I deal with on a daily basis and it made me feel like I had people that understood what I do everyday and it is okay to feel unsure but at the same time still a good leader in this field.  Thank you so much for everything and I look forward to our next class together.

My personal email address is;  carerichardson74@gmail.com

Blog Assignment 6-Adjourning

Adjourning stage is the hardest stage because this where the team reflects on the project or overall experience.  "In the "adjourning stage" the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving into different directions.  This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the well-being of the team rather than from the perspective of managing a team though the original four stages of team growth (Abudi, G. 2010)."
After working at my preschool as the Assistant Director for eight years I transferred from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Grand Prairie, Texas.  I became part of a family of teachers who achieved so many recognitions from our company because of our enrollment and teacher turn over rate.  We piloted a new training program and it made a tremendous difference within our company.  Saying goodbye was extremely hard but when I do go back to Iowa I always stop by the old school.  But a lot has changed since then.  There are only two teachers that are currently working there and the children are all now in public school.  I still talk to some of my teachers and director thanks to face book.  I learned a lot about team work and letting go from that experience.  I am currently a director at a preschool in Cleburne, Texas and I have a strong team that are more like family.  We currently pulled together to be a Christmas float and last night we participated in the parade and it was a huge success. I have learned that I need to embrace in the daily achievements with my team because in this industry is can change at any time.  When I left Cedar Rapids we had a big going away party.
Another adjourning moment I have watched and saw how difficult it was for both my sons to play their last high school football game.  There were a lot of tears and no one wanted it to end.  Both boys have kept items from that time.  Of course they are in college and started a team again but they have told me it is not like the days in high school.  The boys had a big party at the end of the year.  Some of them still talk to each others.
As for the masters I think it will be easier to adjourn from Walden because for me it is an online class and really haven't connected with anyone because my professional life takes most of my time.  My children and finance also consume a lot of my time so I really do not get a chance to talk to other students.  And that makes me a little sad because I think that my colleagues are all amazing people.

Reference:

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved fromhttp://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

I had a teacher come to me regarding her afternoon teacher not pulling her weight in the classroom.  She was pretty upset and was basically ranting about how bad of a teacher she was.  so I let her rant and then I asked her if she ever told her teacher how she felt.  I also asked her if she trained her afternoon teacher to properly shutdown the classroom.  She answered no to both questions.  So I told her that it wasn't only her afternoon teacher's fault but hers to because she did not give the her assistant the proper tools to do her job.  I then printed out the closing checklist for the classroom and gave it to the teacher and asked if she wanted to talk to her assistant or if she wanted me too.  The teacher decided that she wanted to handle it and I told her I would follow up with her in a day or two.
I think if my teacher would of used some of the techniques of nonviolent communication than she would of never escalated to her ranting in my office.  What do you think I should of done better?

Blog Assignment

I was very surprised  that the assessment for the communication anxiety inventory was a score of sixty but thinking back to my class in public speaking I had a severe panic attack and finshed my speech early.  I also was shocked on my score for verbal aggressive scale of 69.  Both my finance and I scored this at an significant level.  After he took the class I asked him why he thought I was an aggressive communicator.  He says that sometimes when I get angry I sometimes  tend to insult his family and his past.  I was pretty upset that I was so mean to him and now I know that there are somethings I need to work on to be a better person and communicator.  I also gained a lot of knowledge about how to communicate with others and how to improve my listening skills.

Blog Assignment

The show I decided to watch was Son's of Anarchy.

When I was watching the show with out the sounds I paid close attention to their facial expressions and body language.  The part of watched twice with out the voice was when the rival club pulled another out of the van I could see that they were going exchange the man (one of the Son's of Anarchy main characters).  Once the of club members saw their member that was kidnapped could see a relief on their face.  And than all of the sudden the rival club shot the man in the head. The man fell to the ground.  He was dead.  The president of the club put his hands on his face and the others club members face showed shock, anger and sadness. Some members were holding others back because they tried to go after the rival club.  The one club member dropped to his knees and put his head down.

