Final Reflections

Thinking of global issues within the field of early childhood, it is important to consider how these issues are real and relevant in many areas of the world and are not isolated to only one region. First, poverty is seen all over our world and right in our own nation. Young children are impacted greatly by this as well as communities as a whole. Throughout this course, we have examined how poverty is presented in many nations and the many steps that can or are being taken to combat this issue. Next would be equity of education. Again, this is another topic that is not a single incident. Some nations do not value education of young females, while others simply cannot afford for the children to attend programs which leads to a lack of learning for these young children. Last, would be changing demographics due to the influx of immigration in many nations. Our own country has been impacted greatly by this trend and it is one that should be welcomes but also has many consequences for early childhood professionals in order to ensure all young children are afforded the same rights and care. Knowing that many of the issues and trended that are faced within our own nation are also occurring within others is important as an early childhood professional. The understanding of how other nations are working to resolve as well as support these matters offers a chance for a collaboration amongst nations to share and come together to ensure all young children all over the world are given the best support for growth and development that will set a course for the rest of the child's life.

As I touched upon in the the previous paragraph, I truly think a collaboration amongst nations that are facing the same issues or trends within the field of early childhood development and learning would offer a chance for change to begin. If a nations is able to find a way to support young children in the contexts of changing demographics the information should be offered to support immigrant children in another another. This field of learning and development works so well when professionals are able to learn and grow with one another. From taking courses to working in a preschool, I grow professionally each day due to my interactions with these other professionals and this is something that needs to be considered for many nations to make great strides in supporting young children and the development of those early years.

When I Think of Research...

Understanding my research simulation topic in the full scope of the importance of development as a whole in the field of early childhood, the idea of further understanding the relationship between fine motor skills in early childhood to the academic success at the end of early childhood can offer a significant comprehension of why early childhood professional should invest time and offer as many learning experiences to foster these skills. As families and teachers alike, want the student to succeed in an every demanding primary school environment, if the connection of how investing time to further develop these skills prior to entering kindergarten can lead to great achievement within core subjects then young children will have greater accomplishments with primary school.

If this research simulation were to come to fruition and be conducted, the field of early childhood learning and development could benefit greatly. As there is such pressures for these professionals and also parents to ensure the child is ready for school, my research simulation could offer a better approach to illustrating that by obtaining and also further developing these important fine motor skills prior to kindergarten will offer great long term results in academics that do not need to pressed upon before the child is developmentally capable. As school readiness is often perceived as a child having significant content knowledge, that is more in line with not begin developmentally appropriate for young children, it can be shown that by offering young children a chance to have proper fine motor skills will aide in better academic achievement which benefits the child in a way that not only assistant with learning but also social and emotional development.

Knowing how research is developed as well as how to be ethically responsible with research, I feel my understanding of what an early childhood professional is within the full scope. While many early childhood professionals work directly with children, there are many who do not but understanding how to properly conduct research with this population is very important. Also, in the event that a study is being conducted within my classroom, I know many elements to watch for as well as pertinent questions that can be asked to understand the study.

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

One topic that has recently been brought up through the administration at my current preschool, is "how do we ensure we are paying our teachers enough?". While working for a private preschool school, that is a not for profit organization, it is important to understand how the budget is built to be fair to the families but also competitive within the community. Understanding how to value an educator is important which then leads to the significance of properly compensating these teachers. NAEYC released a statement (2016) highlighting the issues many teachers face due to being under compensated. These are listed below:

• The national median annual wage for preschool teachers is $28,570 - roughly half of what elementary school and kindergarten teachers earn in a year.
• In 60 percent of states, the median annual earnings for a child care worker is below poverty for a family of three (i.e. $20,090 according to the 2015 poverty threshold).
• For an individual with a Bachelor’s degree, there is a $6.70 per hour difference in median wages between employment in a public school sponsored program compared to a community-based program. That translates to a difference of $13,936 per year.
• Across the 42 states and the District of Columbia now operating state preschool programs, only four states require salary parity for all lead teachers across all settings: Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Understanding these few issues is important and NAEYC had developed an initiative to work towards ensuring change happens for the betterment of wages for early childhood professionals. Thorough the Power to the Profession initiative, NAEYC is working with many professional organization to ensure policy is being developed for this.

While in my current preschool, I do not have current routine professional development. The only day offered for this is at the beginning of each school year for one day. While I do share ideas and information with my coordinator and coworkers, if I would like to attend professional development workshops or conferences that is on my own time and money. I have been in other similar preschool settings where professional development occurred monthly but outside training again was on my own time and money. For these two reason, I have taken it upon myself to ensure I am reading and seeking information on my own time that can be applied to my current position. Taking the courses for my graduate degree has also helped with expanding this knowledge to and pushing me to grow more into a professional than I thought it would. After completing this degree, I hope to have more time to seek workshops or conferences to ensure I am staying current and have real and relevant information to use within my classroom daily.

