Learning more about the early childhood field

Learning about early childhood educational trends and policies in other places in the world has been very interesting and informative.  As a teacher, I am always striving to improve my own teaching, and assist in improving the early childhood field. Networking with other early childhood professionals causes me to reflect on my own teaching, theories, and ideas, while gaining new or deeper insight.  Knowing about early childhood education throughout the world is one step towards doing this.  When learning and reading about this, I can compare what other countries are doing with what is happening in early childhood education here at home, and learn new ideas to administer or make a push for.  With American education system continually falling behind the rest of the world, learning about what is being done in other countries can help provide guidance for improving our own.  It is a goal of mine to continue working to improve early childhood education.  I believe that first and foremost, all children should be able to attend a high quality early childhood education program.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Having still been unsuccessful in making contact with professionals in other countries, for this week’s post I explored the website of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

The UNESCO advocates for holistic development in early childhood children.  They also encourage and support programs that attend to health, nutrition, security, learning, and inclusive education.

In a recent news post by the UNESCO, the organization advocates and pleads for all children to attend a high quality early childhood program.  As they describe, it is the best insurance against poverty, and the best way to ensure that a child’s development and life is on the right track.

Another post discusses the need for all children to have access to early childhood education.  As do many, the UNESCO believes that quality early childhood education should be a right, rather than a privilege.  In our country, the privilege goes to those who can afford it.  In many countries, enrolling boys in early childhood is a higher priority than girls, so while early childhood education may be free or more reasonably priced than in America, it is still not available to all.  It was very surprising to me to hear of this.  Living in America, it is easy to forget that there are still countries that value men as superior to women, even in the earliest stages of life.

Diving Deeper into the NAECTE Website

This week I continued to explore different sections of the website for the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators:  http://www.naecte.org/

One link that I had not yet searched was ‘Books Published by NAECTE Members.’  Members of this organization post on this section any published books that they have written.  There are currently 13 books listed, the wide range of topics of these books include issues faced by immigrant children, current theories and innovative strategies in early childhood education, reaching out to struggling learners, and even textbooks about teaching literacy and dealing with challenging behaviors.

A section of the site that I had not yet explored was the links to related organizations.  This section contained 18 different links to other organizations or informational websites.  Some were national websites, even some I was already familiar with such as naeyc’s website.  Other websites includes certification information and educational programs for early childhood educators.  The most interesting to me were the 2 links that directed me to information about other nations and their early childhood programs; Canada, Australia, and Europe.  Unfortunately so of the links I explored were inactive.

Unfortunately due to high fees, I do not subscribe to this site’s newsletter.  While they do publish quarterly newsletters to be viewed on the site, they have not yet released their summer issue.

As for equity and excellence in education, this organization gives awards to those in the early childhood field who are working to improve the equity and quality of early childhood education.   

Harvard University: Center on the Developing Child

This week I explored Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website in search of new information, ideas and/or insights.  Here is what I found:

·         One section of the website was a National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs.  This forum was established in 2006, and focuses on why investments should be made, what investments should be made, and how it could be gone about.  The forum is made up of scholars from Universities across the nation.  These scholars use behavioral and neuroscience research to guide policy and program decisions.  Currently they are working to build a comprehensive meta-analytic data base about intervention services for babies in the prenatal period through the age of 5.  A goal of this forum is to inform civic leaders, policy makers, and business executives about the basic science of early childhood and brain development.  I was pleased to learn that scholars at such prestigious Universities as Harvard are working to improve the development and education of young children.

·         I also found and learned about the Global Children’s Initiative.  As is obvious from the title, this initiative focuses on building an internationally integrated approach to improving the health, development and survival of babies and young children.   Their goals are to educate and inform global policy and decision makers about the science of behavior, health and learning that begins in the earliest years of life.  They also aim to educate those around the world on how healthy development occurs, how it can be derailed, and if necessary how to get it back on track.  They are especially working to inform those in middle to lower income countries so that they can advocate for their children.  In my opinion, the way a child is raised can be based on culture and/or personal lifestyle choices.  However, the science behind a child’s health and development is consistent throughout, and improving the development of our world’s children will in turn benefit us all.

·         There are several resources available from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child.  Resources range from paid, undergrad or graduate courses, to free information and lectures to the community, and a free newsletter which I have signed up for.  I commend Harvard in working not only on the science of young children’s health and development, but also focusing on getting that information to their students and community, other communities and countries, as well as policy and decision makers.

There is a wealth of information, facts, initiatives and suggestions on this website that I plan to further investigate and report on.