I assume that the guy who was shot was very close to the other members and that he was very important in the club.  The other rival did not show any emotion when he shot the member in the head.  I cloud tell that there was  a lot of tension because after the shooting all club members from both clubs pulled their guns at pointed to each other.

If I watched this show weekly I would now why the club member was kidnapped and shot.  I would also know more about the relationships.  I could see they cared about the member because when he was killed they all were very upset and you could easily see that on their faces. I could easliy see who the leader was from each group not only by observing the show but I read the patch on his jacket and it said President.  I assumed the president is the leader of club.

I think sometimes by not hearing a show and utilizing your other senses sometimes allows you recieve more information from the observation.

Blog Assignment 1

I would say George W. Bush because he was an effective communicator.  He spoke with integrity and he stood behind every word he said.  Also he was very sincere when he address the country after 911.  There were times when he spoke that you could see the pain in his eyes because I believe he didn't want to send the soldiers over to Iraq but knew that was his only choice.  WHen President Bush addressed the american people he knew could relate (connect) with everyone.

Professional Hopes and Goals

The goal I would like to see for the children is to have a CASA organization in all counties.  This is an amazing organization and it truly advocates for children.  I would love to work as a case manager for Casa.   I think CPS needs to make sure they are placing the children in foster care homes that have similar backgrounds.  Also there needs to be more culturally diverse families as foster families.  I want all children to feel safe when they are in foster care homes.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and knowledge.

welcoming families around the world

My great grandma was from siciliy.  We are Italians and always have pasta on sunday. Every hold day we have Italian dishes. My great grandma could not speak any english.  I am very proud of my Italian catholic culture.
 My culture is very important to me.  We always have pasta on sunday, I am a catholic, family comes first, I put our culture first by embracing it and being very proud of it.  I am also Irish ando always have corn beef and cabbage on St. Patty's day.  I am a strong catholic and family oriented too.  Irish and italian's center the world around family. That is who I am, a mother, daughter, sister andid a finance. Since my sons were young I always let them know where they came from.  Family and love is so important. Our family always makes sure that love ios so important.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

One day I was talking to about race with my boyfriend Tony.  We were talking about race and what were his views were.  I asked what was his thoughts if my son dated a black girl.  I was so shocked with his comments.  He told me that the girl would never be allowed in his home and that if they had children he would never consider the child family.  I was so sick by the words I just heard.  His family also agreed with him.  I thought they were a family that was ignorant and a complete racist.  I decided that day that this was a relationship that I did not want to be in anymore.  I told them I did not understand why color mattered to him and why he hated black people so much.  He was very rude to me and called me some really bad names.  I do not think I could of changed his views but I am glad I got to see his true colors.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Friday at work I had to bring four girls in my office because two of the girls didn't want their friend to play with one girl because she was "different".  That is what they told her on friend.  I had them explain what the word "different" meant.  They were quiet and stumbled on their words. I was very upset because the other girl was crying and didn't understand why they didn't want to play with her.  I really related with the little girl because when I was younger the girls in my class did the same thing.  We talked in my office for over an hour about how we should treat people and that everyone has feelings.  I also told them we do not judge people because of their skin color, way they look, if they are boy or girl.  They didn't like her because she didn't look like them, dressed like them and didn't have her own cell phone. Classism at its worst.  I can not control the world but I can control how the children in my center treat each other.   I wonder if I should talk to the parents but then honestly I believe the girls are learning from their parents, peers or society.  I guess I am so shocked how people feel that they can say any uneducated, racist, immoral comments to other people.  It makes me sick that people like that are teaching our young children.  How we break this sick cycle????

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

My son said that the United States is a prime example of cultural and diversity.  If you walk on the streets you see so many different types of ethnicity's and cultures.  There is no other country that has so many different people who are from different cultures.  Diversity to him is a collection of things.

Natalie my sons girlfriend says she doesn't really know hoe to explain it but she lives in a strong Mexican cultural.  To her cultural and diversity is a way of life for her.  Her mother and father are first immigrants and they have allows lived in Texas but never felt like an outsider.

