Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that my words and actions show respect, value, and acceptance for all children and families empowering them and in some way will play a role in bettering their lives.

A goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field is:  All children and families will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, pride in family, and positive social identities enabling them to experience joy and comfort in human diversity and experience caring human relationships.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for sharing insight regarding our studies on diversity and for engaging in discussions. This has deepened my learning and I am taking away a great deal of knowledge from various perspectives. It has been a wonderful learning experience and I wish all of you much success in you future. 

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I have received word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from Senegal and will be entering my preschool classroom soon.  All I know about Senegal is that it is located on the western tip of Africa I want to prepare myself to welcome the child and her family.  Luckily, I am enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated; I need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin. I have created a list of five ways I can prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family.

1)Engage in self-reflection to recognize my own cultural lens and biases. This is a helpful step for me allowing me to explore and reflect upon where any of my assumptions, attitudes and biases come from and in understanding that how I view the world can lead me to misinterpretation of behaviors and inequitable treatment of culturally diverse students and their families.

2)    Gain knowledge of the family’s cultural background can give me  a sense of views about behavior, rules of decorum and etiquette, communication and learning styles; however, I will need to be careful not to form stereotypes. This could be done through research, conducting a home visit,  consultation with parents, and community members to gain insight. Some areas I can explore include:  family background and structure, education, interpersonal relationship styles, discipline, time and space, religion, food, health and hygiene, history, traditions and holidays.Learn a few words or statements in the family’s home language. Translate important school to home information to the family’s home language.

3)    Develop an awareness of the broader, social, economic, and political context in order to address social issues such as racial inequities, poverty, etc.  because the educational system reflects and often perpetuates discriminatory practices of the larger society. For example, I can examine how current policies and practices in discipline might discriminate against the child. I can create a “critical/social justice classroom” grounded in the lives of all the children that involves dialogue, questioning/problem-posing, critiquing bias and attitudes and teaching activism for social justice. For example, I can engage students in a discussion of school or classroom rules. I can commit to being open and honest in answering children’s questions about differences.

4)    Review my curriculum for racial and cultural bias. Add multiple resources that reflect and support the cultural norms of the child and family, such as culturally relevant materials, literature, photos, games, and traditions to the classroom. Create a classroom environment that communicates respect for diversity through anti-bias education.

5)    Begin building trusting relationship with the child and her family keeping in mind to be culturally sensitive to communication styles. Assume that the child’s parents care about their child and have something to offer. Encourage them to provide insight that will help me teach her.

I hope these preparations will provide the child and family with a sense of feeling valued, respected, and safe as well as a sense of connectedness and community while avoiding feelings of marginalization and invisibility. As a result, I will benefit as I gain insight about the child and her family culture that will allow me to facilitate her learning as well as the learning of all students while extending my own learning and fostering acceptance of differences.

 References

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice. Social Studies, 99(4), 165--173.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. (2008). Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Strategies.  Retrieved from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/005/121/

Culturally%20Responsive%20Classroom%20Mgmt%20Strat2.pdf

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Hi,

The most blatant and hurtful incident involving bias, prejudice, and oppression that I have witnessed involves a white teacher and some white students targeting an a young African American girl, named Brenda.  The incident took place in the 1960’s, the first year my school was integrated. Brenda was the only African American in my class that year. I remember that only two of us would even speak to her. The rest just stared and smirked at her. Our school culture and studies were very different from her old school as well as her home culture. She spoke English, but not in the same way we did and her grammar was lacking. It was evident that she was very uncomfortable and scared, but the teacher called on her anyway. When she gave a wrong answer, our teacher called her ignorant and lazy. Later in the day, she was called  the “N” word by several other students all because of how she spoke the English language and the color of her skin. After these two incidents, she slumped her shoulders, dropped her head, and tears fell down her cheeks.  I was appalled at what had happened, felt ashamed of my own race, and understood discrimination for the first time.  She was so hurt and I felt so sorry for her. The incident diminished equity in that the message was sent that the white race is superior to yours, you are beneath me, so I have power over you. This is in itself is disgraceful in my opinion. As time went on and years passed, I realized how the ideas behind white supremacy and the false stereotypical ideas they foster lead to the oppression of an entire group of people. Everyone would have to change to turn this type of incident into an opportunity for greater equity. It would require coming together, getting to know one another, acknowledging, understanding, and accepting differences as well as similarities. It would require reflection, ridding hate, and instilling love for all. It would be challenging but not impossible.