Web Resource

As those who follow my blog may already know, I have been studying the website of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATORS (NAECTE).  This is a national organization that strives to improve early childhood education in several different ways.

The information from the NAECTE website which pertained most to the work I am currently doing is their goal to improve the quality of education for children of low economic status.  Currently, Headstart programs provide early childhood education to those whose parents fall below a specific income rate/economic status.  However, the quality of education in many of the Headstart programs around my area is very poor, and the current system for qualification excludes many who’s families cannot afford quality early childhood education.  This is becoming a major problem in the area where I work.  My kindergarten team is attempting to reach out to the community Headstart programs, daycare centers, and even families who keep their children home with them through those crucial first five years of development.  Our goal is to provide the information and training throughout the community needed so that children are being challenged and engaged during the first five years of life, therefore coming to kindergarten better prepared rather than behind those in more affluent areas and school districts.  We will begin this quest this summer by hosting community education nights and visiting local Headstart and daycare centers.

One controversial issue that the NEACTE takes a stance on is requiring certification of early childhood educators.  It seems that this should be an obvious requirement, as these are the teachers who educate children at their most critical stage of development.  However, due to lack of funding to early childhood education, many programs do not poses the financial means to hire quality, well educated teachers.  This is a problem which economists and politicians address in their stance on investing in early childhood education.  These are the people who see children as future payback.  However due to the state of the economy, the funding is still not there.  Because of this there is currently very little happening nationally to move forward in this effort.

Podcast Review

As I was unable to establish any contacts with early childhood professionals working in another country, I chose to listen to the podcasts, and found them very informational.  The first podcast I listened to was that of an early childhood professional named Susan Lyon, who is the Director of the Innovative Teaching Project in San Francisco.   Years ago, Ms. Lyon was in Italy, and observed the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.  This is a philosophy which allows children to have some control over the direction of their learning.  The approach focuses on children using multiple experiences to learn such as touching, movement, listening, seeing and hearing.  Parents are also a large part of this philosophy.  They are seen as partners and advocates for their children’s learning.

After seeing this philosophy in action, Ms. Lyon decided to bring this style of teaching back to Northern California.  The Innovative Teaching Project consists of a network of teachers which allows a network of schools and early childhood professionals who utilize the Reggio Emilia approach.  These professionals gather to have round table discussion groups about their experiences with the approach.  It was important for Ms. Lyon to include both public and private school professionals in this group.  She strongly believes that this approach can be attained in the public setting.

In thinking back a few years, I remember working in a public early childhood center which served a very low income area.   As a professional development opportunity, we went to observe a school which uses this approach.  Initially, our reaction was, “This could never work with our kids.”  However, after much debate and discussion, we worked to find ways to incorporate the approach into our center, and found it to be very successful.  Hearing about this network of teachers, I believe it would have, and would still be much easier to incorporate and feel supported in our attempts.  I really think that having a network and/or roundtable groups would be beneficial in many areas of our field of work.  It is always helpful to learn from others in our field by working together and hearing about their experiences.

Early Childhood Organization

The name of the organization I choose to become more familiar with is
The National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators:

http://www.naecte.org/

This organization connects early childhood professionals throughout the country and around the world who share the common interest of improving and advocating for early childhood education.  Through this site, they share information, concerns, opportunities, ideas, and experiences.

One issue that this organization is working on is to align curriculum from Pre-K to 3^rd Grade.  As a kindergarten teacher, often Pre-K and Kindergarten both stand alone in their standards and curriculum.  Coordinating and creating alignment throughout grades will improve student achievement.

Another stance that this organization takes is the need for quality early childhood to be available to all children, regardless of economic status.   This is a serious need of our country in our pursuit to improve our educational system.  Research shows that the majority of brain development occurs within the first 5 years of life.  Many children are not being receiving quality care and education during these years due to lack of funding and/or resources.  These children are falling behind others in our country and around the world before even reaching kindergarten.

Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Steps for establishing an early childhood contact in another country:

I first looked at the resource lists, and decided which countries I would be most interested in communicating with to expand my professional knowledge.  I immediately thought of the world renowned success of education in the Asian nations.  I contacted an early childhood professional in China and Japan.  I also thought that learning about early childhood education in Canada may be interesting since it is our neighboring country.  I am hoping to hear back from these contacts, but have not yet.  I may need to consider the alternate assignment.  Has anyone else had success with contacting someone from another country?  If so, how did you go about this?  I think it would be a valuable learning experience.

