Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 1

I am hoping to be able to introduce some international contacts next week.  I was able to get a hold of another colleague who gave me e-mails to several people who she keeps in contact with on a regular basis.  Since these e-mails are working I hope to hear back from them soon.

Since I have not yet made contact with ECE professionals in another country I have done the alternative assignment.  After going to the childhood poverty web site I looked at the information on childhood poverty in China.  This country has always interested me because it is so large and they are attempting to modernize under communist rule.  I have learned that 4.2 million children in China live in poverty and 8.7 million are living in disadvantaged situations.  These numbers are high but what I did not realize until I read about the childhood poverty in China is that they have been working to lessen poverty in the country since the 1990's.   I also learned that education and health are higher in China than in most countries with equivalent incomes.  I know that we need to do more in the United Stated and this made me realize that I really do not know how poverty is  affecting the community and country that I live in.

It is interesting to me that their is such a difference in the statistics from eastern China to western China.  About 80% of children in western China finish primary school and only about 65% in eastern China finish primary school.  This could be because families can not afford educational supplies that children need.

Their has been some social reform to help ease the disadvantages people may have because of the changing economy.  In 1992 a system was set up for people who had lost their jobs, had no money in savings and did not have any family to help them to be able to apply and receive government assistance.  This was only set up for people in urban areas but the concern is the the amount of money allocated for each family does not meet the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.  It also does not allow the families to afford education for their children.  

China is making efforts to address poverty in rural areas and in the urban areas and this issue has been put on the agenda of the 14th Chinese Communist Party Conference.

Resource
Childhood Poverty

Web Resource
The National Head Start Association organization web site is where I have spent some time getting to understand what they do, their philosophy and their commitment to early childhood. The vision of NHSA is:

To lead.

To be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community.

To advocate.

To work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed.

The Mission of NHSA is:

NHSA Mission

Our mission is to coalesce, inspire and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.
We are compelled to fulfill this mission by the promise of all the possible outcomes:

• one powerful, united Head Start voice;
• a collegial, collaborative Head Start field, one that is a valuable and valued partner and resource to early childhood development and education;
• nonpartisan support of increased Federal commitment to Head Start and, ultimately
• healthier, empowered children and families and stronger, more vibrant communities.

I did not see a newsletter to subscribe to but they do have a pod cast that covers important ECE topics.  In looking to see if I could find any mention of an ECE issue or trend I came across a section called National Associations and  it had a link to National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association. Some of the programs and services they provide are:

Education We provide migrant and seasonal children learning environments and experiences that enable them to solve problems, initiate activities, explore, question, and gain mastery through learning by doing. We make home visits twice a year, allowing parents and Head Start staff the opportunity to jointly develop goals for the children. Health and Disability Services We provide a broad range of medical, dental, and mental health activities to promote sound physical, social, and emotional growth and development. We offer total health screenings for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Parent health education teaches migrant and seasonal families how to assess and seek help and care for their children's health. Over ten percent of the children we serve have disabilities. Nutrition We conduct nutrition education in the classroom and in the home. We serve breakfast and lunch, or lunch and an afternoon snack, family style. All meals meet USDA/Head Start requirements. The meals/snacks we serve support the health-medical-dental component. Parent Involvement We offer parents educational, nutritional, medical, dental, mental health, and social services training with concrete experiences to support them in their role as parents. Migrant and seasonal programs accommodate the working schedules of parents by conducting center and parent council meetings in the evening or on weekends. Parent meetings allow parents to be active in the decision making process of their local programs. Social Services Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs teach migrant and seasonal families how to find and utilize available local community services and resources enabling them to improve their families' condition and quality of life.

I came to understand why Head Stat is so important for the migrant community with this statement that is on the National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association web page:
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start was a response to the needs of migrant farm worker families. In most states, local childcare resources are not available when migrants come into a community, especially for infants and toddlers. When resources are not available, parents have no choice but to take their children to the fields where they are exposed to pesticides, hazardous equipment, extreme heat and other health dangers.

We can not fathom this happening today but it seems that it does.  Are we really prepared for the changing demographics in our communities?  Families who are only in the area for the season of the crops and harvest are not able to afford traditional child care and this is why the NMSHSA provides a program for these families.  In looking at when these schools are open it varies, some are open September to May and some are only open May to November.   I learned that Head Start provides many types of services and that they are not all like a traditional preschool but they strive to meet the needs of the families and children in each community they are in to help build stronger families and communities.