My finance Kendall said its your heritage and certain traditions your family does.  His cultural is not defined because his family is extremely blended.  They do not practice and specific cultural.  He thinks diversity is a bunch of different cultures living in one community.  He also stated that he believed that New York City is the best example of diversity and cultural.

As I reflect their definitions I can see how everyone views diversity and cultural in how it has represented them and how they lived with it.  It starts when a person is young and how they are raised and their surroundings.  I agree with Kendall about his definitions but was a little shocked with Natalie especially since her family are first immigrants and cultural is very important to her family.  I can see she is "Americanized" per her grandparents.  I think my son and Austin knew more about cultural and diversity than I thought they would.  Very impressed with them.

My family culture

The three items I would take with me that represented my family and our culture would be:
1. A Yankee jersey.
2. My father's glasses. He wore them everyday. He was my hero and he thought I could be anything I wanted to be . He believed in me and I am who I am because of him.  My dad represented strength, love and family.
3. Picture album of my family including a pic of my dad. There are pictures of my mom, dad and sisters and brothers and my sons. The pictures are so important to me because it represents a family that loves each other and there are so many great memories.
I would explain to the people that the pictures are of my family. The glasses are my father who passed away from liver cancer.  The Yankee jersey is where I come from, New York and the Yankees are the all time best baseball team.

I would be total heart broken if I had to give up my dad'said glasses and Yankee jersey.  Because I could not let them take my photos of my families.  My family is my entire life.
What I learned honestly is that my cultural iso who I am and no matter where I go I will still be the same person.  I would miss the food, the way of life but as long as I have items that represent my family I will be fine. And of course my family would be with me.

When I think of research....

The insights I have gain from this course...

The insignts I have gained about research is that there are many different steps during the research study.  Before taking this course I never realized how much time it takes and all the resourcs that are used to accomplish the research project.  I also did not realize how many different types of research studies there are and how many different ways to collect data for the research study.

The ideas I have about doing research have changed....

The main idea that I had about research prior to this course was that the Internet had so many credible resources for my research topic but after taking this course I have the knowledge to interpret different websites and only collect credible and valid data for my research study.

The lessons I learned about planning, designing, and conducting research in Early Childhood....

When I decided what type of design I would use in my research study I was extremely overwhelmed because I was having such a hard time deciding what my research stimulation question was.  After I finally narrowed my topic and was ready to decide what design I would be using in my stimulation. In Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford (2010) stated Design involves the process of:
1. refining the topic and framing research able questions ('what will be researched)
2. Deciding among the alternative approaches to the research ( 'how' the research will be undertaken)
3. Considering issues related to time, place and persons ('when', 'where', and who')
4.Choosing methods of data collection and analysis
5. Evaluating the feasibility and practical constraints on the design
6. Modifying the design in the light of pilot testing (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010)."
I also learned that all three steps are equally important in the research process.

The challenges that I faced during my research process and in what ways did I meet them....

The main challenge I faced during my research project was the research question and topic.  I had a very difficult time narrowing my research topic.  I overcame it by reading every ones discussions, blogs and asking questions to help me understand the topic of the week.  I also read all the comments that Ms. Kien gave me throughout the class.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course....

My perception has changed because now I feel 150% more confident in the program that I am implementing in my school and that there is credible and valid research done on children who learn from play and how it benefits them in later years.  Research gives our industry the resources it needs to improve our schools, curriculum, licensing standards and the policies for children to give them a better life.


