WEEK 8 = Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for both my professional and personal development.

1.     I’ve learned that I’m not alone; there are many people all around the world facing some of the same issues as we are in America. We are able to support each other by sharing and exchanging information and new ideas to help empower our communities globally.

2.      I am now equipped with the necessary tools to educate others on my staff and within the community by sharing local resources and informing them of available programs.  Thanks to this course, I have the ability to bring forth awareness of the various issues and trends within the early childhood arena as well as recommend get well plans.

3.    I’ve learned that lack of funding is a global issue and that we have many families living on the streets because of it.  However, we can do something to help these families by getting involved.  We can help by volunteering our time, donating food and clothing, providing shelter, making monitory donations and most of all ADVOCATING.

one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

4.    My goal is to educate others on international awareness of issues and trends as well as build collegial relations.  I want to stay connected with my international contact so that we can share valuable information that I can pass on to others.  I also plan to create a list of international organizations and foundations that advocates for the health, safety and overall well-being of our children and their families.   I will include some of the issues and trends our nation is facing globally and provide a list of websites and local resources to handout so that they can make contribution to support our children. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Alternative:

One of my initial goals was to ensure staff was equipped with the necessary tools to assist in providing quality care to meet the needs of individual families.  After reading the article “Every Child has the Right to an Education!’  I gained great insight on the gap between ratification and implementation.  The article stated there were 69 million children, mostly girls who are still deprived of their right to a basic education.  On top of these outrageous numbers of children who are deprived; a lot of the children who actually gain access to schools still experience poor quality education and end up acquiring basic skill levels of development at the end of 12^th grade.  I must say I was a bit surprise with the numbers still being this high with the support of various organizations and government funding. This is one of the main reasons why it is vital that we support our teachers by  providing funding to help staff obtain higher educational and training skills and knowledge; thereby, enabling them  to lay a strong foundation to empower children to rise above poverty and function fully as a citizen of society.  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] (2011), (States have legal obligations… “As guarantors and promoters of the right to education, they must reflect these obligations in their Constitution and laws and take steps to improve education policies and strategies to give it effect,” (para. 2)  This deprivation of education is primarily due to poverty. It was also enlightening to find other organizations advocating for the rights of our children’s education, especially since another one of my goals were to advocate for more community involvement to support the well-being of our children and their families.   While reading this article, I found out that the United Nations and UNESCO have formed normative instruments to promote and develop the right of everyone to gain access to quality education, while being exempt from discrimination and exclusion (UNESCO, 2011).  These insights motivate me to strive for my goals because they support my belief of equality for all children regardless of their circumstances. They are humans just as we are and they too deserve a chance to be successful in life.

                              Reference

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1995-2011). Every child has the right to education! Retrieved from (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/)

Sharing Web Resources

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

Some of the outside links lead to social networking sites such as Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, MySpace, Care2, Squidoo, Flicker, and FirstGiving.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

YouTube is the number one online video community resource that allows millions of viewers to watch and share original videos. Save the Children utilizes this site to connect, inform, and inspire millions of people all over the world.  This site is also used as a distribution platform for Save the Children videos and  PSAs in regards to the work they do in disaster areas as well as for the welfare of children all across the globe.  Views are able to leave comments about the video(s) they few.  The videos brings awareness of hardships families are experiencing around the world; with the intent to solicit support from society at large.

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

Speak Out Today and Tell Your Senators to Stop Cuts to Children

The senate is currently considering a critical funding bill and Save the Children is asking everyone to speak up and speak out to solicit funding to continue the support of low-cost interventions that produce high- impact results.  The goal is to protect the most vulnerable victims from poverty and instability; our children.  In the past, the United States funding has supported millions of children all over the world by opening doors to education and providing support to victims of natural disasters.  One percent of all federal funding is used to save lives in the fight against disease, poverty, hunger, and illiteracy; in hopes of creating a healthier and secure world.

• Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief

Immediately following the Tsunami disaster, Save the Children arranged for emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families.  Based on the findings, several child-friendly spaces were established in an effort to provide shelter for displaced families. These spaces promoted opportunities for children to play with other children while freeing up their parents so that they could began working on rebuilding their homes.  In an effort to meet the needs of all children and their families, there plans to establish more child-friendly spaces in the near future. These children may not have all the books and art supplies that we have access to within our classroom, but they do have one important thing that have been taken away from us and that is the opportunity to “Play.” This may actually place them at a greater advantage than we have, because children learn through the freedom of play and exploration of their environment

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

One insight I gained from the website is the annual Advocacy Day.  I didn’t realize that there was an Advocacy Day in honor of children all around the world.  Over 215 Save the Children advocates attended the two day event on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.  The Congressional offices conducted over 130 meetings where participants were able to boldly speak about the issues that are negatively impacting the lives of children all around the world.

Reference

Save the Children. (2011). Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief. Retrieved from  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6621121/k.3D08/JapanEarthq uakeTsunami_Relief.htm