For the second part of this assignment, I chose the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators- http://www.naecte.org/.  As a kindergarten teacher, this is the site that seemed most applicable to my career (with the exception, of course of naecte website which I am already familiar.)  Unfortunately the membership has a high fee, so I cannot become a member, but there is a wealth of information on the site, as well as access to newsletters which I believe will be a valuable resource.

My Supports:

I rely on many supports throughout my daily life.  The most influential support would be emotional; through the people in my life.  My boyfriend, family, and friends support me in every way they can.  I receive encouraging words, listening ears, hugs, and kisses on a regular basis, which keep me happy and grounded in my life.  My coworkers support me as well with suggestions, advice, and complements.  I cannot imagine my life without these supports.  While I consider myself to be a strong person, the people in my life are what get me through rough days, and problems big or small.  I also rely on more practical supports such as ‘to do’ lists and grocery lists.  I rely on my alarm clock to wake me in the morning, and my cell phone and computer to keep me connected with others.  Another support that I receive is the financial aid that is allowing me to further my education at this university.  I am lucky that, at this time, I do not require any medical supports.

The challenge I chose is something that, with the educational budget crisis, is not far from my mind.  I imagined what could happen if I lost my job.  This would leave me with new supports to rely on.  The first would be the emotional support that I would need from my family and friends.  While they are always there when I need them, this new feeling of failure and helplessness would require more support than I have ever asked of them.  I would certainly be an emotional mess without them.  I would also need to rely on the support of our government in the form of unemployment and food stamps while looking for new employment opportunities.  While my boyfriend works as well, his income is dependent on the economy, and he is not currently making enough money to support us both.  With or without this type of financial support, we would likely need to sell our house.

I feel lucky to have these supports in my life, and could not imagine my life without them!

My Connections to Play

Quotes about Play:

My childhood views on play:

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

--Plato

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

Michael Jordan

My current views on play:

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning....They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.

--Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Play keeps us fit physically and mentally.

--Stuart Brown, M.D.

Essential Childhood Play Items:

My Red Wagon

My Bike

My Barbies

Play was a large part of my childhood, and is still an important part of my life.  I loved to play, and did it often.  Play was all around me; I had friends to play with in my neighborhood, in school, and in my family.  I was lucky to have family and teachers who encouraged play.  Most of my play occurred outside.  Be it riding bikes, neighborhood hide-and-seek or tag, climbing and digging, kicking or throwing a ball around, playing on a playground, roller blading, playing in the sprinkler, playing in the snow, or making up dances and gymnastics routines up to show the neighborhood kids, if we could be outside, we would be.   In my adult life, I still enjoy play in different forms.  I enjoy dancing with friends, riding bikes, or walking the dogs in the park.

Play looks and feels very different for children today.  When asking a child today what they most like to play, they will likely list off video games or other electronic devices.  True, authentic, hands-on, interactive play seems to be occurring less and less often.  Play is an irreplaceable piece of a person’s life.  It helps one to explore and discover the world around them, integrate all the various parts of their lives, and try or practice different types of activities.  It is a crucial part of a child’s cognitive and social development.  Play should occur frequently in childhood, and throughout life.

Relationship Reflection:

Of all the things in my life that I cherish, it is the relationships with my family and friends that I cherish the most.  I have been incredibly lucky to have meaningful, lasting relationships throughout my entire life.  The people in my life had supported and been there for me in my times of need, and I could not imagine my life without them!

My boyfriend of four years and soon to be fiancé is the most important person in my life.  He is my soul mate, and the person I will spend the rest of my life with.  He makes me strive to be the best person I can be, as I believe that he is absolutely the best person I know!  Our relationship is built on trust, loyalty, laughter, and love.  To me, these are the key components of a lasting relationship.

My mother is a wonderful, giving person who has always been there to support me no matter what accomplishments, crazy ideas, or irresponsible decisions I have made.  She has shown unconditional love to both my sister and myself, and would do anything she can for us.  There have been many rocky times in my mom and my relationship; we often argue, compete, or just become annoyed with each other.  However we are always forgiving and go back to having close relationship.  I am also very close with my sister and dad, who have both always been an important part of my life.

My dogs, Spanky and Spadie, truly are irreplaceable members of our family.  They are loving, loyal, and I spoil them like children!

I’m lucky to have wonderful, very unique relationships with my friends.  My best friend and I became friends in kindergarten, and have been friends ever since.  We were instantly connected by common interests and similar personalities.  Though we did go through a few phases where we were not close, I always knew we would reconnect eventually.  She has been there for almost every important event in my life!  Our lives and paths are very different now, yet she is the first person I think of when I need good company!  My other best friend and I have been friends for almost 10 years.  We began getting to know each other through common friends, and eventually realized how well we got along.  I can talk to her for hours and still think of things later that I wish I had talked to her about. 