Refernce

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research:     I International perspectives on theory and practice (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Research around the world

The current international research topics that have found on this website are:
1. Research has examine the historical, conceptual, and structural factors that have resulted in a virtual absence of african-led contributions to early childhood care and development research.
2. There have been studies that include infant motor skills, sibling caretaking, child language socializtion, and the development of moral reasoning.
3. Immuniztions in developed countries

Some of the interesting facts I have discovered are:

1. 1994 the International child, youth and family confrence.
2. 1999 first african international conference on ecd
3. 1997 first se asia/ pacific ecd seminar
4. 2011 africa ecdvu graduate diploma program completion

Research that Benefits Children and Families-uplifting stories

One of my parents at my school works for Nurse-Family Partnership.  The mission of the Nurse -Family Partnership is to empower first-time mothers living in poverty to successfully change their lives and the lives of their children through evidence .  The vision for the Nurse-Family Partnership is for children that are healthy, family thrive, communities prosper and cycles are broken.  The values for the Nurse-Family Partnership Scientific Integrity will lead our decisions.  They seek excellence through a culture of Learning.  They respectful, collaborative, caring Relationship are the foundation of every interaction.  They promote and embrace Inclusively and Diversity.  The Nurse-Family Partnership foster an environment of accountability to make extraordinary changes in the lives of the families we serve.  They seek to set the standard for evidence-based and home visitation programs.
"The Nurse-Family Partnership's unmatched evidential foundation of effectiveness for supporting first-time mothers and their children is founded on over three decades of research.  Three separate randomized, controlled trials, implemented among different demographic population and in different geographic settings have demonstrated that NFP provides an unsurpassed level of efficacy for supporting positive maternal and child outcomes among low-income families"  Research continues to be an integral component of Nurse-Family Partnership and offers a vial  means to develop and test program improvement initiatives and evaluate the program's effectiveness in community implementation.  Research remains a very important part of their program, the primary mission of the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office is to support the implementation of the NRP model with fidelity in communities across the country."
NFP is one of the oldest and most thoroughly evaluated nurse home visitation programs in the nation.  During the program, first-time mothers meet with a registered nurse starting early in pregnancy and continuing until the child's second birthday.  The research and evaluation conducted over 30 years prove NFP's effectiveness.  Here are the results:
* 79 percent reduction in preterm delivery for women who smoke;
* 50 percent reduction in language delays of the child at age of 21 months;
* 48 percent reduction in child abuse and neglect;
* 46 percent increase in father's presence in the household;
* 32 percent fewer unintended subsequent pregnancies; and
* 20 percent reduction in months on welfare

I was extremely impressed when I Annie Bernal sat in my office on Friday and talked about the amazing organization she works for and she also told me she works mostly with immigrant women.  She even takes it one step further by helping them get their green card.  She says one nurse has 25 clients.  She also told me that this organization is now international.  The Nurse-Family Partnership also networks with other professionals to talk to the women and help them improve their lives.  She asked me if I would like to work with her women and help them their resumes and improve their job skills.  I am so excited to be part of this organization.
http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/

My Personal Research Journey

As i began my stimulation process I discovered the topic I chosen was to vague.  I wanted to understand why we have chosen to use the child centered learning approach in early childhood education but once the children go to public school the approach is teacher directed learning. I would think this would be very confusing for children and I wanted to know if the children were behind academically because of the child centered learning approach.  As I began to research my topic I discovered that there were so many resources out there and I really had to make sure I was looking at credible websites.  Honestly I am still having a difficult time narrowing my topic.  So I am hoping that some of colleagues could assist me in this.  The topic I will be researching on is the Child Centered Learning Approach developmentally appropriate for children in Early Childhood Education.  Do you think this is still to vague?  I even looked up High scope approach.  The research chart is very helpful.  And this chart will defiantly help me stay organized.
My real passion is learning more about non profit organizations like Children's Defense Fund or UNICEF.  The other topic I was actually looking into was Children that live in poverty and how it effects them socially, emotionally and academically.  What topic do you like the best and why?

Final Blog Assignment

The three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for me in my personal or professional development are :

1. I would love to be part of UNICEF and maybe one day be part of the peace corp.
Here is UNICEF'S Mission Statement:

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.

UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children.

UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress.

UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families.

UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children - victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation and those with disabilities.

UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their care.

UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority.

UNICEF aims, through its country programmes, to promote the equal rights of women and girls and to support their full participation in the political, social, and economic development of their communities.

UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

I have am registering to be an online volunteer for UNICEF and will be advocating for UNICEF.  