I hope one day that all children have the opportunity to a quality early learning program which can fit the family both financially but also the schedule. Many families have to forgo part time programs due to work demands and that places many in a child care setting that may not be able to offer the high quality learning experiences that other programs can. I hope to learn more of how to help families find a program that best suits them but also about how to ensure the finical aspect is not a burden. Since my family and I relocate quite often, I feel as though I am just learning the system for the area and then we moved and I have to begin again. In the future I hope to settle in a community and contribute greatly to ensure all young children area able to have quality early learning.

Professionally, I hope to continue to grow daily. As children in our current environment are encountering new challenges, it is important to learn from these instances to help each child be his or her best. No challenge or behavior is too much and requires attention for ensuring the child has the best future. I hope to always continue learning because I have always felt that as soon as an educator stops learning he or she becomes stagnant and not current with the issues and trends within the field.

Reference
Statement by NAEYC on a New Report Addressing Compensation for Early Childhood Educator. (2016, June 14). Retrieved February 23, 2019, from https://naeyc.org/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/compensation-early-childhood-educators

Digging Deeper

Photo Credit: unicef.org

While expanding my content knowledge of real and relevant topics within the early childhood field, it is important to explore as many resources as possible. This week I have explored the Unicef webpage. Unicef offers quite a lot to address many troublesome areas for children.

Photo Credit: educationcannotwait.org

While there are so many areas addressed through the website, I decided to delve deeper into the work this organization does for education. There is a particular examination on education for girls as well as for the continuing of education for children who are displaced due to various factors such as natural disasters, war conflict, or other crisis (unicef, n.d.). As many children begin school, when an even occurs, education is disrupted and not many efforts are made for children to resume school which can lead to many children not obtaining education. As we have learned over the weeks, a lack of education is a factor of children growing into poverty due to knowledge or skills not being developed. Unicef highlights the organization Education Cannot Wait which offers support for these children to continue education when it is interrupted. 

Photo Credit: naeyc.org

Digging deeper into the blog through the National Education for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) it was not terribly difficult to find information that is current about the topic of equity as well as accessible education or early learning for all young children. Less than a year ago, NAEYC published a blog about equity and explains "anti-bias education has long been at the core of our work around race, social justice, equity, and diversity" (Evans, 2018). As this organization works to ensure are children are being treated fairly and provided with opportunities to learn and grow, NAEYC understands there is still more work to be. Evans (2018) explains how the current statement on equity for NAEYC needs to be revised and are exploring this by seeking assistance from its members. 

Understanding that even the most well intentioned organization has room for improvement illustrates how the field of early childhood development and education is evolving. Something that was pertinent ten years ago, needs to be reexamined in new light to stay current with the changing social, economic, and cultural demands of the nation(s) it serves. One cannot become stale or stagnant with it comes to the education of young children.

Reference

Evans Allvin, R. (2018, May 01). Embracing equity: Helping all children reach their full potential. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from https://naeyc.org/resources/blog/embracing-equity-helping-all-children-reach-their-full-potential

Early Childhood Australia

Photo credit: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Exploring the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) website, it was very fascinating to learn of this nations equivalent to our National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). While I figured the research topics would mirror almost exactly ones I have seen in current Young Children journal from NAEYC I was amazed to learn this were not the same. While the topics can be applied to the children I work with here in the United States, it is interesting to see them addressed in a differed light.

While I could search many years of research topics on the website, I will include the three listed under the 2018 tab for the most current research topics. First, is the topic of reconciliation within the nation of Australia. I did not know this was something that was an issue but upon reviewing a synopsis of the article, it was quite clear this is a difficulty and so addressing this as a low level within the early childhood field, ECA hopes to offer steps to assist with this issue in this nation. Next matches a topic I have seen many times within the United States and this has to deal with cultural diversity and bias as well as competency. As being an intentional teacher is so important for any teacher in the early childhood education sector, this article explores how to use this intentional teaching in a play based setting and apply cultural proficiency within the classroom with young children. Last, this topic is one I have had to explore on my own with a previous student which is how to assist a child with navigating a burdensome topic or situation. While the research highlights stress as a sign and how to alleviate this for young children, it also offers tools for not only the child but also the educator to cope with the stresses in life especially those particularly difficult times. (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/research-practice-series/research-practice-series-index/) 

While I have always felt that NAEYC is the pinnacle of information within the early childhood field, not only for working with children but also for professional development overall, it was interesting to explore the ideas behind the other organization. ECA offers a more whole child and I think, a holistic approach for working with young children. I will eager to explore this website more and even refer to when needed. The idea of discussion a national topic such as reconciliation with young children is not something I think the United States would do. While there is segregation within our own nation, it is not something that is truly addressed within the early childhood classrooms I have been in. I have always offered an environment of openness and acceptance but not the idea of reconciling all races and cultures with one another.