 Shelia

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Wow! Much learning and self-reflection has taken place this week.

Awhile back, I heard a male coworker compare a soda machine to a woman in the break room.  His soda got stuck in the machine so he hit the machine and the soda fell down. He got his soda, laughed, and stated, “its just like a woman, you have to hit it a time or two for it work right.”  I was furious along with a few other women and men. I can’t speak for anyone else, but the remark was quite hurtful for me. I felt disrespected as a woman, devalued, and as though women should be subservient, and were below men.  This was clearly a sexist remark and he may have been joking and did not intend any harm, however, it was hurtful to me and had no place in the work environment. I had just ended a marriage in which I was hearing such remarks from my husband and being physically abused so I was already questioning my value and place in the world and this incident did not help at the time.  I overcome with the help of supportive family and friends, but it took some time.

A microaggression that I observed relates to having different expectations for a black male child’s behavior than for a white male child’s behavior. One little incident involving the black child and he was disciplined by being sent home by a white teacher. White male children engage in many of the same behaviors and they are redirected.  I really think this is the result of stereotypical ideas. It has been pointed out to administration and they are investigating. I am sure the child feels devalued and marginalized. He is disciplined so much for what seems like everything he does, he is probably wondering what is wrong with him and has low self-esteem.

The effects of micro-aggression  can be emotionally and psychologically harmful, deter learning, and hinder one from reaching his or her full potential. It can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy as the targeted assumes the stereotype.  That is a big concern in racial and gender microaggression such as my examples above. I think I will be engaging in even more self-reflection to identify and be mindful of hidden biases. I do not want to cause anyone harm jst because they are different than me.

Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

I contacted several friends and colleagues  asking them for their definitions of culture and diversity. The first defines culture as family background or their heritage, ethnicity, race, and gender and diversity as the differences among culture.  The second defines culture as the beliefs and customs of an individual, or a group of people, or of a society and diversity as the differences among individuals, groups of people, and societies. She adds that diversity also involves incorporating the different cultures into a group of people or society.  The third defines culture as the heritage, traditions, and beliefs of a particular group of people and diversity as recognizing unique qualities or characteristics of people or groups.   If I were to combine these definitions,  I would come to the definition of culture as family background, heritage, ethnicity, race, customs, traditions, and beliefs of an individual, group of people, or society.  Diversity’s definition would be recognizing the differences, unique qualities, or characteristics among the various cultures of people, groups, or society and perhaps incorporating the differences into a group of people or society.

Our readings includes aspects of family background, heritage, ethnicity, race, gender, customs, traditions, and beliefs in defining culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). These aspects are closely intertwined with culture playing important roles in who people are. However, they do not give a complete picture of a person’s culture. My friends and colleagues omitted aspects of culture that our readings do discuss including language, economic status, class, gender and sexual orientation, abilities/disabilities, religion, values, relationships, migration, work, and ideas about education, health care, roles, expressing emotion, to name a few (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). 

To see who families and children truly are and understand them, we must move beyond surface culture such as artifacts, dress, foods, holidays and aspects that are easily identifiable (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). We  must realize that their culture influences everything about them including their lifestyle, how they think, attitudes, and behaviors, how/where they live, their work, organizational affiliations, family and community relationships, ideas about education, health care, gender roles, roles of children, parenting practices, recreation, religious practices, expressing emotion, ways of communicating and interacting with others, and more (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). 