2. Within the next five year I would like to be an volunteer for UNICEF and go on missionary trips outside of the United States.  I would like to help build early childhood centers, implementing the curricullum, hiring staff and training the staff in a a developed countries.

3. This class has opened my eyes and heart to children that live in developed countries and I want to educate people in the United States, my town and my own family on the issues and trends that children face everyday.

The one goal I would like to see for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations is to have a class like this be part of a CDA requirement, Early Childhood Associates Degree or Bachelors Degree.  I also think it needs to be part of our stated manidated training for all Earlychildhood teachers.  Building relationships with international educators help us decrease the educational gap between countries.  What I discovered in the last eight weeks is that is we need unite as educators all over the world and make sure that we hold our countries accountable for meeting all the targets that were given to us by the United Nations.  Reforming Early Childhood Education is not just a state or country issue.   It is a international issue and if we want to see our children's children grow up to be productive members in our society than we need to start building relationships with our collegues from the global world.

Getting to know your international contact-Part 3

I did not receive any feedback from my international contacts.  So I had to visit UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education website.  

UNESCO mission to support early childhood policy development with the aim to build a foundation for a child's lifelong learning.  This organization leads the international policy drive for an integrated early childhood care and education system that encompasses both the well-being and holistic development of the child.  This is how I view my mission statement for my school.

UNESCO believes in building intercultural understanding.  They do this through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity.  UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of understanding universal values.  I also feel very strongly about supporting cultural diversity in my school.  I embrace all different cultures in our classrooms and ask our parents to bring an item that represents their cultures.  

When I graduate I would like to work for an organization that advocates for children's rights.  I joined CASA of Johnson County and I will be representing children that have been taken away from their parents.  I will be visiting them, talking to school counselors, doctors and then standing in court to tell the judge what is best interest of the child.  I really am impressed with ESD.  ESD also known as Education for Sustainable Development.  Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning.  They allow every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.

I have always wanted to go to the United Nations in New York City.  There are so many organizations, committees and people that want to make sure that all children's basic needs are being taken care of.  They drafted the Muscat Agreement which was adopted by over 250 delegates at the Global Meeting on Education for All (2014 GEM).  The meeting was held in Muscat, Oman on May 12-14.  This agreement outlines overarching goal and a set of seven global targets for education post-2015.  The global targets that I feel will impact me are as followed:

1. Teachers- Target 6: By 2030, all governments ensure that all learners are taught by qualified, professionally trained, motivated and well-supported teachers.

2. Financing of education-Target 7: By 2030, all countries allocate at least 4-6% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or at least 15-20% of their public expenditure to education, prioritizing groups most in need; and strengthen financial cooperation in education, prioritizing countries most in need.

3.Early Childhood care and education-Target 1- By 2030, at least x% of girls and boys are ready for primary school through participation in quality early childhood care and education, including at least one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education, with particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized (UNESCO).

I have learned about another wonderful organization that help all children across the world. I have learned what their Targets are in 2030 and I hope one day I can be part of one of these great organization.  This class has opened my eyes up to so many new possibilities for my career as a child advocate.  One day I would love to take a mission trip to one of the developed countries and help the children in that country.  I believe in giving back to our society.  This class also open my eyes to see how other countries education system works and that we all are wanting the same goals for our children. 

Sharing Web Resources

The area of the web site that I primarly focused on was Under Policy Priorities.  I continued to explore this and I clicked on Juvenile Justice.

The link I clicked on talked about Advocate and Family Resources for Juvenile Justice.

ADVOCATE & FAMILY RESOURCES FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE

Creating a level playing field for all children is a mission that CDF cannot accomplish alone. We often work with or refer people to many other organizations nationwide who are working to improve the lives of children. A list of some of them is below.

- See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/juvenile-justice/juvenile-justice

Than I clicked on Texa Care for Children.

Texans Care for Children Texans Care for Children works to improve the lives of Texas children by building commitment and action for improved public policy and programs. Their issues include: child poverty and family economic security; child and maternal health; children’s mental health; early care and education; child welfare; and at-risk youth and juvenile justice.


