Final Blog Assignment For Issues & Trends in Early Childhood

I have been enlighten in learning of current international issues and trends in the early childhood field.
First of all you are provided the opportunity to communicate with the early childhood professionals through podcast, informative websites and blogs that are related to the early childhood field.

Next, professional development opportunities are given that increases your awareness of issues and trends across the world that may help the outlook you have on particular issues you may be faced with in the United States. Also you may get suggestions on ways to handle them from view international websites.

Lastly, you are able to compare research issues and trends of the early childhood field with information given of other countries.

I was unsuccessful in having the opportunity to communicate with an international early childhood professional. If given the opportunity to share and gain insight with an international early childhood professional I would have gained information that would have been passed on to my colleagues.
One goal would be to increase awareness of issues and trends internationally by professionals being able to effectively collaborate about issues faced with.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part3

I have not been successful in receiving correspondence back from the early childhood professionals so I chose to complete the alternative assignment. Over twenty percent of young people in developing countries fail to complete primary school according to United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.  There's an urgent need to invest in basic skills for children. The majority of the worlds poor and least educated live in rural areas of the country and they lack basic skills needed to protect themselves and make ends meet. This generation is very frustrated and confused. By acquiring a lower secondary education is a minimum today for young people to gain the foundation skills for being successful in life. By investing in young peoples' skills it is a smart move for countries seeking to boost their economic growth.

Latin America launch of the information system on early childhood known as (SIPI).  SIPI systematizes information on actions aiming at fulfilling the rights of early childhood in Latin America and evaluates the degree of fulfillment.  It provides updated information on the regulations and policies in 19 countries of the region and offers statistical indicators.

Insights gained on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization website is that UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education programmes that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning which provides for children's holistic development.

Reference:
www.unesco.org 

Sharing Web Resources

Through exploring the Children’s Defense Fund website I have discovered a section called Policy priorities.  This section has information dealing with budget watch, children’s health, welfare, ending child poverty, elementary and secondary education, juvenile justice, projects for children in need, advocate and family resources.

In the early childhood education and care section issues addressed were the advantages of early childhood education, new data is out concerning early childhood education and care, increasing access to full-day kindergarten which is a strategy for boosting learning achievement gaps for children, and the President’s budget for fiscal year 2013 in early childhood education.  

The Children’s Defense Fund has Information concerning issues that are important to children in the 21st century, there are new common core standards that set high expectations for every child including kindergarteners. We need to prepare all of our children to compete in this global economy but for millions of children in the United States there is a missing half-step in their early learning years. Full–day kindergarten boosts children’s cognitive learning, creative problem-solving skills, and social competence.

Insight gained from the website about issues and trends concerning early childhood education include the President’s 2013 fiscal year budget proposal that would increase Head Start funding by $85 million over fiscal year 2012 funding levels. This would allow 962,000 children to participate in Head Start. These funds would also support the implementation of new regulations to strengthen the program by requiring low-performing grantees to compete for continued funding.

Provide an $825 million dollar increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant which offers subsidized child care dollars to families who need it. These funds would include a $300 million investment for a new child care quality initiative that states would use to improve the services that children receive in child care settings by investing directly in programs and teachers. This increase would also ensure that more than 70,000 additional low-income children would be eligible to receive services.

Support programs that benefit families with infants and toddlers by providing a $20 million increase to Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the section that provides grants for infants and toddlers with special needs. Provide a $50 million increase to evidence-based early childhood home visiting programs to improve health and developmental outcomes for families in at-risk communities. Also give a third round of Early Learning Challenge Grants to help states improve their early care and education systems through a portion of the $850 million investment in Race to the top funding.

This increase in the budget would give children and families the opportunity to be aware and have accessibility to attend these early childhood education programs and have a successful future.

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

Information I have gained while viewing the Harvard website is that Harvard has a global commitment to global work that represents an acknowledgement of moral responsibility to meet the needs of all children and a critical investment in the roots of economic productivity, positive health outcomes, and strong civil society in all nations, from the poorest to the most affluent. One essential, cross-cutting aspect of the Center’s approach is the commitment to work collaboratively across disciplines and institutions, drawing together the best and most creative expertise available to achieve the Initiative’s goals.

Harvard’s Global Children’s Initiative seeks to advance the Center's core mission globally by implementing research, public engagement and leadership development in child health and development that is grounded in science and engages researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and students from a wide range of institutions around the world.

The Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build activities in three domains. The three domains include areas in early childhood development, child mental health and children in crisis and conflict situations. Each of these domains is guided by faculty working group that facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration; design and implement new projects; and engage additional faculty, students, and collaborators beyond the Harvard community.

Other countries being helped by the Harvard Global works include Zambian Early Childhood Development Project. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University launched the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) in 2009, a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia and addresses the knowledge gaps of the Zambian children.

Brazil is another country being assisted by Harvard’s Global work with Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil. In collaboration with local experts, this project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil.

This project represents an opportunity for the Center to work with Brazilian scholars, policymakers, and civil society leaders to adapt the Center’s programmatic model for the local context in order to catalyze more effective policies and programs that will, foster a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable society.

Together, these organizations will engage in activities that build a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development. It’s really great to see that Harvard is assisting these international countries with issues that will help make sure children are receiving the education and medical attention they need.