Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” Website

     After not yet receiving a response from an international professional, I visited the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/ . After exploring the site thoroughly, I would like to share three new insights I gained about early childhood systems around the globe. As part of the centers global children's initiative, they are working on a project  in Brazil to synthesize and translate scientific knowledge on the science of child development. They are doing this in the Brazilian cultural context as they work with Brazilian scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders to help create a more equitable society. A new insight is that as a professional in the field of childhood education, weather we assist families in our communities or some place around the world, we must be mindful and respectful of their culture and language.  Another insight is that this organization is putting effort in respecting the Brazilian culture and adding to their society, not changing it. Children are not empty vessels and we must add to their knowledge base, not change it. My third insight I gathered from this site is the underlying focus of the program. They state that they are making these efforts to ultimately reach a large Brazilian audience in order to catalyze more effective policies and programs. Even though I work in a city within the United State, the families I work with are up of a variety of ethnic groups. I don't have to leave the country as I feel sometimes as I am a international professional as I deal on a day to day with all these cultures. By having visited this site, It served me as a reminder to continue to make an extra effort to acknowledge every families culture that I work with as it creates better relationships.

Sharing Web Resources

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has specific information that is particularly relevant to my current professional development. Since I began my educational journey within the field of early childhood education, I have been always developing professionally by integrating technology within the classroom. Sometimes as a teacher, we get so into our work within the classroom  that we can forget to ask for help outside from it. I have caught myself just asking an assosciate teacter for advice or an idea on lesson plan. I forget that I can go online and visit many other professionals to get more ideas. NAEYC has  a section where one can connect to facebook, twitter, youtube videos, and Flickr. These social medias can help myself and others in the field stay current with educational ideas and ECE policies and expand as professionals.

The website  adds to my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field in the many readings on current research is discussed in these fields through newsletters, position statements, and research articles. I get to see the interconnections of for example science and how their research affects the funding of early childhood education. Current research in brain development has allowed more access to programs being funded to enhance the quality of education for children under five. A new thought that comes to me is the idea that a few years ago that one of the effects of poverty was that families could not afford a computer or have access to a computer. With technology being so advanced now, getting a computer is not so bad within the communities that I work with. Sadly , now the effects of poverty is that they cannot afford internet access.

Getting to Know a International Contact - Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center

I have not yet received a response from an early childcare education professional from outside of a different country so I have deicide to do the alternative assignment . I have visited the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center's Website to read about childhood poverty in different parts of the world. Their case studies in countries other than the United States gives valuable information on how families and children are living in areas like China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. For example, a study done in India shows that children  must work to help out themselves and their families to fight against poverty and to treat illness. The family cannot afford to send most children to get an education. They sacrifice schooling to live better. This to me makes poverty into a constant cycle from generation to generation. The site has links to many childhood poverty issues / research entities as well anti-poverty campaigns. It also shares various links to organizations that speak about  children's right and issues worldwide.

This Poverty Research and Policy Center has publications that are not only written in the English language. They include other languages. I find this helpful and respectful as it is useful to many others who can use this site. From various other international websites that I have encountered in the past, this is the first time I come across this detail. It is a great reminder that poverty  is an issue that affects children all over the world as it is a human struggle, not a certain racial struggle.

Sharing Web Resources

The organization I selected is The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The link  to this organization is http://www.naeyc.org. NAEYC'S mission is to raise the quality of early childhood programs and to continue building the association through a a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.

One current trend from this website this year that caught my attention is that the association and  the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College released a comprehensive statement, “Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8,” providing important new guidance to early childhood programs on the effective use of media and technology. As educators, we need any new ideas on how we can teach children. Technology is all around us and this topic being presented on this website is beneficial to the 80,000 members it as.

Considering the topic for this week, that is, changing demographics and diversity, NAEYC prides itself in being culturally diverse and are mindful of the term inclusion. Its members are different people that are united by advocacy for children. They are composed of a variety of professionals and not just teachers. As a member of this  community, one has the opportunity to meet with people around the world who share the same passions and discuss current issues and research through a much broader audience. Ones circle of networking amongst professionals grows. Members are invited to child-advocacy events and be a part of projects to help children locally or in other parts of the world. This gives the opportunity to get experiences with working with people from different cultures and backgrounds and be better able to assist the culturally diverse families in ones classrooms.   

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I am really excited to start making contact with ECE professionals from around the world. As I read the first part of the assignment, I went back to my childhood when I was in elementary school. In fourth and fifth grade, my teacher had us write to pen-pals to other children in china. For the first part of this assignment I decided to ask two early childhood professionals I have the pleasure to work with in this country if they know any colleagues in different parts of the world. I asked Lousie Dermin-Sparks and her husband Bill Sparks. They are both activists for children's rights and are known in many parts of the united states for publishing books and journals. Louise has had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world to discuss her research and thoughts on anti-biases in education in places like Greece, South Africa, Australia, and the Netherlands. Both Bill and Lousie were kind enough to call up some of the professionals in these countries. Since they are busy individuals in these countires, she told me that she would in about a week or so, have possibly two people that I may contact.

For the second part of this assignment, I will choose The National Association for the Education of Young Children. Walden students this year are now able to receive a 10 percent discount on tuition if they show verification of enrollment to this organization. In previous instances, I have visited their website, but only the sections that are free. Now, that I will become a member, I will be able to explore more information. I hope professionals in this course also, if they have not already, take advantage of the discount.