Here are the new reports I read.  This was very interesting and informative for me because I live in a town outside of Fort Worth, Texas.  This website gave me more insight in problems of the children in my area and the changing policies for children.

4/15/2014

New Report on Ways to Save Lives in Texas Foster Care

Coinciding with the House Human Services Committee hearing on Foster Care Redesign, Texans Care for Children released a report entitled "Safeguarding Children in Texas Foster Care,” outlining several policy recommendations to keep children safe in the state's foster care system.

4/3/2014

Report on DFW Child Care Shows Challenges Facing State’s Littlest Learners

Working families in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area face substantial challenges in finding high quality, affordable child care that fits their scheduling needs, according to a new report by Texans Care for Children.

2/18/2014

State Leaders Must Take Action on Tasers in Schools

Texans Care for Children and other organizations are calling on state leaders to ban the use of Tasers and pepper spray in schools.

10/22/2013

Most Child Victims of Human Trafficking Were in Foster Care First A hearing before members of Congress looks into what the child welfare system can do. I clicked on some of outside links and this is where it lead me to.  I clicked on an article for Invest Early in All Our Children.  This article was in The National Journal. Some of the issues that were in this articles are:  More than one in four children under age 5—nearly 5 million—were poor in 2012; and nearly half were extremely poor, living in a family of four with an income of less than $11,925 per year; In 2011, more than 1 million children ages birth through 5 were identified as having disabilities or developmental delays, and were served by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; During the 2011-2012 school year, children learning English as a second language represented 12 percent of children in public school preschool programs; More than one in three of the almost 400,000 children in foster care in FY2012 were under the age of 6. Children with special needs often bring a wide range of physical and emotional challenges to early childhood programs. Sometimes their families lack basic essentials, including food, housing, and medical care. Some children may have unmet health and mental health needs due to increased exposure to violence, abuse, and neglect—and the stress that accompanies them. Others may need little extra help. The good news is that we now have abundant evidence that high-quality early childhood experiences can buffer the impact of challenges some children face and promote positive short and long-term outcomes. According to a 2013 report released by the Society for Research in Child Development and the Foundation for Child Development, while all children benefit from high-quality programs, children from low-income households, those with other special needs, and children learning English as a second language have the potential to benefit more. The report highlighted evidence from public preschool programs in Boston and Tulsa, Okla., as well as the federally funded Head Start program. Yes this website did add to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and eduction.  This article talks about the how important early childhood is for children.  It also talked about the children that are at risked. A national commitment to a high-quality early childhood experience for every child must mean a targeted commitment for individual young children with different special needs. There must be training and other supports for staff working in early childhood classrooms so they can reach children suffering the stresses of trauma in their daily lives. There must be comprehensive services so no child enters a classroom distracted by hunger, sickness, or pain. Children in foster care, often victimized by abuse or neglect, and children who are homeless may need extra supports to ensure they do not slip between the cracks and miss the benefits of early child development and learning. Children with disabilities and those who are at risk of developing them need consistent access to early intervention services as they move through the continuum of early child hood programs. Parents and other caregivers must also be engaged as active partners in their children's early development and learning, and extra support should be offered parents when they need it. The Strong Start for America's Children Act recognizes that this is all necessary if we truly want to promote equal opportunity for all children and build a stronger society. All our children have it in themselves to be extraordinary. With supports, young children born into extreme poverty today and without consistent access to adequate health care or nutrition can become the nurses and doctors who will care for our children and grandchildren tomorrow. Infants and toddlers living in homeless shelters or in foster care can become the engineers and astronauts who race to the heavens and take humankind to places beyond our wildest imaginings. The Strong Start for America's Children Act really showed me insight about issues and trends in early childhood field.  This is the Strong Start for America's Children Act:

January 2014 

 

Strong Start For America’s 

Children Act (S. 1697/H.R. 3461) 

Offers New Hope For Children Birth Through Five 

 

High quality early childhood development and learning interventions serve as a buffer to the negative 

effects of poverty and provide a foundation for future success with lifelong benefits, particularly for the 

poorest and most vulnerable children. Studies have shown that children who benefit from high quality 

early childhood investments are more likely to graduate from high school, hold a job, and make more 

money and less likely to commit a crime than their peers who do not participate.1

 Nobel Prize-winning 

economist James Heckman estimates a lifelong economic rate of return of 7 to 10 percent per year 

per dollar invested.2

 Investing in quality early childhood development and learning is an effective 

poverty prevention strategy. 