My relationships with these special people are extremely important to me.  I know that I can always count on them to be there for me, and I trust them with all of my heart.  I feel that these secure relationships give me confidence in all of the facets of my life, including my work.  I feel comfortable with who I am, and am able to connect in a meaningful way with my students, and in most cases their families.  I am also able to connect and communicate effectively with my co-workers, which with the rising demands of my job is a crucial piece of success.

New Quotes

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."

v Mohandas Ghandi

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."

v Lady Bird Johnson, former U.S. First Lady  

Assessment

Assessment:

The government has forced schools and teachers, against our better judgment, to use standardized testing as the primary assessment in determining not only individual student success, but also school and school district success.  Any teacher will tell you that this is not the most effective way to measure intelligence and success.  However, our school’s funding and accreditation is determined by the results of these tests, so there is no way around spending a considerable amount of time teaching test taking skills, dissecting the tests as much as possible, and ‘practicing’ test taking.  Even at the kindergarten level, children are learning how to fill in bubbles for multiple choice tests, and eliminate the answers that do not make sense in order to find the correct one.  We, as teachers, are eagerly waiting for this form of assessment to come to an end, but until it does, it is necessary to teach these skills in order for our graduation classes to be able to attend college (a non-accredited school’s degrees is not accepted by 4 year universities.)  Teachers know and understand that this is NOT the most holistic way to assess what our students truly know, however the decisions to use this type was not made by teachers.  This is why we are all working so hard to develop our own, separate ways for assessment.  My kindergarteners each have a portfolio.  While this is not what the district or state uses to measure our children’s progress, it gives me a better, more holistic view of what my children know, where their weaknesses are, and what needs to be addressed.  It also provides great visual support when explaining strengths and weaknesses to parents.  We also do several formal assessments, taking data several times a year.  We use this data to determine what areas or students require extra support and attention.

Assessment in China:

There has been much attention on comparing our education and success to China’s.  With their culture being so drastically different than ours (more government control, more parent accountability, etc), it seems silly and impossible to compare educational systems.  However, it is happening, so I was interested to discover more not just about their assessments, but more importantly about how they are learning and why they are becoming more successful than Americans.  All the information which I found on the successful assessment results in China pointed to the cultural differences: hard work by students and parents, rather than focusing on teaching, curriculum, or educational programs.  This is supported by active engagement by parents, and early activities which build up the attention span.  It seems in America, we are seeing the exact opposite.  Parents are less engaged than ever with their children’s educations.  And allowing children to spend hours on video games and in front of television sets are making attention a problem that is rapidly growing.  Because there are so many freedoms in America, it is a question of rather we will ever truly be able to catch up with the rest of the world.  It seems we are a culture who is unable to be free, and responsible for our children.

Source:  http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1209/Shanghai-test-scores-have-everyone-asking-How-did-students-do-it

Effects of Stressors on Children

Personal story of childhood stressors:

I am very fortunate to have had a fairly ‘stressor free’ childhood.  However I know that this is often not the case.  In my work as a teacher, I encounter children year after year who are victims of abuse, neglect, and exposure to drugs.  One student that I currently have has been exposed to all of the above.  We are currently working with the Division of Family Services to improve her living conditions.  Upon starting kindergarten, this child did not speak at all.  We were questioning rather or not there were cognitive, language, and/or speech concerns.  Discussing this with her mother was very difficult, as the first two phone numbers we were given were disconnected (this is often the case.)  When we finally made contact with her mother, she described her as a quite child, but said she most certainly could talk.  She was not very forthcoming with information, and was resistant to our efforts of bringing her in for a conference.  Slowly, this child began talking, just to me and the other children who sat at her table.  About a month into the school year, her mother was arrested for dealing drugs.  We then discovered that this child spends almost all of her time in her room by herself.  She has been told by her mother not to talk to other adults.  One reason she was given is because ‘adults are bad and want to take you away from me.’  Because of this, the child does have some language delays, and has extreme emotional and trust issues.  While these types of situations occur often in the district I teach, it is heartbreaking each time.