The layout of this website puts the information people are looking for upfront. The tab for Parents includes topics that many may be worried about and would probably attempt to search for but could become frustrated if results were not yielded promptly. Taking the time to put this information on the homepage shows the care and understanding this organization takes for young children and their families. Even addressing sleep for varying ages and what is developmentally expected is something that many parents may worry about but the topic is addressed right away.

I am truly eager to learn more from this website as I am able to explore it further in the coming days.

  

Exploring Globally

Exploring the website Partnerships with Global Early Childhood Organizations from the Center of the Developing Child from Harvard University there is a wealth of information about young children from around the world as well as many issues in this field. The Center of Developing Children offers the insight of "Recent reports estimate that 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential by age 5" (n.d.). Understanding this, it is important to know how many organizations around the world are assisting those who need support to ensure young children are offered the best start to life. 

The Center of Developing Child uses the following as a guide to assist these international organizations:
"Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development. We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities. The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness" (n.d.). 

These idea for how to assist young children on a global scale offers the foundation for how to help the organizations. These can be skills or ideas that any early childhood professional can add to daily work with young children to ensure the best for each child the professional is working with. I will strive to make these a part of my daily rhetoric. 

Three countries the Center of the Developing Child illustrates as those in need are Brazil, Mexico, and Canada.

Photo Credit: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

In Brazil, Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI). This organization includes a network or school and hospitals to support the efforts and work being accomplished in Brazil. Due to the collaboration with the Center of the Developing Child, "This partnership has been highly successful in creating a science-driven early childhood movement in Brazil, most notably through training Brazilian policy makers training Brazilian policy makers on how to apply developmental science to inform programs and policies and, recently, through launching the iLab Primeira Infância" (n.d.). 

Photo Credit: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

The Aceleradora de Innovación para la Primera Infancia in Mexico offers a great collaboration with the Center of the Developing Child and brings forth an education institute to offer "A strong interest in adding a human development focus to their work led the Monterrey team to connect with the Center and learn more about our strategy for enhancing child outcomes through adult capacity building" (n.d.). Providing this support offers a great start for those in this nation to offer the best understanding for how to support young children in early development and the role this offers into adulthood.

Photo Credit: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

The partnership with Canada's Alberta Family Wellness Initiative has a mission directly in line with the Center of the Developing Child which is to understand the "strong belief in the power of translating the science of child development to inform public policy" (n.d.). As this is such an important aspect of ensuring children are being offered the best start to life, it is important to ensure policy is being influences properly and accurately.

All three of these organizations are taking the stand of ensuring science is driving policy and standards and this is so important in the field of early childhood development because of the foundation it offers everyone. This information is something that all people should have regardless of economic status or skin color. We are all human and require the same needs to grow and develop so working on this in a global effort is so important to give every child the same care that any other child in another nation is being offered. 

References

Partnerships with Global Early Childhood Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

Sharing Web Resources

Photo Credit: naeyc.org

This week it was noticed how deeply a child in my classroom requires gross motor opportunities. Taking note of this I took time to further develop my knowledge base on how to offer more experiences for him (safely) within the classroom. I took the time to search through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website for ways to incorporate more physical play and found an article full of activities. Mufson Bresson (2018) details the skills being reinforced with each activity she presents in her article Bringing Active Play Indoors. I am excited to try these out over the coming weeks and hope to provide my student with a positive outlet. 

As our nation has an increasing amount of immigrants entering, it is important to understand how education could have been for these children in the past. The recent blog entry for NAEYC discusses the challenges faced in other nations and how many great organizations are taking steps to help provide education. Saunders (2019) details how the Sesame Workshop is working to provide a program that helps build the trust with the local citizens so education can begin. Thinking of this is it important to understand the great lengths that come into play for other children to obtain early education so when a child immigrates to the United States he or she may not have much to build on. 

This past November NAEYC received a substantial grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as explained in the press released New Grant to Support Increasing Access to High-Quality Child Care (2018). The explanation of how these funds can support many aspects of high quality care and education for young children are highlighted in great length with quotes from the announcement of the grant. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2018) explain how "the diverse expertise across the five organizations will be brought together in a multi-pronged and comprehensive effort to support states in using the new funds to expand access to high quality care and to drive increased state investments". This illustrates how this can have a positive impact on the investment that is early childhood development and the hopeful return to the community in the future.

While I work in this professional field daily, I still am always looking for more information and knowledge to questions that I thought would never arise. The NAEYC website is so simple to navigate but some frustration can come when searching for articles as many are accessible only by members of the organization. As I have always wanted to join NAEYC, this may be the time for me as I am referring to website often not only for this current course but for my own professional knowledge. 

Resources

Mufson Bresson, L. (2018). Bringing Active Play Indoors. Teaching Young Children, 11(4), 28-30. 

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2018, November 5). New Grant to Support Increasing Access to High-Quality Child Care[Press release]. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://naeyc.org/about-us/news/press-releases/rwjf-grant

Saunders, D. (2019, January 22). Innovation in Refugee Children's Education [Web blog post]. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://naeyc.org/resources/blog/innovation-refugee-children-education