The Strong Start for America’s Children Act encourages expansions of support for high quality 

home visiting programs, Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, pre-kindergarten (pre-K) and 

quality kindergarten programs to reach poor and low income children birth through age 5. 

 

The Act offers federal support for a range of high quality early childhood learning and 

development initiatives: 

 Guaranteed support for Pre-Kindergarten Access Grants for quality pre-kindergarten programs 

for 4-year-olds in families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), which may be 

provided by local education agencies, community-based early childhood education providers 

(such as Head Start and child care programs) or a consortium of the two. Twenty percent of the 

funds awarded in the first four years may be used for quality improvements to support high quality 

pre-K programs. Up to 15 percent of the funds may be used to provide high quality early childhood 

education programs for infants and toddlers in families at or below 200 percent FPL. 

 Competitive Pre-Kindergarten Development Grants to help states put high quality standards in 

place so they can, within three years, apply for the new Pre-Kindergarten Access Grants. 

 Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships to help child care centers and family care homes 

improve the quality of their services for infants and toddlers and children through age 3 so that 

they can meet Early Head Start performance standards within three years. 

 Improvements in the Child Care and Development Block Grant to strengthen the quality of 

child care, promote 12 months of continuous care for children and families and establish new 

demonstration and pilot programs to support low income families needing or receiving child care. 

 Encourages continued funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting 

Program that offers voluntary evidence-based home visiting programs for young children and their 

families to promote maternal and child health, improve school readiness, prevent child abuse and 

neglect, support family economic self-sufficiency, reduce crime and delinquency and support 

community resources.  Encourages transition and increases access to high quality kindergarten, with special attention to 

full-day kindergarten. 

The Act promotes quality care for poor and low-income children, including those with special 

needs. Funded pre-K programs must: 

 Meet high quality benchmarks. 

 Serve 4-year-olds or 3- and 4-year-olds 

 Require high staff qualifications, including a bachelor’s degree in early childhood or a 

related field 

 Provide high quality professional development for all staff 

 Offer salaries comparable to K-12 teacher salaries 

 Meet evidence-based maximum class sizes and child-staff ratios 

 Offer “full day” pre-K 

 Provide developmentally appropriate evidence-based curricula and learning environments 

aligned with the state’s early learning and development standards 

 Provide accessible comprehensive services for children 

 Provide for ongoing monitoring and program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement 

 Reach out to children in poor and low income families. States must report annually on 

progress in providing access to high quality pre-K for children in families with incomes up to and 

including 200 percent FPL, including the percent of funds spent on children under 100 percent, 

between 100 and 150 percent and between 150 and 200 percent. 

 Promote partnerships for a mixed service delivery system that engages local education 

agencies and community-based early childhood education programs. 

 Perform outreach to homeless children, dual language learners, children in foster care, children 

with disabilities and migrant children to engage them in high quality pre-K programs. 

 Promote family support and parent engagement and assess with parents, community 

members and organizations a coordinated system to facilitate referrals and provision of services 

related to health, nutrition, mental health, disabilities and family support for children enrolled. 

 Encourage coordination, access and transition to high quality kindergarten. 

This act really summarized what I have been learning in my this class.