Stressors in other regions of the world:

Haiti has always been a poor country, but the recent earth has left this region of the world devastated.   Currently, more than 80% of the people living in Haiti live in poverty (Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission, 2010).  They are considered to be the 3^rd hungriest country in the world.  Children are still separated from their families, and for many youngsters, this is their ‘normal,’ and the only life they know.  It is hard for us as Americans to imagine children taking care of other children, living in tents, missing limbs, and not knowing if they will ever see their families again, yet this is how the majority of Haitian children are living.  Initially after the earthquake there was an outpour of donations from around the world.  While those have slowed down, there are still several organizations and individuals helping to rebuild Haiti, such as Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, and many others.  There is still much work to be done to rebuild Haiti, and they need the help and assistance of the entire world to do so. 

Sources:  Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.livinghopehaiti.com/

Immunizations

Health Topic of Interest:  Immunizations are used to prime the immune system of the body to resist a specific fatal or contagious disease.  Illnesses such as pneumonia and measles were once responsible for many deaths and other serious complications in children, however immunizations have drastically improved human mortality and protected against these and other illnesses. 

Personal Connection:  The reason that this topic is meaningful to me has to do with the work I have done in the field of Autism.  For eight years I worked as a behavioral therapist for preschool children with Autism.  About three years into that work, I began hearing about a link of vaccinations to autism.  I was astonished to find that parents (especially those who already have an older child with autism) were not vaccinating their babies because of it.  I just kept thinking, “Really, you would rather your child die of a disease than have a disability?”  As a person who has seen the potential of people with autism to lead a happy, productive life, I just couldn’t understand what these parents were thinking.  I understand that there is a lot of pain, guilt, anger, and need to blame in finding out your child has a disability, but risking death?  So, as I often do with issues that intrigue me, I decided to learn more about the topic.  I found that there was never any medical proof of this to be true.  More recently, we have all learned that it was a complete falsification by an unstable person in the medical field.  How tragic that all of these children are susceptible to deadly illnesses for no reason!

Immunizations around the world:  Immunizations are used globally in almost all developed counties.  However poorer and less developed countries still have higher rates of infant mortality, as health care there is often a lesser quality.

Future Work:  Although I do not now, nor do I ever plan to work directly with babies, my coworkers, parents of my students, and friends know that I am educated in early childhood, and often come to me with questions and advice.  I plan to, as I always have, encouraged everyone to have their children immunized, as to me, not doing so seems quite neglectful!

Personal Birthing Experience

Due to the fact that I do not have kids, nieces, or nephews of my own (yet), I do not have many birthing experiences to draw from.  I have been told quite a bit about my own birth, though.  Apparently, after having a quick, easy, and timely delivery with my older sister, I gave my parents a bit more trouble.   I was due to be born on April 20^th; however, my mom did not actually deliver until May 3^rd.   As my mother tells me often, this was the first sign of my extreme stubbornness!  My mom had gone to the hospital thinking she was in labor three times prior to my actual delivery.  On the day of my birth, she went in, and the doctors tried to send her home, ensuring her that it was not time yet.  My mother new better, and waited in the hospital emergency room for about an hour before going into labor.  Once she started, it all happened in just a few hours, so she and my dad were very happy that she refused to leave the hospital.  Knowing my mom, I’m sure she was quick to say “I told you so” to the doctors.  Other than the umbilical cord being wrapped around my neck (which is very common and was not alarming to the doctors), my birth was very normal once it finally happened.  I was lucky to have no complications occur during my birth, because as I have learned, they can affect development in several ways.

Childbirth and Pregnancy in China

The differences in childbirth in china begin during pregnancy.  The Chinese have several customs during this time.  For example, pregnant women are encouraged to continue working throughout their entire pregnancy.  It is thought that this will ease labor and delivery.  Along with this, there are several rules and guidelines for pregnant women to follow, such as not walking around barefoot.  Rubbing the abdomen to often is also frowned on, as it is believed to result in an over demanding child.  The majority of care and support to pregnant women in China is seen as the responsibility of the mother-in-law rather than the husband.  It is very important in China for a family to have a male heir in their family, as women cannot inherit or carry on the traditions of the family.  This is because Chinese women are made to move in with their husband’s family at marriage, and must conform to their ways.   This results in parents seeing female children as ‘temporary family members,’ because they will someday leave their own family to join another, whereas male children are seen as ‘permanent family members.’ 

As a born and raised American who believes in gender equality, I was first taken aback by the customs of Chinese pregnancy.  However I always attempt to accept other cultures, rather than judge.  This is their way, and has worked for them for centuries.  It seems to be the practice of Americans to think that our way is superior to that of other countries.  I personally try to avoid that thinking, as many of these other countries that we choose to judge have been thriving long before our country was even established.

References:  http://www.chinesefolkculture.com/info_view.asp?id=1313