Final Blog assignment

International Early Childhood Field



While diving deep into this topic these past eight weeks of international early childhood field of early childhood development I have gotten a burning desire to do something to help but am limited to just reading about it and having an aching heart for justice. Reading about children not being able to go to school because it is too far away, children who have a chance and are determined to walk to school but it takes them hours to get there. Children who are victims of war and can not go to school because of injury, illness or because they are now the adults of the family because everyone else is dead. Whew!!! These children do not even have a childhood. They are forced into adult situations and circumstances. These are unintentional consequences of learning about the international early childhood field. It can be pretty devastating and overwhelming.

However, learning about the field helps my professional development by gaining knowledge and being better equipped to motivate and encourage parents to do their best with their children. If parents who are less fortunate can be determined in perilous times, so can we. What I have learned over the years is that all parents love their children and want the best for them. It all boils down to how hard are they willing to fight to get the results their children need. All Parents need  is motivation, encouragement and support and they can conquer the world.

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams


The issues discussed concerning quality early childhood professionals where I live and work is the transition our state is making to increase education requirements for early childhood educators. However because of insufficient pay, once education requirements have been met most staff seek higher paying early childcare jobs with benefits in public schools. Being a parent coach in the community, this is alarming for parents that i am encouraging to put their children in preschool. The turnover for preschools are high, there is no consistency and when teachers leave it causes the ratio to be inaccurate and longer hours for the teachers that are left. Advocacy is needed.

The opportunities for growth  and a requirement as a parent coach in my organization is becoming certified to teach the curriculum for parents with infants and toddlers. I am certified in both curriculums. Another growth is to become certified as train the trainer of the curriculum. I have went through the training but am not yet certified.

Some of my professional goals related to social equity would be to require all early childhood education staff be trained in cultural competency so that they can begin to be aware of their own biases, and become culturally sensitive. Everyone has biases whether you are African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American or any other race. Another goal is to make sure that I make every child that i come in contact with special.

Some of my professional hopes and dreams is to live in a world where there is only kindness and harmony and people treat each other with dignity constantly. To have child care centers where respect of children and families are mandatory and zero tolerance. To value each child and family and their culture. Another goal is to require parents to go through parental training and learn about the ages and stages of development and how to be responsive to their children needs. This will help their child to succeed in school.

Some of my professional challenges are not taking my work home with me, remembering to self-care, and time management when doing paperwork.

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Sharing Web Resources

National Black Child Development Institute(NBCDI) Launches Community of Practice Initiatives to Take Action to End Disparities in Suspensions and Expulsions.

Black preschoolers are nearly four times more likely to receive one or more suspensions than 

white preschoolers. This is an inequity that has to end now.

Exclusionary discipline has no place in learning environments and such educational disparities 

not only set Black children up for failure, but for the "preschool-to-prison" pipeline. To address 

this systemic issue, in 2017, the National Black Child Development Institute announced a 

partnership with the W. K. Kellogg  Foundation to launch a national campaign to end the 

"preschool-to-prison" pipeline. 


The "Delivering on the Promise" Initiative is designed to ensure that Black children truly benefit

from early childhood education (ECE) programs by: 1) promoting inclusive early learning 

environments; and 2) ending harsh disciplinary practices that exclude them.

Through the partnership, the National Black Child Development Institute supports practitioners 

and advocates seeking to eliminate suspensions and expulsions and implement positive 

discipline practices to ensure that young Black children have access to early learning settings 

that are supportive and affirming.

As 2018 begins, NBCDI has launched our Community of Practice that engages researchers, 

elected officials, advocacy groups, activists, media influences, parents, school districts, clergy, 

and community leaders across the country to develop action steps, policy recommendations, and 

community engagement/partnership practices to inform and provide leaders with the tools 

necessary to end the discriminatory practice of suspensions and expulsions.

In Michigan, we are working with families of students whose behavior is contrary to what we expect 

in the classroom instead of expelling or suspending. These students still need an education so we 

partner with parents and community resources to teach and train parents about behavioral 

modification and the importance of social and emotional development.

Reference

https://www.nbcdi.org/news/nbcdi-launches-community-practice-initiative-take-action-end-disparities-suspensions-and

Excellence and Equity in Early Childhood Around the Globe

Excellence and Equity in Early Childhood Around the Globe

Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood around the Globe

It is so refreshing to see that leaders around the world understand that children are our future and that the time is now to help them to become all that they can be. Below are three countries and their journey to understanding early childhood development and the outcome.

Brazil

 Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) is a collaborative initiative designed to advance early childhood investment in a rapidly growing country. One of the most important features of the partnership is an Executive Leadership Program (ELP) designed to build the capacity of leaders in government and civil society to apply the science of early childhood development to some of their country’s most complex social problems. Latin American nation facing significant socioeconomic inequalities.

Some of the action plans developed by course participants over the years include:

·        A comprehensive national “Legal Framework for Early Childhood” was developed by the 27 members of the Federal Congress who participated in ELP and it was adopted by the lower House of the Congress in early 2015.

·        A new early childhood development program in the city of São Paulo led by its First Lady.

Brazilian leaders feel that they have to invest in their children; in the future of their country. They are being trained on the science of early childhood.

Canada

A partnership led by Grand Challenges Canada, Saving Brains, seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The Center on the Developing Child supports a dynamic learning community of Saving Brains innovators to help them advance the impact and scale of their work in countries around the world.

The leaders were also a part of the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) and they learned how to translate the science of child development to inform public policy. The initiative fulfills two key mandates:

1.   supporting research in early brain and biological development, mental health, and addiction, and

2.   translating that research for policy makers, healthcare communities, and the general public.

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Mexico

The Aceleradora de Innovación para la Primera Infancia, one of the Latin American Innovation Clusters, is anchored in Monterrey at the Universidad Regiomontana, a pioneering institution at the forefront of an extensive urban revitalization effort. These leaders have a strong interest in adding a human development focus to their work led by the Monterrey team to connect with the Center and learn more about our strategy for enhancing child outcomes through adult capacity building.

Using current best practices as a starting point, the Center is working with a network of researchers, practitioners, and community members to design, implement, and evaluate innovative, science-based practice models that achieve transformation change for vulnerable children and families.

Reference

Center on the developing child Harvard University
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/