- What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development? All of the information on this website is relevant to my profession. However, NBCDI envisions a society that ensures a successful future for all children. This is the main focus of the entire website and ever news are and resource post reflects that. In particular this week, the posting in the news section caught my attention on NBCDI President and CEO, Dr. Felicia DeHaney, attending the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting in Chicago, IL on June 13-14, 2013.This event was hosted by President Bill Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Board Member Chelsea Clinton. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) addresses economic recovery in the United States. CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made more than 200 financial and action commitments valued at $13.4 billion when fully funded and implemented.
- Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?Strengthening Family and Community Engagement: Directly engaging and addressing the needs of diverse families and communities is central to the success and growth of high-quality early learning centers.Leveraging Digital Media and Technology: The intentional use of developmentally-appropriate digital media and technology offers meaningful ways for families and educators to enhance the learning experiences of young children.Supporting Early Childhood Educators: Effective teachers are essential components of high-quality early childhood programs. Providing current and future early childhood education professionals with training that emphasizes high standards and continues professional development will lead to improved educational outcomes for children.Developing Innovative Financial Strategies and Partnerships: New financial tools and innovative partnerships can help bridge funding gaps, bolster current ECE funding streams, and support the development of high-quality early learning opportunities.The mission of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is to turn ideas into action. With her colleagues, Dr. DeHaney will play a key role in prioritizing early childhood education and developing actionable solutions to improve the scope and quality of care offered to our youngest Americans.I completely agree with this method and have no controversy and it did me a new idea on the areas in the early childhood that could make a difference.
- What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field? The website or the newsletter did not offer much information regarding this subject. However, they did offer these suggestions.Establish high-quality educational and developmentally appropriate preschool and early childhood programs and supports to which African American males have full access to.These programs should have small teacher-to-child ratios, an age-appropriate curriculum that is integrated across subjects, well-trained teachers in child development, and mechanisms for engaging parents or guardians.
- What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter? I listened to a podcast and during the podcast, the panelists discuss how the recent economic downturn has dramatically changed the face of poverty, and districts that were previously vibrant are now dealing with unemployment, underemployment, and more transient families.In the discussion, Dr. DeHaney talks about how schools need to be prepared to deal with children from all economic backgrounds. She says, "The context in which families come to us is very important. We have to be ready for these children, and we have to work with our schools as partners beyond our traditional means of engagement." I took great interest in this podcast. It was very engaging.
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Sharing Web Resources
As I continue to explore the website and/or the e-newsletter this week, i answered these questions:
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Getting to know your international contacts - Part 1
This week my assignment is as follows:
If you chose the podcast alternative, report what you learned from the podcast as well as any results from communicating with the early childhood professional from the podcast. If you have not yet received a response, go to the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.
I have not yet heard back from any of the contacts that I sent out. Sadly to say, I have had to send out more emails in hopes that someone will respond. So in order to complete my assignment this week, I have studied the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre's page.
Three insights or ideas that I have gained in studying this website are as follows:
1. They have developed this website to make a difference in many areas
• Deepening understanding of the main causes of childhood poverty and poverty cycles, and increasing knowledge of effective strategies to tackle them in different contexts
• Examining economic and social factors at different levels - international, national and local - which contribute to poverty in childhood
• Informing effective policy to end childhood poverty, communicating research findings to policy makers, practitioners and advocates
• Raising the profile of childhood poverty issues and increasing commitment to tackling them through anti-poverty policy and action.
Until this week I was so unaware of so many resources, websites and organizations putting an effort towards helping people and families in poverty.
2. I read a study case on children missing out on school and play because of poverty. the case study was on Bakyt, an 11-year-old boy living in southern Kyrgyzstan, in a town called Kokyangak. Due in large part to the decline of the coal mining industry in Kokyangak, the majority of the town’s population is now unemployed. The total population of Kokyangak is 10,296 and the official unemployment figure is estimated at 2,000; however, unofficially the employment figure is thought to be about three times higher. In their family, the children are the main breadwinners. He and his brothers work on the coal mine. In their spare time, they pick up bricks for building demolition sites and to sell them. He is often ill because of the physical work and malnutrition. He does well in school but often skips because he has to work.
