ISSUES AND TRENDS CLASS FAREWELL

CLASS FAREWELL

 

 

In this final posting I want to thank all of my colleagues and contacts that have helped me expand my knowledge further and to all those who have contributed in one way or the other with their experience in the Early Childhood Field. The consequences of learning about establishing contacts with the early childhood field community has allowed me to see all of the needs around the globe and everything that is being done in collaboration to advance in tested  research, positive outcomes, and improved data collection. The one goal have as an early childhood professional is to contribute in a positive manner and to treat each and every family with utmost respect and dignity regardless of their socio economic background, culture, origin. It is my prayer that the Early Childhood Field gains more professionals who are compassionate and are willing to sacrifice their time and effort for the well being of the children and not just for a paycheck.  

 

Local Contacts

Some of the issues being discussed locally in my city Houston TX  concerning early childhood are: Parent and community engagement and the importance the Head Start Program plays in a child’s life. I am attaching the history of the Head Start Program below:

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History

In January of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared The War on Poverty in his State of the Union speech. Shortly thereafter, Sargent Shriver took the lead in assembling a panel of experts to develop a comprehensive child development program that would help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. Among these experts were Dr. Robert Cooke, a pediatrician at John Hopkins University, and Dr. Edward Zigler, a professor of psychology and director of the Child Study Center at Yale University.

Part of the government's thinking on poverty was influenced by new research on the effects of poverty, as well as on the impacts of education. This research indicated an obligation to help disadvantaged groups, compensating for inequality in social or economic conditions. Head Start was designed to help break the cycle of poverty, providing preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs. A key tenet of the program established that it be culturally responsive to the communities served, and that the communities have an investment in its success through the contribution of volunteer hours and other donations as nonfederal share.

In the summers of 1965 and 1966, the Office of Economic Opportunity launched an eight-week Project Head Start. In 1969, under the Nixon administration, Head Start was transferred from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Office of Child Development in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Dr. Edward Zigler, who had served on the planning committee to launch Project Head Start, was appointed Director of the Office of Child Development. In 1977, under the Carter administration, Head Start began bilingual and bicultural programs in about 21 states. Seven years later, in October 1984 under the Reagan administration, Head Start's grant budget exceeded $1 billion. In September of 1995, under the Clinton administration, the first Early Head Start grants were given and in October of 1998, Head Start was reauthorized to expand to full-day and full-year services.

30 million children since 1965, growing from an eight-week demonstration project to include full day/year services and many program options. Currently, Head Start is administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start serves over a million children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories, including American Indian, Alaskan Native and Migrant/Seasonal communities.

Although lengthy, it is interesting to see how far we have come. All of the issues mentioned in the history of the Head Start Program are issues we deal with locally in Houston. Because Houston is a large city made up of a very diverse population it is emphasized locally for children from all nationalities to attend the program and have a better and easier introduction to the school system. The city has launched a campaign and posters can be seen in many places advocating for the program and reaching out to parents who do not speak English. The Head Start Program encourages the parents to participate in community events and to be involved in the child's education.

My professional goals include advocacy and being a voice for the parents who migrate to this country in search of a better future for their little ones.

Sharing Web Resources Week 6

The website Children’s Defense Fund offers the following links;

·         Children's Budget Watch

·         Children's Health

·         Child Welfare

·         Ending Child Poverty

·         Early Childhood Education & Care

·         Elementary & Secondary Education

·         Juvenile Justice

·         Special Projects for Children in Need

·         Advocate & Family Resources

·         All of the links have important information ranging from early childhood issues to juvenile justice issues. Some of the issues explored through the Juvenile Justice  link are educational services for confined youth. Sometimes we fail to view youth as children and we are quick to judge their wrongdoings and actions. It is important to understand that today’s youth are tomorrow’s parents and we must prepare them also to be well productive citizens who will in return yield prepared children again. Part of the website explores all these issues and interconnects everything because somewhat everything is embedded together. By following the link to Juvenile Justice I was able to read the following information;

Educational Services for Confined Youth: Many researchers and advocates agree that students in the juvenile justice system often do not have access to quality academic instruction and programming while they are in confinement. While the average school day for the general population is six to seven hours a day, only 45 percent of youths in the juvenile justice system spend at least six hours a day in school. CDF is studying the availability and quality of instructive services for the incarcerated youth population and identifying policy recommendations based on model programs and legislation that make a difference in the academic and social development of children.

