Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 2

I have not yet heard from any of the contacts that I have emailed, but I still hope to hear from at least one by the end of this course. However, I did visit the web site (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/),  and it provided readers with a variety of information.
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was founded in 2006 on the belief that the vitality and sustainability of any society depend on the extent to which it expands opportunities early in life for all children to achieve their full potential and engage in responsible an productive citizenship. With this said, the Global Children's Initiative began a portfolio of activities focusing on early childhood development; mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations.

In each three areas a group of faculty workers collaborate to design new projects.

** In the Child Mental Health Network they focus on 4 tasks
              ~ anxiety and anxiety disorders
              ~ depression and depressive disorders
          ~ ADHD and related problems
          ~ Conduct problems ranging from early childhood disobedience to adolescence

There is a library to research these areas and other areas of interest.
There are initial projects that are in various stages of planning, fundraising, and implementation for example; assessing quality in early childhood environments and programs in diverse global contexts; as well as expanding effective interventions to improve preschool quality in Chile. Plans are to begin a research forums to facilitate collaboration among a wide network of scholars globally to share findings and co-develop publications. There are goals provided for each area mentioned earlier and they want to reach the majority of the world with this research.

After reading and looking over this web site, I decided to look over Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP), which is a peer reviewed multilingual journal on the development, care, and education of young children.
There is a newsletter available you can research and review past issues, you can make financial contributions; there is a survey that can be taked to provide them with feedback on how helpful there site is.
Also, available is a link "Beyond this Issue", which offers readers a range of resources that are relevant to the mission of Early Childhood Research & Practice. Features may include selected papers from conferences or symposia, book reviews, and other resources for practitioners, administrators, and scholars. This site is very informative and provide great insight to many early childhood topics and you can search for additional resources.

This would be a great web site to look at for information in the future.

(http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/),
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v9n1/little.html

Sharing Web Resources

As I reviewed the web site and newsletter of Zero to Three, I found that provide excellent information relating to economics, neuroscience, and politicians.

The Newsletter http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ provided tips and tools on brain development, an interactive brain quiz (which I took and I was surprised at the answers), common questions asked, and a brain map. which lays out the active parts of each section and its importance.
Also the newsletter provided a brief on a new policy, which promotes early language an literacy development. One part in the brief that caught my attention was:

the literacy gap hinders our nation's ability to create the workforce needed to compete in the global market and ensure future prosperity. Sound policy should be grounded in the fact that young children's language and literacy development begins long before they walk through the door of kindergarten classroom.

(Zero To Three Newsletter)

Within the brief it provided a fast fact: at 16-18 months when children begin amassing vocabulary, word learning is significantly affected by economic background. The brief was very informative and highlighted excellent points and fast facts. This article is available at the web site listed above if anyone is interested in reading more about it.

The web site http://zerotothree.org/about-us/

Provided a download of the week, which was titled "Healthy Minds 24-36 months. This article provides age based information to parents that links research on child and brain development to the important ways which babies and toddlers grow and learn in months of 24 to 36. I thought this was a great article and related to out topic this week because brain development and children's learning should begin at an early time because if not it can affect their learning and development and put them at a disadvantage.

The web site also listed policy recommendations. What I read was that the congress and the administration prepare for the reauthorizing of Elementary and Secondary Education Act and consider how to increase literacy skills and reduce the early achievement gap for all children. As mentioned before they stress the importance of the earliest years, when the critical foundation for later learning is formed.

It goes on to list main focuses for policies.

The web site also has links to training, reflective practice and program development and the Zero to Three Journal, Press, and Publications. This links provides readers with more resources and reading materials of a variety of topics.

As, I reviewed the web site and newsletter, it really made me think and realize how all three sectors really do add to early childhood education. The brain function is the central part because if the brain doesn't begin to develop correctly it can cause learning problems, which in turn cause less job opportunities in the future and the loss in the economy and the politicians work hard to try to develop program were children are going to learn and develop and receive the highest quality of care because like Dr. Grace said, a stronger workforce begins with early childhood.



Getting To Know Your International Contacts Continued Pg. 2

As, I reviewed the website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/ for the week 3 blog, I found so much interesting things about poverty in India. I decided to search a little more on the issue in India.

I found a program called the Grameen Foundation
 This program basically helps the world's poorest, which majority is women, improve their lives and leave poverty behind by providing small loans, essential information and viable business opportunities. Their goal is to break the chain of poverty and help the poorest lead lives of respect, dignity, and opportunity.
They provide loans to help them expand or develop small busineeses and inspire them to make changes in their lives for the better. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India#Efforts_to_alleviate_poverty

As I read this it made me think that children should be where they should start to break the cycle of poverty. Children should be inspired and motivated to come to school and learn. They should be given the opportunity to learn skills and build on them to help them support themselves and their families.

AlsoI believe the workers in the programs mentioned in India should be motivated more to help others. People tend to help more when they feel they have been rewarded for their efforts.

Children should also be provided with more program focusing on nutrition and health. A program should be developed that visits the children quarterly to provide health care such as vitamins, physicals, and continue to provide with food, school, and other opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. To break the cycle you have to start some where.