This case study really saddened my heart and made me realize how bad some children really have it. I hear children complain all the time because they don't want their food, or because they don't want to take a nap and this made me realize that they really have nothing to complain about.
Talking about what he would like to see change in the future, Bakyt says: “I do not know what the future holds for me and my brothers; sometimes I am horrified thinking about it, but I hope for a better future. Every day before I go to sleep, I pray for my mother’s and grandma’s health. I ask God that my brothers find a better job, and for my sister Anara to attend school. I also pray for myself – I would like to go to school and graduate high school. I do not want to see my mother crying into her pillow, I do not want us to eat mint and I do not want us to have to think about what we will eat tomorrow.”
3. The third insight I got from this site was I found some success stories, in which I longed to see after reading the case study above.
What combinations of policies have worked well to reduce childhood poverty and break poverty cycles? What social, economic, political and cultural conditions underpinned these successes? What lessons do they have for policy makers today? This research drew well-known and unsung successes to bring this experience together. Focusing mostly on large scale 'tried and tested' experiences in low-income countries, researchers also drew lessons from relevant middle and high income countries' experiences, and from small-scale successes with strong potential for scaling up.
The research focused on:
1. Basic services. Work on this theme analysed policies to promote affordable, good quality, health, nutrition, education and water and sanitation, focusing both on sector specific policies and supportive 'enabling' policies and approaches.
Key findings:
Investment in these sector areas has played a critical role in reducing childhood poverty.
Committed states have achieved this by prioritizing carefully within and between sectors, giving social policy the same emphasis as economic policy and making strong efforts to reach excluded groups.
Mechanisms for accountability to the public have also played an important role.
This was very interesting to read on as well as many other success stories I found on this website. This site made me realize how real poverty is in other country's around the world. It inspired me to become a part of the move on decreasing poverty.
If you chose the podcast alternative, report what you learned from the podcast as well as any results from communicating with the early childhood professional from the podcast. If you have not yet received a response, go to the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.
I have not yet heard back from any of the contacts that I sent out. Sadly to say, I have had to send out more emails in hopes that someone will respond. So in order to complete my assignment this week, I have studied the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre's page.
Three insights or ideas that I have gained in studying this website are as follows:
1. They have developed this website to make a difference in many areas
• Deepening understanding of the main causes of childhood poverty and poverty cycles, and increasing knowledge of effective strategies to tackle them in different contexts
• Examining economic and social factors at different levels - international, national and local - which contribute to poverty in childhood
• Informing effective policy to end childhood poverty, communicating research findings to policy makers, practitioners and advocates
• Raising the profile of childhood poverty issues and increasing commitment to tackling them through anti-poverty policy and action.
Until this week I was so unaware of so many resources, websites and organizations putting an effort towards helping people and families in poverty.
2. I read a study case on children missing out on school and play because of poverty. the case study was on Bakyt, an 11-year-old boy living in southern Kyrgyzstan, in a town called Kokyangak. Due in large part to the decline of the coal mining industry in Kokyangak, the majority of the town’s population is now unemployed. The total population of Kokyangak is 10,296 and the official unemployment figure is estimated at 2,000; however, unofficially the employment figure is thought to be about three times higher. In their family, the children are the main breadwinners. He and his brothers work on the coal mine. In their spare time, they pick up bricks for building demolition sites and to sell them. He is often ill because of the physical work and malnutrition. He does well in school but often skips because he has to work.
This case study really saddened my heart and made me realize how bad some children really have it. I hear children complain all the time because they don't want their food, or because they don't want to take a nap and this made me realize that they really have nothing to complain about.
Talking about what he would like to see change in the future, Bakyt says: “I do not know what the future holds for me and my brothers; sometimes I am horrified thinking about it, but I hope for a better future. Every day before I go to sleep, I pray for my mother’s and grandma’s health. I ask God that my brothers find a better job, and for my sister Anara to attend school. I also pray for myself – I would like to go to school and graduate high school. I do not want to see my mother crying into her pillow, I do not want us to eat mint and I do not want us to have to think about what we will eat tomorrow.”
3. The third insight I got from this site was I found some success stories, in which I longed to see after reading the case study above.