The outside links offer articles that are very educational and useful to read. The website also offers links to current news affecting the Early Childhood Field. What I was surprised to find was a link that gave precise information on how to book a CDF speaker for your organization. Before exploring the website, I did not know CDF speakers were available.

International Contacts Part 2

Some of the ideas I found in the Harvard website that helped me expand my education and understanding of Early Childhood are the short videos they offer. Although short and concise, they are very informative and very self explanatory for anyone to understand the content. I thought this to be a good tool to share with parents. The following is the link to one of them that can be shared with parents to show them the importance of interacting with their child. This is the link to one of the short videos;

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/three_core_concepts/serve_and_return/

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is "serve and return" interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. This back-and-forth process is fundamental to the wiring of the brain, especially in the earliest years.

The website also offers articles to read or five minute videos for the visual learner

Interactive features, lectures, and presentations.

The videos are offered in various languages which I thought was very nice for everyone to take advantage of them globally. The insights I have gathered from viewing international resources is that the problems are the same no matter what part of the world we are in and we are all working together to find solutions. Every country has issues related to poverty, academics, and other early childhood factors. The difference is that some countries prioritize the issue more than others

"Our Future"

Reference :

(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/),

Sharing Web Resources and Newsletters

Out of all the web resources, the one resource that seems more relevant to my professional development is funding. Without funding there would be no professional development available for professionals and we all would become obsolete. Funding includes the planning, coordinating, and implementation of different Early Childhood Programs. Without funding, we might plan, but we certainly cannot implement.

The newsletter from the Children’s Defense Fund ponders on the point of funding by pointing out that the most vulnerable population, which is children; is the one that always ends up with the cuts

My insights on this newsletter are that it is very eye opening not only to professionals but also to the parents and taxpayers in general. Although some constituents may argue they do not have children and the issues do not pertain to them, it affects society as a whole. I found the statistics very astounding and interesting to look at. Below, I am sharing some of the statistics retrieved from the newsletter;

·   Head Start will serve 96,179 fewer low-income children.

·   80,000 fewer children and their families will receive child care subsidies.

·   5 million fewer families will be served by the Maternal/Child Health Block Grant, which provides funding for prenatal care, well child services, infant mortality, injury & violence, oral healthcare, school-based health programs, and eliminating racial/ethnic disparities.

·   211,958 fewer children will be vaccinated.

·   $270,790,425 less funding available for heating and cooling assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).  Nearly half of the families receiving LIHEAP assistance have at least one child.

·   Title I grants will serve 1.8 million fewer students.

·   26,949 fewer children will be served by early intervention special education grants.

·   350,327 fewer English Language Learner (ELL) students will be served by English Language Acquisition Grants

·   1,133,981 fewer students will be served by grants for career and technical education.

·   51,577 fewer students will receive financial aid through the Federal Work Study program.

·   110,543 fewer students will receive aid through Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

·   18,611 fewer youth will be served by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which provides training services to underemployed adults, and youth who have dropped out of high school and want to go back to school or enter the labor market.

·   4,350 fewer youth will receive education and training from Job Corps, which targets economically at-risk youth.

 Reference:

Information and pictures retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/budget-watch/

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre

 

I chose to study the website designated for the Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre.

The website offers insights by sharing personalized stories of children affected by poverty. The website also offers data from different counties to compare one with the other.The case study that caught my attention was that of a 16 year old young girl named Laxmi who was married at 10 and whose dream is to become a teacher. According to the website 40 % of children in developing countries suffer from malnutrition. At current rates of improvement, 1 billion children's mental development will be affected by malnutrition by 2020 (UN James Commission).

Below, is Laxmi’s case study

 Daily routine

Laxmi gets up at 5 a.m and gets ready for the day. She then studies from 7 till 9 a.m. and goes to school at 9.30 a.m. together with her younger brother who attends the same school. She returns home at 5 p.m. and fetches water from the hand pump. Once she has done that, Laxmi makes evening tea for her family, plays with her nephew and studies for a few hours before going to bed.

