Web Resources

All of the information this class and other classes I've taken so far at Walden University are relevant for my professional development. This week we read about stronger funding of quality care and education during the early years. Arguments occur between economists, neuroscientist, and politicians. I've read about unintended consequences which is something that happens. When policymakers are creating policies that can and will enhance the life of children often times they are not worried about any consequences. Numbers matter when it comes to early childhood education, but things can occur while policies are being created. Economist talk about paybacks that will occur in the future by looking at units and commodities. Paybacks are the positive outcomes that will occur in the future because of things done now that will have an effect on children. If children start in early childhood programs the less likely they will be to drop out of school, and will lower cost for social service programs in the future. The reason why social service programs cost will be lowered is because children who enter in a early childhood program will be less likely to need social service assistance in the future. Scientist think if children don't get everything they need by the age of 3 then the use of title I haven't been pushed enough. In order for the future workforce to be a strong one researchers suggest that there has to be a strong headstart program now. There were many resources to choose from this week as well as searching the web. It's important and will benefit the future generation if headstart programs are strong and have funding to support young children in the program.

Poverty

In almost every country in the world children are more likely to be living in poverty than adults. Poverty in children is a challenge and should bind us globally. While reading about childhood poverty three insights I gained from studying the website is:

1. Children make up nearly half of the people living in extreme poverty.

2. Poverty is a violation of a child's rights because they have a right to an adequate standard of living which includes their health, education,  nutrition, care and protection. When children grow up in poverty it is a direct violation of these rights they have.

3. When children fall into poverty it can last a lifetime versus an adult who falls into poverty because adults normally fall into poverty temporarily.

In Ghana studies show high malnutrition rates among children. Children are more vulnerable in a high poverty situation because of their ages and they can't make decisions. Children depend on their parents, other siblings, care takers, and other family members to make decisions for them. Some children escape poverty but some live the rest of their lives in poverty. Poverty rates for rural areas in Ghana is higher. Education levels of head of household is high at around over 40% with no education. Since so many children live in poverty malnutrition happens and children become high risk for morbidity and mortality. One in five children was stunted or short for their age because of not receiving adequate nutrition over an extended period. Children become underweight because of poverty.  

Sharing Web Resources

The organization I chose is The National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The organization works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children from birth to age 8, by connecting practice, policy and research. The vision for the NAEYC is all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring that children reach their full potential. A current issue/trend that caught my eye is that they had Tips for Welcoming dual-language learners on it's site. Some things educators can do just to name a few is to create a welcoming environment in the classroom for the children and their families. Make sure we stock shelves with books from different cultures and ask families to bring photos of children and share some things that interest the child. Also in the class you can play music from their cultures.

Establishing Professionl Contacts

This week I have tried to establish contact with other professionals around the world. Although I haven't heard anything back from anyone I'm still hopeful I will get some emails back soon. The steps I took for establishing contact was I went to the blog resources for the week and started from the top and started reading then I sent 4 different people an email. Since I hadn't heard back from anyone I decided to listen to the radio podcast but of course I wasn't able to; so I went on the website for Save the Children which is a U.S. based non-profit organization working on behalf of children worldwide. While on the website I saw that you can sponsor a child in or outside the United States the cost is $30 a month. The website shows a picture of the child and age. The money given to the organization help change lives of children around the world. They provide programs that focus on early childhood development, health, nutrition, as well as primary education. I saw and read some real live testimonials from sponsors. In 2015 there promise of 87% of al money went toward programs. Save the children help over 120 countries.