The cultural group that we belong to begins shaping the way we live at birth through a process called cultural socialization.  As we grow, we learn how to name, describe, and feel about our cultural membership. As we mature, enter adulthood, and establish an adult life and family, we  choose aspects of our cultural socialization that we wish to continue, modify, or reject (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). Therefore, time, place, and historical context are also aspects of culture.

Yashika Wilson’s who is a colleague shared her ideas with me on culture a few months ago. I feel that it sums up our discussion on defining culture quite well and is in line with our text regarding the dimensions of culture discussed in the preceding paragraph.  Ms. Yashika states (2016),

            “…Culture is similar to the sticky side of masking tape. In life there are traits that we are born with, traditions we become accustomed to ,things instilled in us, and things we've learned.      Additionally as we grow and adapt to our environment, there are other things that we accurate and we add those things to the sticky side of the masking tape and it too becomes a part of who we are; thus accumulatively becoming the total make up of our culture" (Yashika Wilson, personal communication).  

Now for a word about diversity.  The combined definition of diversity from  my friends and colleagues would be the differences, unique qualities, or characteristics among the various cultures of people, groups, or society. They all acknowledge the importance of  recognizing and incorporating the differences  - for example in early childhood education.

It is worth noting that everyone has culture that influences their way of life, thinking, attitudes, and behaviors.  Children come to our classrooms from all walks of life and are becoming more and more diverse. While there are similarities, many differences exist due to the complexities of culture and the many differences that lie within the culture of our children and families. When we begin to recognize the differences in deep culture that exist, this is when issues related to diversity will raise its ugly neck. Even then we must realize that it is the differences that create unique abilities, qualities, and characteristics in each individual, group, or society. Diversity is rich, a benefit, and a necessity (Laureate Education, 2011). A deep understanding of culture and its relation to diversity is the first step in creating environments that will lead to helping all children and families feel visible, valued, accepted, and empowered.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

 Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Wilson, Y. (2016). Personal Conversation. Yashika Wilson, MA in Early Childhood/Educational Psychology

My Family Culture

In the event that My family was evacuated to a new country or refugee camp, the three things that I would take that represents our family culture are our family Bible, family photo album, and recipe box.  I choose these items because they reflect   my family values, beliefs, traditions, practices, and culture. The Bible reflects our religious practices, beliefs, and guidelines for living a Christian life that are important to our family culture.  My family finds much comfort,  peace, and hope from reading many of the passages especially in times of adversity. Within my Bible are pages for recording information such as outlining a family tree, births, deaths, marriages, baptisms, that I have completed that gives some history about our family. My family photo album includes pictures of family that has passed on,  pictures of my children and grandchildren as they grow, graduations, marriages, births, baptisms, holiday celebrations,  family vacations, special events, accomplishments, and more. It represents the importance of family, values, traditions, and more as well as a good deal about what my family sees as important. Much of my family culture revolves around southern tradition, coming together cooking, and enjoying southern food especially during holidays and special events, which is why I would take my recipe box that includes recipes for my family’s favorite foods.

It would be very hard to choose just one artifact and I really pray that this exercise never becomes reality.  Being the elder in my family, I would probably choose the family photo album as my family and our values are important to my life.  It could be used to teach my grandchildren about our family culture and to help them understand their family history.  I believe I could keep our religious practices, and beliefs alive giving them comfort in the event my Bible was taken because its teachings are engrained into my life, heart and mind.  As far as southern cooking, I have been doing this my entire life and can do from memory and so can my older children. The pictures offer a visual for discussion about our family to its youngest members and can play a huge role in keeping our culture alive throughout generations.

I have learned from this exercise just how important passing my family’s history  and its values down to the younger generation in my family really is to me. I think I have taken this for granted.  I’m sure the family photo album along with discussion will become a new tradition in future family gatherings. I also learned how important these artifacts are to who I am as well as how blessed I am to have easy access to these things and that it would be devastating to lose anyone of these representations of my culture. 

When I Think of Research...