Family life

Laxmi’s family is relatively well off compared to other families in the district. Her father is a farmer who owns 15 bighas¹ of land, 10 goats and a buffalo. However, the harvest is poor as his land cannot be irrigated. The drying up of the nearby Banas river has meant that people depend heavily on the open wells in the village: this has led to the water table becoming lower, which has put a stop to the pumping of water for irrigation.
Laxmi has two brothers and a sister. Her younger brother goes to school and is in Class IX². Laxmi’s elder brother grazes the family livestock and goes to the market to sell milk. He carries 6 kilograms of milk in cans to the market on his bicycle and sells it at 12 Rupees per kilogram. Thanks to his earnings from milk sales, Laxmi’s brother contributes around 2000 Rupees³ a month to the household income.
Laxmi’s elder sister never went to school and was married 6 years ago. However, she has been living with her parents for the last two years as her husband has severe psychological problems, and her parents are now planning to arrange a second marriage for her⁴.

Married at an early age

When Laxmi was only 10 years old and studying in Class V, she was married off to Shivnarain, a boy from another village in Tonk district, on the same day that her elder sister was married. Her gauna (formal send-off), however, has yet to take place. Laxmi’s parents say that they will send her off only when Shivnarain has secured a job. Shivnarain has completed Class X and has also passed the entrance examinations for the Central Reserve Police Force; he is now awaiting his call letter.

Valuing education

Despite her early marriage, Laxmi’s parents continued to send her to school and she is now studying in Class XI⁵. Laxmi’s father is keen for her to study further: he has relatives whose daughters are educated and wishes for his own daughter to become like them. Laxmi’s parents can be considered relatively progressive in that they actively support her continuing education and they let her cycle to school in another village⁶. In addition, Laxmi’s parents-in-law do not object if she chooses to study further, which is fortunate as Laxmi herself wants to obtain a Bachelor’s degree and become a teacher. She has already been practicing for her future career by teaching her friend Chandrakala, who is from a poor family and did not attend school. Laxmi values her education because it makes her feel more confident about herself. Had she not been married off at an early age, Laxmi says that she would have chosen to find herself a job before marriage.

1. One bigha is equivalent to 0.25 hectares.

2. In the Indian school system, secondary education starts with Class IX and ends with Class XII.

3. At the time of writing, 2000 Rupees was equivalent to approximately US $44 or £24.

4. This system of second marriage is common in certain parts of Rajasthan and is known as nata. It confers a lower status upon women. Nata started off as a way of arranging second marriages for women in case of separation, desertion or death in their first marriage. However, increasingly, it is carried out for monetary gain.

5. This is in stark contrast to most girls in Laxmi’s village who, at best, only complete Class V.

6. Although other girls in the village have also learnt how to ride a bicycle, Laxmi is the only one who cycles out of the village to attend school.

I thought this was very interesting because despite her circumstances, Laxmi is still considered a fortunate child who is able to continue her education unlike other youngsters her age.

Child coal miner This is Bakyt, an 11-year-old boy who works in a coal mine and, together with his two older brothers, is one of his family's main breadwinners.

 

Young boys fetching water at sunset

Young boys fetching water at sunset from one of the soum centre’s tapstands, Khalkhgol, Dornod Aimag.

Children usually fetch water for households in rural areas like Khalkhgol and some are paid by their neighbours for the service. Some children spend the little money they earn on sweets and games, but some use it to support their families to buy basic necessities like flour and clothes.

by Jenni Marshall/CHIP




Information retrieved from : (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/),

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

I subscribed to various newsletters. I chose different ones because all will help me expand my knowledge in early childhood education. One newsletter that caught my attention talks about politics. Issues such as taxpayer’s money and childcare programs are discussed. An example I retrieved from one of these was the following excerpt;

