What If...

If I could do a study on any subject in early childhood education, I would research the effects of toxic stress caused by abuse. By getting the information and data associated with this, prevention of disorders and malfunctions of the brain, as well as socioemotional, mental, and behavioral issues can take place. Benefits would include: prescribing the right solutions to help the child, since medications are not always the answer; really understanding the way the human brain deals with emotional turmoil; being able to  assess and eventually prevent the long-term effects of toxic stress even after damage has been done; and having the knowledge of how to treat children in their mental and emotional health. 

Topic of Research

Hello, all! The topic I chose to research is funding for low-income families. I have been thinking of questions, like what can the government do to help low-income families participate in child care without the stress of trying to figure out how to make it happen? How can communities come together and raise funds that will help? Can we as early childhood educators create foundations or organizations to house funds that are sure to benefit the low-income families? 

This is a passionate topic for me because I believe all children should have the opportunity to attend child care facilities. 

Consequences and Goals

• Post at least three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development (any format, any length)
• Post one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

Below are three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field:

1. International awareness destroys ignorance, which is a great thing. I can no longer say that I'm unaware of issues going on with children outside of this country.

2. International awareness changes your view of the profession. It can either make you more diligent to fight and advocate, or it will make you overwhelmed and change your goal to something else. Or it could do both!

3. International awareness can motivate action. When I saw how many organizations and causes were fighting for early childhood education all over the world, it ignited a fire in me to do more than what I am doing.

One goal that I have for the field as it relates to international awareness is to promote that administrators in centers or collegiate programs require some type of international contact, whether it be signing up for a newsletter or joining an international organization, because it establishes a oneness and unity for our children.

Establishing Contacts, 1

This is a very late post, but...

I went to the UNICEF website and chose the country Costa Rica. I chose this country because that is where my favorite Spanish teacher was from, and during my time with her in class she taught us a lot about her country, even a native dance that we performed in the Language Fair competition. I emailed the Costa Rican department of UNICEF and now I am eagerly awaiting a response. Check back with me soon because I will post as soon as I hear back from them!

On another note...

I chose to study the website for the National Black Child Development Institute; unfortunately, the website is either down or no longer in existence. So, I decided now to go with the Association for Childhood Education International.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts 3

My professional goal is to own a fine arts and academic enrichment center that offers the arts and academics to ages two through 102. I want to provide an educational experience that doesn't just include art but fuses art and academics together in one setting. My dream is to have enough funding where parents can apply for grants and scholarships, and we will have fee waivers based on income level, so that all children will have the opportunity to be a part of this kind of experience. Teachers in my center will be paid well and will also be expected to undergo continual professional development, evaluations, and training in order to be the best they possibly can be.

I toured UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education webpage to see if I could find any insights that aligned with my professional goals. What I found was that UNESCO has international treaties that protect heritage and culture and the fostering of creativity worldwide. These treaties are in effect in order for historical artifacts, museums, traditions, and the like are protected from extinction and destruction. This may seem to be as far away from my goal as it could get, but in all actuality, it is more similar than you think. I want my center to plant a seed that will enable children and adults to water their own traditions, thoughts, expressions, in hopes that their own heritages and ideas will never die. Art education is that to me: a way to keep alive persons, places, and things that otherwise may lose their voices in the times that pass. 

Reference

UNESCO. (2016). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources 2

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?-----This exploration brought me Global Guidelines. Tge following information is a quote from the site explaining what the Globak Guidelines are. "The premises of the Global Guidelines are key philosophies that provide its foundation.
• 1. Children are both the present and the future of every nation, they have needs, rights, and intrinsic worth that must be recognized and supported.
  2. Every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a setting that values children, that provides conditions for a safe and secure environment, and that respects diversity. 
  3. Knowledge about human development is more substantial now than at any time in history. The new century offers opportunities to consolidate recent gains and respond to new challenges that lie ahead.
  4. Children must receive appropriate nurture and education within and outside their families from birth onward if they are to develop optimally.
  5. Attention to the health, nutrition, education, and psychosocial development of children during their early years is essential for the future well being of nations and the global community."
• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find? ----- I searched through the advocacy tab and saw several different organizations and initiatives that spread information about the importance of early childhood programs and the development of children.
• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?---- I do not receive a newsletter. 

Additionally, find out if the site you selected at the beginning of this course offers any information about the issue of this week:

• Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education? ----Yes, in an article summary for UNICEF, the site talks about how UNICEF is yet fighting to close the gaps in education around the globe. Children are being denied education for such things as gender, ethnicity, disability, and place of birth. The inequities do not stop at the borders of this country.
• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?----I learned that all children, regardless of geographic location, deserve to have someone advocate on their behalf. 

Reference

Association for Childhood Education International. (2016). Retrieved from https://acei.org

Getting to Know Contacts Part 2

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website discusses its collaborative with an early childhood movement in Brazil called the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI). This organization's core activities are as follows:

• developing a scientific community that includes an interdisciplinary group of Brazilian scholars who guide synthesis and application of policy in Brazil
• translate knowledge from scientific to social policy, keeping true to the Brazilian social context
• using an executive leadership course for policymakers in order to strengthen the leadership within early childhood development
• co-designing and testing strategies related to early childhood issues in Brazil
• translating the Center's print and media sources to cater to a Brazilian audience

I gained some insight about an area of the science of early childhood that I had not heard of. Shonkoff (2013) writes that one area that we can focus on in order to create better opportunities for children is adults as better parents and better employees. By channeling adults to be the support system that children need, a buffer to protect against the severity of toxic stress, which science says can cause serious and lifelong consequences (Shonkogg, 2013). It was interesting to learn that there are scholars who not only work on the end of the spectrum that deals with the children but also those who deal on the opposite end with adults, all of whom are hoping to achieve the same goal: better lives for all involved.

References

Center on the Developing Child. (2016). Brazil: Núcleo ciência pela infância (ncpi). Retrieved from 

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/nucleo-ciencia-pela-infancia/

Shonkoff, J.P. (2013). Strengthening Adult Capacities to Improve Child Outcomes: A New Strategy for Reducing Intergenerational Poverty. Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: The Source for News, Ideas and Action, (April 22). Retrieved fromhttp://spotlightonpoverty.org.