I have learned the importance of research to the field of early childhood education. Through investigation we can answer important questions related to who, how, why, and what. Probably the most beneficial insights gained are how to read research articles, the various research terminology definitions, and the differences in research designs. I am convinced this will prove very useful in future courses and in my career.
I still find that a great deal of work goes into designing research. As I progressed through the course and learning the various aspects of the process using the charts, I don't feel as overwhelmed completing the final project. . Designing and conducting research requires a great deal of careful planning; is time consuming, and can be overwhelming at times, however much knowledge is gained. Managing my time and choosing the design for the final project proved to be the most challenging. The most helpful part of this course that helped me deal with these challenges was insight and feedback from Dr. Dartt as well as support from colleagues and the charts. I have a new found respect for those in the field committed to the arena of early childhood research. I have come to realize that everything we know about children, how they grow and learn, and what we do in the classroom to encourage their healthy development and learning is based on research. Our work and the field depends on it.
We are coming to the end of our journey through this research course. Much learning has taken place and we did it together. Best wishes!

Research Around the World

I chose to explore the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) which was developed by and is maintained by the University of Victoria, Canada. This virtual university is the international gateway for early childhood research worldwide. Through the link below, you can access ECDVU’s Sub-Saharan Africa portal. The second link provides a list of current early childhood research conducted by students in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The links are:
 http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php
http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Some of the current international research topics listed on the website are related to school-parent relationships, early childhood needs and quality care, involving fathers in early care and education, assessing school readiness, curriculum development, teacher training and education, parent education, and Indigenous studies to name a few. What I noticed these topics for research are universal and relating issues are experienced throughout the world. The research topics listed  are final major projects and theses of master early childhood students. In all honesty, I did not gain any surprising facts, insights, ideas from exploring this website. It is a virtual online university dedicated to further developing African ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development and committed to improving the quality of life for children and their families in SSA. I did not find any other noteworthy information other than the fact there is a coomon thread around the globe related to ECE professionals and organizations comittment to children and families. We have spent so much time here at Walden, exploring international websites that I have come to realize that the issues related to the early childhood field and research topics are universal around the globe.

Research Benefiting Children and Families

Some time ago as part of my educational journey, I discovered the Center of the Developing Child which is a multidisciplinary team committed to driving science-based innovation in policy and practice located at Harvard University and led by Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.  As I explored the research related to early experiences and brain development, I found research related to three core concepts of early development which include: Experiences build brain architecture, Serve and Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry, and Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development. The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through a process that begins early in life and continues into adulthood.

 (Center for the Developing Child, 20 2011).

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy development (Center for the Developing Child, 2011). I find these research topics interesting and exciting because as a infant/toddler teacher I realized I play an important role in providing positive early experiences for the very young children in my classroom that have the potential for positively shaping their brain architecture and  also the potential to educate their parents on these topics and to provide them with resources and support helping them to do the same. 

Advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. This research is important to the field of early childhood education in creating positive changes in policy and practice as well as to encouraging the youngest of children to develop the necessary foundations for future educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation (Center for the Developing Child, 2011). Please view the videos I am attaching as they are quite insigtful.

References

Center for the Developing Child. (2011). Multimedia Series: Three Core Concepts of Early Development.  Harvard University. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/

Personal Research Journey

Light-Up Baby Touch Tablet from Vtech

As an early childhood educator and grandparent of infants and toddlers, the impact of electronic toys on infant and toddler development is both a professional and personal interest. As seen in commercials and advertisements, the companies that make these toys with flashing lights and sounds make the claim that their toys foster development. Of course, parents and others run out and buy these toys for their young children, relatives, and friends. As a child development specialist and early childhood teacher of the youngest of children, I have my doubts that these toys actually foster development significantly; therefore,  I would like to explore this topic further. I seek to answer the general question, “What is the impact of electronic toys on infant and toddler development?” I have narrowed my general topic down to three subtopics which relate to the quality of young children’s play, the importance of child/adult interactions in the early years, and language development. Research show the importance of active, imaginative and explorative play to children’s development across all domains of development including developing language (Levin & Rosenquest, 2001).  Studies also find that the characteristics of child and adult interactions are important to the quality of young children’s play and development.  Since the  characteristics of child and adult influences the quality of play and what children learn, we can assume that the characteristics of children’s interactions with toys also influence the quality of play and development (Levin & Rosenquest, 2001). The topic I have decided to explore for my research simulation is:  In what ways do infant and toddler’s interactions with electronic toys influence the quality of their play and development?  