On March 2, NBC’s Dateline aired a shocking story about just how easy it is for convicted felons and those with a violent history to get a license to provide child care. NBC’s Chris Hansen went undercover and found child care providers with a history of homicide, arson, assault and battery, child abuse, as well as drug and drunk driving convictions. These providers were licensed and some received taxpayer dollars to care for children. That’s possible because state background check laws vary greatly and there is no federal requirement for a background check for child care providers

As a professional, taxpayer, and mother, these issues interest me and affect me. So far I have learned that the policies and funds become very intricate and once you start following these trends you can begin to understand how programs and funds work. Although the website I chose is the Association for Childhood Education International most of the issues that are the focus around the globe are very parallel to the one’s we concentrate on in the United States. These issues are defending children’s rights and sharing statistics to benefit the future education field. I like that the website offers many resources and a day by day calendar with special information for childhood professionals.

The link for the website is http://acei.org/    

Another newsletter which caught my interest was zero to three because it is very informative and offers educational tools I can share with parents. The link to the newsletter is http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/    

INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS AND RESOURCES

Although I have not succeeded at establishing communication with another professional yet, I have researched thoroughly a website that offers an array of Early Childhood information.

The website I chose to study and familiarize with is “The Association for Childhood Education International”. The reason why I chose this website is because I am interested in learning how around the world other communities view children and the programs that are being implemented to help these little beings succeed and excel in the future.

The mission of the organization is:

“To promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society”.

Their Vision:

Every child in every nation will have access to a quality education. This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens and ready them for life in a changing world.

I thought it was a strong mission which depicts a vision for helping children. The first thing I learned from this website was that Nov 20, which is also my birthday, is Universal Children’s Day. The website is full of interesting facts and articles from other Early Childhood professionals and is very easy to navigate, making it user friendly. The link to the website is the following:

http://www.acei.org/

The website also offers a blog, which I can follow and stay abreast new information.

MY SUPPORTS

"MY SUPPORTS"

There are many factors that are supportive in my daily life but the foremost is my spiritual life. I am a non denominational Christian and I find great joy in God’s promises. Without those promises I would be hurting a lot because coming from a very large family, I have lost many family members. 

Another one that is very important is the support of my family. My children and husband never complaint because I spend all those hours reading, researching, studying, and doing homework. When I have been ill, their concern is quick for me and even my 12 year old has “cooked” for me so I can stay in bed. (Usually Campbell soup or sandwiches) I have also met people whose partner and family are very inconsiderate so that makes me appreciate mine and see all the support they bring me when I need it. The impact my life would have without this would be catastrophic. I probably would not have the strength to do nothing or follow any goals and dreams.

Financial security from my husband is another factor that has impacted my life. Although this might sound superficial, it is because of that security that I am able to stay home and focus on pursuing my degree, volunteering, and getting certified in different fields so I can be fully prepared when I enter the Early Childhood Field since most of my experience derives from youth services or older children than 8.

I mention the monetary support because I realize how hard it would be for me to accomplish what I have in my life if I were alone. I have many friends that work minimum paying jobs and I keep telling them to go back to school and some of them have told me they just cannot afford it. Affordability can range from having the resources to do it at home (like a computer) or even the money to put gas and pay a babysitter to drive to school. Ironically, I am not a person who values money or riches. I am a very spiritual person who only dreams of thriving in life to be in a position to be a blessing to others.

My Connections to Play

“MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY”

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”  - George Bernard Shaw.

“If animals play, this is because play is useful in the struggle for survival; because play practices and so perfects the skills needed in adult life” Susanna Miller

Jump Rope, an essential play item in my childhood, sometmes improvised with rubber bands tied together sinc there was no rope available.

 

 

Often I played with my cousins “Gallinita Ciega” or “Blind Chicken” which consisted of playing tag with a blindfold in your eyes

 

 

Hopscotch was another childhood game.  Usually referred to as "Mamaleche" in Spanish, which means suckingmilk. I do not know why it is named lied this in Spanish, that is something I wondered since I was a child since the game does not relate to the name.I usually did not have chalk so the hopscotch was drawn on the dirt with a stick or formed with pebbles.