This song and video tells the story of the migrant and seasonal farm worker and how important the NMSHSA is to them.

Resources
National Head Start Association
National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association

Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources


Contacting an Early Childhood professional outside of the United States proves to be a challenge.  I started by going to the resources and choosing several people to e-mail.  The e-mails came back to me as being unable to find the address so I guess the e-mails are no longer valid.  I have also contacted the ECE professor at Pacific Union College where I work to see if she personally new of any ECE professionals in another country.  She was going to try to contact someone, but she had not talked with them in three years so she was not sure how to get into contact with them.  I will check with her again to see if she has had any luck.  In the mean time I have decided to do the alternative assignment.  I went to the World Forum Foundation web site and listened to a pod cast.
The pod cast I listened to was by Meridas Eka Yora.  Mr. Yora is the founder and director of the institution Fajar Hiayah for Islamic Education.  He is also the Director of Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation.  He lives in Indonesia and through these organizations he had founded three boarding schools so that children who were affected by the the 2004 Tsunami would have a place to go.  Many people were killed instantly and many children were left without parents and families.  In creating these schools he hopes to give the children a better chance in life.  It was interesting what he said about how the teachers at the schools were realizing that it was important to be a Mother or Father figure first then to be the teacher.  This helped the children feel more secure.  He also talked about how the older children took on the roles of older sister or brother to the younger children.  
Mr. Yora has many schools throughout Indonesia.  One of the things that stands out in a list of the Foundations corporate social responsibilities was that all children from poor families between the ages of 4-15 would have access to free education if they live in the surrounding neighborhood of one of the Fajar Hidayah schools.

Resources
Fajar Hidaya: A Brief Profile
World Forum Foundation Radio

The early childhood organization web site that I choose to look at more closely was the National Head Start Association.  I found that they support early childhood professionals, parents and children in many different ways.  They provide awards and scholarships to teachers, parents and administrators who demonstrate leadership and a determination to continue their education.  The offer conferences and training opportunities for their teachers and administrators on a regular basis. They have pod casts that cover important early childhood topics that teachers and parents can listen to.  They also have a disaster relief fund that helps those that have gone through a natural disaster. They provide preschool and many other programs for low income children and families.

Resource
National Head Start Association

My Supports

I know that sometimes we get in to groove of our daily lives and can forget what or who is actually supporting us throughout the day so that we can do what we do.  One support that I have come to depend on more lately it the wall calendar at home and at work.  My oldest son has taken after me and now he likes to fill out the calendar at home so we know what events and appointments are happening that our family needs to be aware of.  At work my calendar helps me keep track of my appointments and schedules of staff.  It seems to help keep me on track and I forget things easier than I used to.

Study time is very important for me and my husband since we are both in school.  I have several friends that will take our sons for an afternoon every so often so that I can study on the weekend.  I have an easier time focusing on my studies when the house is quiet or if the boys are occupied in their room playing.  If I did not have these short times of quite I would not be able to get my thoughts organized.

Thinking about emotional support, my best friend calls me several times a week to see how I am doing.  She is like my own personal cheerleader, she always says "you can do it, think of all the possibilities that will be open to you when you finish your Masters degree".  That means a lot to me.  Life can get a little crazy and she always helps to put things into perspective.

If I did not write things down on my calendar I would be missing appointments and I would be lost in trying to figure out what I was doing each day.  That can be very stressful.  If I did not have friends that helped with taking the boys out for awhile I think that I would go crazy and not do as well as I would like in my studies.  Emotional support is something that helps me stay motivated because it is important that you know that people believe in you and what you are doing.

The challenge that I choose to imagine was if I had dyslexia.  I think that some of the supports that I would want would be to have teachers and family members that are educated in what dyslexia is so that they could support the way I learn.  I know that having the extra time to read things or to take tests would be important as well. Having a schedule on a calendar with writing and pictures would be a big help so that I would learn the sight words that may go with pictures. Having quiet and extra time to read and study would also be helpful because it is frustrating enough when the words on the page have letters reversed but to have the noise on top of that would make it extremely difficult to focus.  Emotionally having that positive person who believes that you can learn and accomplish your goals would help me through the challenges.  It is important to have that person to keep you motivated. 

Having these supports are important because they would make me believe that I could do the things that I wanted and be successful at them.  Their is nothing as rewarding as being able to have the independence to accomplish things on your own.  Having confidence can open up many possibilities.  Not having these supports would make me feel that their was no point in trying to push myself to succeed because the message would be that I couldn't. I could live a life but not to my full potential and that is what everyone deserves, is to have a chance to reach their full potential.