 

                                                            

Getting to know your international contacts-Part 2

     The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project was launched in 2009 with the objective to 
not only identify the key determinants for child development in the medium- to long-run in a 
sub-Saharan African context, but also to generate the first comprehensive assessment of child 
development in Zambia today. As has been pointed out by many researchers in this field, measuring child development is a complicated task: child development is a multi-faceted construct, and the multitude of developmental domains explored in the literature makes it difficult to identify the right tool for child assessment. The task is challenging in even the most tightly-controlled and technologically advanced testing environments in developed countries; it is even more complicated for field researchers within the developing world, where societal norms differ substantially across regions 
and change rapidly over time. In this project, we have made a major effort to combine as many 
measures and aspects of child development as possible in a single survey tool, while ensuring 
that the tool is appropriate for, and respectful of, local culture. The results of the first such 
comprehensive assessment are presented in this report.  From a policy and child developmental perspective, the results of this study highlight the large  differences among Zambian pre-school children both within and across regions. We hope that the data collected as part of this project as well as future work in this area will not only improve our understanding of child development in this context, but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly changing developing world (Zambian Early Childhood Development Project)."  Zambia children are facedwith so many obsicles including diseases  in their early years.  The main factor in this study that affects a child's development is their economic status.  Most children live in poor, unsaitary homes with out even clean drinkning water.  
       " The Global Children's Intiative,  launched Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, its first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with local experts, this project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil. 
This program with other organizations engage in the following activities: 

• Building a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early child development;
• Synthesizing and translating scientific knowledge for application to social policy. This will include working with the Center’s longtime partner organization, Frameworks Institute, to effectively communicate the science of child development in the Brazilian cultural context;
• Strengthening leadership around early childhood development through an executive leadership courses for policymakers;
• Translating and adapting the Center’s existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience (Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil)".

Social Economic status affects how a child develops no matter what region of the world they live in.  This is a global issue and the local, state and federal goverments need to make sure that their are policies in place and proper funding for early childhood educational programs.     

Sharing The Web Resources

                              The Organization I chose was the Children's Defense Fund. 


"We are a national organization with the capacity to work for children at federal, state and community levels across the country. 
"Priorities for elected officials to ensure the future of every child

We are committed to reclaiming our country, our core values and spiritual foundation for our children and families. Too many children live in poverty and suffer from preventable illness, neglect, abuse, inadequate education and violence. These problems are solvable if we each do our part. Right now, our nation has the ability to:

• End child poverty;
• Guarantee every child and pregnant woman comprehensive health and mental health coverage and services;
• Protect every child from abuse and neglect and connect them to caring permanent families;
• Provide high quality early childhood care and development programs for all children;
• Ensure every child can read at grade level by fourth grade and guarantee quality education through high school graduation; and
• Stop the criminalization of children at increasingly younger ages and invest in prevention and early intervention."

(http://www.childrensdefense.org/).

Priority: Provide High Quality Early Childhood Development Programs for All.

The Problem: Only three percent of eligible infants and young children (0-3) are enrolled in Early Head Start and less than half of children eligible for Head Start are enrolled. Quality child care and preschool programs are crucial to level the playing field and ensure every child entering school is ready to learn.

Why It Matters: Studies reveal that those enrolled in high quality early childhood education programs are subsequently more likely to complete higher levels of education, have higher earnings, be in better health and be in stable relationships, and are less likely to commit a crime or be incarcerated.

What Must Be Done: We must make early childhood development programs accessible to every child by ensuring such programs are affordable, available and of high quality.

 (http://www.childrensdefense.org).  "Investments in early childhood are vital to the success of our nation's youth. Extensive research has shown that early childhood programs significantly increase a child's chances of avoiding the prison pipeline. Furthermore, these programs have well-documented economic and societal value. Studies have shown that investments in quality early education can produce a rate of return to society significantly higher than returns to most stock market investments or traditional economic development projects.

Despite these encouraging reports, thousands of children across the country are still waiting for the chance to participate in quality early childhood programs. CDF fully understands the need for consistent, quality education and care beginning at birth. Our nation simply can’t afford not to significantly increase investments in early childhood development and care, or to keep leaving so many poor babies and toddlers behind".

( http://www.childrensdefense.org).

This organization has many resources.  I never realized how many different organizations there are to help children in the United States and all over the world.  The reason I chose this organization is because it focuses on the children in our country.  I really think this is a very great organizaion.  They have headquaters in multiple states.