Sharing Web Resources

The early childhood organization I chose earlier in this class is National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). I have navigated the site for some of the outside links and all of those links took me to more indebt information about current and past issues dealing with early childhood education. Some of the links I explored were conferences and events, overviews, and  membership; which led to ways to join by renewing, student membership, member benefits and frequently asked questions. One particular area I searched took me to a link for families and once I searched that link it showed me articles like teaching table manners, 4 month old doesn't sleep and Biting in daycare. I found these articles to be very helpful for families who are dealing with similar issues at home with their children.

New information available on the website is childhood development series highlights global development goals. This link talked about how researchers found out about the development of young children all over the world. Another article I saw was Join Early Ed for President and this stated help us ensure candidates champion the power of early learning for children which also has a area where you can donate.

An insight I gained this week from the website was that the Head Start Program get first Major Revamp in 40 years. The U. S Department of health and Human Services said new standards will focus on reducing achievement gaps for children served in the program. Things that will change are raising curriculum requirements, educational standards and professional expectations and more emphasis will be given to parental involvement. Another thing that will happen within the next five years for head start programs is to make the program a full day for all students.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

The Center on the Developing Child was founded in 2006 by director Jack P. Shonkoff, MD the founding mission statement was to generate, translate, and apply scientific knowledge to close the gap of what we know and what we want to do to improve children lives. The activities of the Center align around building research and development (R & D) platform for science based innovation, and transforming the policy and practice landscape that supports and demands change. The reason why the Center do this is because society pays a huge price when children do not reach their potential because policies and programs have not produced outcomes, so science and breakthrough can be used so children can have a promising future.

The Center on the Developing Child works globally, according to the report on the site there is an estimated 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential by age 5. The Center works around the globe to achieve positive breakthrough outcomes for children all over the world. The Center works with Brazil on strengthening early childhood development and has been very successful creating a childhood movement there.

Three new ideas I gained from the website are protecting children from adversity that's significant, strategies to support child development that can be crucial to child survival, their health, education, and economic development, and building  brains. Children need sturdy foundations when it comes to the architecture of their brains. I watched a brain builder video on the site and it explained how brains are built based on our experiences good or bad. Interactions with children are helpful and there is a method called serve and return which helps with contact, touch and other things that will contribute to the overall building of a healthy brain function.

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.

"My Supports"

Factors in my daily environment that support me is first and foremost God, my family, a favorite cousin, my church family, friends and co-workers. God created man in his own image, he created male and female. He created me and I'm thankful daily for everything I have in life. When I need support I read my Bible because it helps and comforts me. My family, supports me in everything I do, they encourage me to do whatever my heart desires. They not only encourage me but they care for me, help me with anything I need, understand what I'm going through and when I feel unsure about anything they reassure me.  I have two daughters one who is 27 and a 10 year old. Believe it or not  when I decided to go back to school they both were so happy and excited for me they said you can do this, you were born for this. My cousin who is also a very special friend always encourages me to keep going and not to give up on things I've started; she tells me all the time how smart I am and she's proud of me. It makes me feel so good to hear her say those things and we've been through so much together she's more like a sister to me. I have a guy friend who is always praying for me and he tells me I was born to inspire and teach the future. I thank him all the time and he tells me no need to thank me just make me proud like your already doing. The church family I have offer spiritual guidance to me, they support me and guide, pray with me. I have co-workers who support me in doing a great job they show me things I don't know and when I need help with anything concerning my job they are always there. Everyone has an impact on my life daily and I'm forever grateful.