My childhood Playing Years

My parents always supported play because I do not remember my mother or father ever calling me to do chores or interrupting my play. One time I remember I had mixed up everything I could find, including weeds and dirt and was playing “chef”. When my father got home from work, he asked what I was doing and I said fixing dinner. He then asked if he could have some. I never thought he would really eat from my invention but he actually did. I remember the look on his face as he spit it out. I was not aware back then but my dear father was supporting my play. That created a memory that I have never forgotten and do not think I ever will. Most of my play consisted of outdoor games and limited resources, just my imagination. I think this has changed over the years and children are losing the traditional outdoor childhood games. Sadly most children rely on electronics for entertainment and are outdoors for a very short time. I think this is the cause obesity is higher and more children are becoming less physically active with heart problems, blood pressure problems, and other health conditions.

Playing was a very important part of my childhood. Growing up, I was the youngest and my siblings were already teenagers so most of the time I played alone. On weekends, I would go to my grandmother’s home and would have a feast playing with all my cousins. Now that I am a mother, I enjoy playing with my daughters. I encourage my child’s imagination by sewing clothes together for the Barbies. As an adult, I wish I could spend more time “playing”, I know it relaxes me when I take a break from everything and just engage in my daughter’s imaginary world where Barbie cars can fly and ponies can talk…….

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

Relationships and partnerships are an important factor in everybody’s life. Humans need reinforcement, support, and acknowledgement to assure they are worthy. Some people might argue that they can do it on their own but I find it very hard to believe. Maybe they are able to excel but their journey alone I am sure is much more difficult than if they had someone’s help. My most important relationship in my journey has been my husband. I am not going to say my children, sisters, or parents because, although they are very important in my life; I did not choose them and they did not choose me, even though they are the best family the Lord could have given me. On the other hand, I did choose my husband and he did choose me amongst millions of other humans in this world. My husband has always been very supportive in all my volunteerism, school, and work activities. I believe the partnership we have formed is built with a very good and stable foundation.

The positive relationship with my husband allowed me to pursue professional and academic growth. Before I met him I was a single mother who had dropped out of high school earning minimum wage. The thought of college was just a dream too far away to reach. With his financial and moral support, I received my GED, obtained my Bachelors, and now I am in the process of pursuing my Masters.

I have been fortunate enough to hold many important and positive relationships in my life. All of these relationships have somehow shaped and formed my experiences, integrity and values. Whenever I can afford it, I try to be generous with my time and volunteer it to different organizations. One such organization is CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate.  The CASA’S advocate for abused and neglected children who have been removed from home by Child Protective Services (CPS) by standing before a judge and reporting observations made while conducting home visits.

These observations are then taken into consideration when doing a final placing of each child. By being the Child's Guardian Ad Litem, my task was to always look for out for the best benefit of the child. Through this partnership, I gained valuable hands on experience working with children and implementing crisis intervention techniques. The partnership also helped me work with children from diverse ethnic groups allowing me to peek into their home environments and enriching cultural awareness. Furthermore, this experience becomes very valuable when it comes to working in the Early Childhood profession.

The challenges I faced were that at first I had many biases which I had to set aside. I had to learn to see beyond the parents mistakes and don’t view them as monsters but just as inexperienced parents lacking knowledge or parenting skills. For obvious reasons I am not allowed to share any photos of the children in the cases I had, therefore all I am attaching is the CASA logo.

 Another important partnership I formed is with AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps refers to a group of volunteers who in exchange for national service to the community the person is granted a  scholarship to go to school. I can proudly say that I served 2 full years and in those two years I was able to network and interconnect with many nonprofit agencies which I still serve on my free time. This partnership helped build my citizenship skills and yielded lifetime friendships. As an AmeriCorps member I participated in many projects like Habitat for Humanity, Make a Difference Day, Recycles Day, and way too many more to go on. This is a very valuable partnership for me because it allows me to be an active participant in helping my community. It has also been very beneficial in my personal life. Although it has ben five years and all of the members went on to different fields, we all still keep in touch and continue to be actively involved with our respective communities.

I am the one with the hat, planting donated trees at a community park

I am the one sitting in the bottom far right,after collecting cans for the Annual MLK Food Drive

I am the one in the middle sitting inside the truck, in front of a house we helped build for a homeless family







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