http://vtech.com

 So far, the information in our textbook, assigned readings, research charts, and applications as well as our discussions have been helpful in understanding research as a tool, in choosing a topic, as well as in narrowing it down, and in understanding reading formal research. I expect this will continue as the course progresses and I work on the simulation. The problems I am experiencing are locating credible resources related to the ways that infant and toddler’s interactions with electronic toys influence the quality of their play and development and managing my time as locating resources can be time consuming. If anyone knows of credible resources on this topic, please share them. Also, any suggestions for managing time and for locating resources is much appreciated.

Reference

Levin, D.E. & Rosenquest, B. (2001). The increasing role of electronic toys in the lives of infants and toddlers: Should we be concerned? Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. (2) 242-247, doi:10.2304/ciec.2001.2.2.9. Retrieved from http://cie.sagepub.com/

Rekindling Passion

As I reflect upon my learning from contact with several international and national ECE organizations, I realize that I have a heightened awareness of issues and trends in the early childhood field, which are universal around the globe. Many of the issues were concerning and rekindled my passion to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families; thus, creating a brighter world. I have grown personally and professionally in my understanding of the impact of the various issues and trends on children’s development and the need to address the issues through best practices and legislative/policy changes, as well as an understanding of recommendations including possible unintended consequences. I am finding myself more motivated to work toward addressing issues related to quality, excellence, and equity in early childhood education in my work with young children and families, in advocating for policy and legislative changes at the State and National level, and by inspiring others to do the same locally, nationally, and globally.

Savethechildren.org

• Heightened Awareness • Personal/Professional Growth • Motivation

 

 My goals are to develop global connections with professionals in the early childhood with the purpose of collaborating to create a heightened global awareness of issues and trends while fostering professional/personal growth.  This will motivate  myself and other ECE educators/professionals to address issues related to quality, excellence and equity in early childhood education in their work with young children and families, and to  advocate for policy and legislative changes that will encourage “all” children, families, and communities across our nation and around the globe to thrive and reach their unique potential.

ZerotoThree.org

 As another aspect of our journey closes this week, I would like to thank each of my colleagues and Dr. Shephard for your support, encouragement, and the insight you have shared. It has been enlightening and a pleasure. As we move forward on our journey, I wish everyone continued success. See you in the next course and happy blogging!

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

I still have not received a response from any of the international early childhood professionals that I have tried to establish contact with; therefore, I proceeded this week with reviewing  UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/ themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood as assigned. However, the link came up forbidden so I continued with internet search untill I found what I needed. UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning that provides for children’s holistic development. 

I discovered that most countries around the globe are struggling with the same issues that we are regarding access, equity, quality, and inclusion for all children. The 1990 Jomtien Declaration for Education for All stated that learning begins at birth. A decade later, the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action reaffirmed the importance of early childhood by including the development of early childhood care and education as the first of its six main goals. Participating countries committed themselves to “expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.” Governments were particularly urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the importance of instituting policy in favor of the poor. Countries often promote alternative services for poor children with limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services.  While this can be cost-effective and pedagogically groundbreaking, it raises concerns about sustainability and quality.  In cases where the government has limited resources, a pro-poor policy can redistribute resources by reducing state support for the more privileged, thus creating inequities. Additionally, while ensuring an equitable distribution of resources among different populations and especially those who live in the most disadvantaged regions seeks to expand access without creating serious regional inequities may be important; where there is universal provision for a certain age group while the overall enrolment in other age groups is low can create inequities. While advantaged children of the target age group benefit from state investment, disadvantaged children in non-targeted ages receive limited government attention. UNESCO proposes that a policy of universalization with targeting can minimize issues of inequity in governments that aim for universal access among the target age group while simultaneously prioritizing the poor.