 

My Connections to Play

What play represented for me in childhood - Quotes
I am often accused of being childish. I prefer to interpret that as child-like. I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things. I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish. I still listen to instinctual urges. I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. I never water my garden without soaking myself. It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work. ~Leo F. Buscaglia, Bus 9 to Paradise


Children's free play eludes precise definition, but it typically is pleasurable, self-motivated, imaginative, non-goal directed, spontaneous, active, free of imposed tasks or adult-imposed rules, and requires active participation. Randy White

http://www.whitehutchinson.com/leisure/articles/84.shtml


Essential Play items



Mud, pots, pans, spoons, cups, and more mud.


  Playing with dolls and playing house.





When I was little I remember my mom giving me the tools that I needed to play.  I remember the endless time I played outside with my cousins making mud pies and creating a drive through restaurant. We learned to negotiate the price of the mud food that we created and roadways for the bikes to go around to the "window".  All my play was reenacting things that I had seen in day to day life or things that I had experienced.

I feel that play is different today for children because they are not able to play uninterrupted.  Children are rushed to produce something.  Children are not out playing in neighborhoods because parents are more cautious and worry about the safety of their children so they are not allowed outside as much.  I hope that young children will be able to experience play outside for endless hours of exploration and dramatic play.  Outside play can be done in a simple back yard that is set up with the proper tools, sandbox, sand toys, climbing trees, water features etc.  

I think that the role of play in childhood is important to prepare us for play as adults.  We remember the fun we had climbing hills and rocks so as we get older we want to climb bigger hills and rocks.  We need to have play in our lives so that we can remember to stop and enjoy where we are in life.    

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I believe that they help us to grow.  We learn from the people in our lives and they help us become who we are. The people we have close relationships with help us to go through the good and hard times in our lives.  Without relationships we would be alone and lost without a sense of purpose in our lives.

    My husband and I have a close relationship that spans 20 plus years.  We support each other in our education and encourage each other to do our best.  We keep each other balanced and make each other look at the others perspective. As parents we work together and our sons know that we are a team. Our sons remind me to stop and play and to not be so serious.  They keep me on my toes.

My mother-in-law, Claudia, and I have a common interest and that is helping children to be successful.  She was my 7th and 8th grade teacher as well.  She was frustrated with seeing her students struggle with the basics so she decided to teach Kindergarten so she could help children get a solid foundation that would help them later in their academic career.  She and I share ideas and have lengthy conversations about how we can help young children.  She is a true believer that you do whatever it takes to help a child succeed.  She has retired from teaching at a school but she runs her own Kumon math and reading center because she still has a passion for helping children and helping them realize that learning is fun.  She has helped me grow as a teacher and has always given me advise about children and about life in general.  Seeing her passion for young children inspires me to keep that same passion in my own life.

My best friend Myrna is always pushing me to do my best and pursue my dreams even if I think they are a lot of work to achieve.  She is a Social Worker who works with foster families and helps to place the foster children into good homes.  She and I also talk at length about the importance of helping young children who need to have the security of knowing that they will be taken care of and they will be able to have somewhat of a "normal" childhood.  She advocates for children and will fight to make sure they are getting the services they need.  She keeps me grounded and reminds me that children come from all different kinds of backgrounds and they all deserve to have a good start in life.

I have learned that time can become a factor in trying to maintain a relationship.  We have to remember to take the time to stop the day to day routines and listen and talk with each other.  Talking  on the phone, sending an e-mail, making time to go out to lunch or dinner once in a while to catch up are all important.  If you do not make time then your relationship suffers and you may grow apart.

My relationships have impacted me professionally in the early childhood field by giving me the tools to grow those relationships.  The tools I have gained throughout my relationships has helped me to be able to work with families and children better by having compassion for the different situations that families are in and  to be able to understand how important it is for children to have a strong support system.  I pray that I am making a positive impact in their lives and  I just let God lead in how best to do that.

When I Think of Child Development.........

When I watch this video I can see the things that we learned in the Child Development class in action. It is clear that they have parents who model communication and language skills to them. You can clearly see the importance of social interaction, communication, language and cognitive development.  It begins early in life and that is why it is important for parents and teachers to work together to foster this positive development.



A child's greatest achievements are possible in play, achievements that tomorrow will become her basic level of real action and morality. ~ Lev Vygotsky, Mind in Society