What combinations of policies have worked well to reduce childhood poverty and break poverty cycles? What social, economic, political and cultural conditions underpinned these successes? What lessons do they have for policy makers today? This research drew well-known and unsung successes to bring this experience together. Focusing mostly on large scale 'tried and tested' experiences in low-income countries, researchers also drew lessons from relevant middle and high income countries' experiences, and from small-scale successes with strong potential for scaling up.
The research focused on:
1. Basic services. Work on this theme analysed policies to promote affordable, good quality, health, nutrition, education and water and sanitation, focusing both on sector specific policies and supportive 'enabling' policies and approaches.
Key findings:
Investment in these sector areas has played a critical role in reducing childhood poverty.
Committed states have achieved this by prioritizing carefully within and between sectors, giving social policy the same emphasis as economic policy and making strong efforts to reach excluded groups.
Mechanisms for accountability to the public have also played an important role.
This was very interesting to read on as well as many other success stories I found on this website. This site made me realize how real poverty is in other country's around the world. It inspired me to become a part of the move on decreasing poverty.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Sharing Web Resources
The name and link for the organization I selected is National Black Child Development Institute,
http://nbcdi.org. Since 1970, the National Black Child Development Institute has remained steadfast in its mission “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.” As a membership organization with volunteer-based Affiliate networks in over 20 communities across the country, NBCDI serves as a national resource agency providing strengths-based programs, publications, policy and trainings focused in the following areas: Health and Wellness; Early Childhood Development and Education; Elementary and Secondary Education; Literacy; Child Welfare; and Family Engagement.
The newsletter that I subscribed to was National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. A current issue in this newsletter is The members of our allied professional organizations applauding the profound step the President has taken to promote high quality early childhood education and offering their support for the Presidential Early Learning Plan.Their work of preparing early childhood teachers and leaders for the target programs
making their members natural collaborators in this important initiative and they are offering their partnership, expertise, and nation-wide presence to support the President's agenda.
http://nbcdi.org. Since 1970, the National Black Child Development Institute has remained steadfast in its mission “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.” As a membership organization with volunteer-based Affiliate networks in over 20 communities across the country, NBCDI serves as a national resource agency providing strengths-based programs, publications, policy and trainings focused in the following areas: Health and Wellness; Early Childhood Development and Education; Elementary and Secondary Education; Literacy; Child Welfare; and Family Engagement.
The newsletter that I subscribed to was National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. A current issue in this newsletter is The members of our allied professional organizations applauding the profound step the President has taken to promote high quality early childhood education and offering their support for the Presidential Early Learning Plan.Their work of preparing early childhood teachers and leaders for the target programs
making their members natural collaborators in this important initiative and they are offering their partnership, expertise, and nation-wide presence to support the President's agenda.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources
This week, I sent out 4 contact requests (emails) to early childhood professionals outside of the United States. The email to Different parts of Africa were all sent successfully so perhaps a reply email will be received soon.
So, currently I have 4 other emails out there, as I wait for a response. I chose Africa because this is a country that i have always been interested in learning more about and long to visit. i have emailed contacts in Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria as well as South Africa. it is my hope that i will get a response back this week. I decided upon these countries to contact since I really do not know anything about the state of EC in Africa. I'm interested in learning new things and ways that they have that differs from ours. If contact is not made this week, I will be forced to complete the alternate assignment.
The website in which I chose to explore is the "National Black Child Development Institute". This childhood related website was chosen because I am very interested in this website because since 1970, the National Black Child Development Institute has remained steadfast in its mission “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.” As a membership organization with volunteer-based Affiliate networks in over 20 communities across the country, NBCDI serves as a national resource agency providing strengths-based programs, publications, policy and trainings focused in the following areas: Health and Wellness; Early Childhood Development and Education; Elementary and Secondary Education; Literacy; Child Welfare; and Family Engagement. This website is user-friendly and has so much information that correlates with what we have been learning in this program through Walden. I think that the resources available on this site are beneficial to parents, as well as early childhood educators. The newsletter That i tried to subscribe to said page was not found. So I then subscribed to National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, the Spring 2013 newsletter. I look forward to getting even further in this assignment and being able to share and explore with my classmates and new contacts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)