As

Getting To Know Your International Contacts

I actually have received one email back from the 6 or 7 that I sent out and here is what it said:

Britanie,

Thank you for your message.  You might be best served by contacting the
Early Childhood Commission.  The Executive Director is Mrs. Winsome
Johns-Gayle (http://my.campuscruiser.com/em2PageServlet?cx=u&pg=papp&tg=Email-readmail&main=1&qi=I3FpCiNUaHUgTWFyIDE3IDE2OjE3OjI4IEVEVCAyMDExCmZvbGRlcklkPTEwMDA1NTg2MTkKX3NvcnRCeT1yZWNlaXZlZERhdGUKX3NvcnRPcmRlcj0xCm1vZGU9bG9hZApzdGFydD0xCg==&seq=2&msgId=1102#); you may indicate that I referred you to
her.  She and her team would have a better sense of the national
interventions you might be interested in.

all the best

Kenneth      Kingston UNICEF/JAM/TACR/UNICEF 

I actually emailed her right then and I have yet to hear anything back from her and her team, but I am hoping to hear something back from her next week.

In the mean time however, I visited the website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/
This website provided great information and several other links such as, publications, pictures, and stories of the children.  CHIP aims to fill some of the gaps in knowledge about childhood poverty internationally and in partner counties, and to work with others to gain commitments to action (CHIP).

I read up on information about research and projects on going in India to help with poverty. In India CHIP researched factors underpinning intergenerational poverty cycles and role of gender and caste-based discrimination in maintaining poverty cycles.

What they found that contributed to the continuing cycle of poverty in India is
1.) Drought and environment deterioration have significantly undermined livelihoods and exacerbated poverty in Rajasthan. Contributors are:pressures on children to work and undermining their education and health
2.) 10-15% children migrate for work
3.) 18-45% migrant children's work constituted for the poorest household's income
4.) Indebtedness affected over 80% of households and major factor to intergenerational poverty cycles

At this time national and state development programs in health, education, and livelihoods are not fulfilling their potential to help break poverty cycles.
Developments not be fulfilled because of:
*under-resourcing
*limited accountability of staff to the people they are intended to serve
As a result core education, health, and nutrition programs are of variable quality and not all available on a reliable basis in the areas studied.

By reading this page I have come to understand the difficulty that this country and many others are enduring because the lack of resources and the lack of work effort being done on these families part. So many children and families are suffering and this is a great project to help stop the cycle of poverty. However, more effort and support needs to be done for anyone to benefit from this.
I hope that I will hear from some of my contacts soon because I would truly love to know how they are dealing with the issue of poverty and other issues that may have raised.
I can't wait to read what my colleagues have found out from their contacts.

Sharing Web Resources

The resource I chose was Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/  or http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

Zero to Three:

is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their effort to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.

Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

The Zero To Three website provides great material and resources about the healthy development of children and provides parents with great tips and tools to help promote healthy development. Also, the website offers a free e-newsletter that offers science-based information on the growth of children from birth to the age of three. The e-newsletter also provides information such as: age-based information about child development; In-depth articles on common child-rearing issues and challenges; Parent-child play activities that promote bonding and learning; Frequently asked questions; and Research on child development and what it means for parents.

As I looked on the website today is featured:

~ A baby brain map: which reveals the secrets of how early care enriches development

~Download of the Week: The magic of everyday moments 24 to 36 months, which this article informs parents on how children grow and develop. It offers tips for parents and children on how to nurture a healthy development  in everyday routines and interactions.

~Policy Videos, Info. on National Trainings, Featured Resources (Books & Articles), Webinar's, Free Parenting Resources, Shop in their Bookstore, and their Journal.

~ Additional links are also provided to help inform about certain issues such as; Behavior and Development; Maltreatment; Care & Education; Public Policy Military Family Projects, Early Head start, and National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative. When each link is clicked on for review that provide you with information on this topic and new developments and provides with additional resource's. I clicked on the Early Head start link and it took me to another site: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children and Families- this site provided their information in Spanish as well, which I thought was excellent!

I took it upon myself to search up information on diversity within the classroom on the Zero To Three web site and it provided me with 9 or more articles and books on this subject. These articles would be very beneficial when teaching children about treating others that may be a little different than them nicely and appropriate. I was always told to treat people the way I would like to be treated and I think that is a great lesson to learn by.

Why did I choose this resource?

I have always had a strong connection with children and have always wanted to work with them in some way. I hate to see children hurting and suffering because of lack of food, clothing, health, or the pain they have to endure everyday from a parent who doesn't care or who got pregnant to young and has no idea on how to raise a child.

This provides parents and care givers excellent resources to help promote the healthy development of a child. It provides one with tips on healthy play, brain development, and how everyday routines can make a difference in a child's development. I believe all parents should receive the newsletter because is provides new information all the time and it can help build a great bond between parents and child.

I hope that in the near future that I will become a parent and this newsletter will be very helpful for a first time mother.

Establishing Professional Contacts

Honestly, when I began reading the assignment to establish professional contact from outside of the country, I started to stress a little bit because I didn't even know where to begin with this task. I started reading through the blog resources provided and started emailing places that I would like to learn more about. I sent 3 mails so far; 1.) International Step by Step Association-Netherlands 2.) Canadian Child Care Federation- Canada 3.) Center for Early Childhood Care and Development-Philippines. Out of these 3 one came back underliverable and I haven't yet heard back from the other 2. I will continue to send more emails out in hopes to make contact with someone soon.

I looked through the provided list of websites that is devoted to helping children and promoting a high quality education. The website that I chose was Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.
This organization informs, trains, and supports professionals, policy makers, and their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. In the previous course we used articles from this organization and I truly enjoyed reading them because they provided such great information and the website offers different options to click on and to learn about different topics and issuces. I also subscribed to their newsletter.
I believe this website will provide me with great information throughout this course and beyond.