UNESCO points out that there are no universally agreed criteria for quantifying ECCE quality, yet emphasizes useful factors to consider including pedagogy materials, personnel training, service setting, and parental education and involvement. They stipulate that learning materials should be quantitatively, culturally, and developmentally adequate with a focus on child-centered interactions. They also stipulate that active involvement from parents, communities, relevant play, and learning materials ensure that early childhood services remain relevant to the needs of the children, all other stakeholders, and increases sustainability.

The website has much information regarding early childhood education around the world including country profiles, public policy, country policy reviews, various publications, and more.

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than a preparatory stage assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling. Early childhood policies are placed within a broader context of social development, gender equity and poverty reduction. UNESCO leads the international policy drive for an integrated early childhood care and education system that encompasses both the well-being and the development of the whole child. Their mission is to support early childhood policy development with the aim of building a solid foundation for all children’s lifelong learning.  UNESCO actively works with Member States in their efforts to develop and strengthen their national capacity to meet the first goal of the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action, which aims to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education for all.

These points support and align with our studies and my ultimate professional goal which is to make a difference in the lives of children and families for the better, thus, creating a brighter future for children, families, and society. It also supports my second goal which is to create, maintain, support, and advocate for high quality, responsive, culturally, developmentally, and individually appropriate learning environments and experiences that will positively influence learning and development in all areas while promoting health and safety for “all” children.

Reference

UNESCO. (2016). “Early Childhood Care and Education” Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/ themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood

Zero to Three News

This week I explored ZERO TO THREE’s podcast series (for parents), Little Kids, Big Questions. The podcasts address some of the most common and challenging issues facing parents of babies and toddlers including: helping a baby learn to sleep through the night; dealing with a picky eater; and learning to set limits on children’s behavior. These questions and more are covered in a series of 12 podcasts, hosted by Ann Pleshette Murphy, a past contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America Parenting Segment and Vice President of the ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors.  Each podcast features an interview with an expert that focuses on how to apply the research of early childhood development to your daily interactions with your baby or toddler and additional resources on the topic. This is a wonderful resource to share with parents.

I did receive an enewsletter this week, Zero to Three: In the News. The newsletter contains highlights from new research, articles, and other recent news items of interest for professionals working with expectant parents and parents with infant and toddlers. The current issue contains the latest research related to breastfeeding, maternal infection during pregnancy, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, and resources related to poverty in the United States and its impact on infants and toddlers. There is a brief from The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) called, Disparate Access: Head Start and CCDBG Data by Race and Ethnicity, that relates to this week’s learning about inequities in access in the newsletter. CLASP finds that access to child care subsidies and Head Start is sharply limited for all eligible children and even more so for particular racial and ethnic groups and in particular states. The report confirms low levels of access nationally to Head Start preschool, Early Head Start, and child care funded through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), because of the large gap between current investment and need. It also finds distressingly low levels of access for particular groups of children. Most striking is the low level of access that eligible Hispanic or Latino children have to childcare subsidies, especially in some states including Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Less than half of eligible preschool-aged children participate in Head Start, less than one in six eligible children receive child care subsidies funded through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and fewer than 5 percent of eligible infants and toddlers participate in Early Head Start (EHS). The report offers early insights about the reasons for these disparities and notes that more analysis is needed to fully understand and fix them. “Stagnant federal funding and antiquated funding formulas for both child care and Head Start prevent states with growing or diversifying child populations from targeting new resources to underserved communities. State-level decision making in CCDBG may result in state policies that contribute to inequities in access,” said Stephanie Schmit, senior policy analyst at CLASP and co-author of the report.

This website contains a wealth of information regarding issues and trends related to infants and toddlers that collaborates and expands on the topics we have been studying. The information is very useful to parents and professionals in the field.

CLASP. (2016). Disparate Access: Head Start and CCDBG Data by Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved from –

http://www.clasp.org/issues/child-care-and-early-education/pages/disparate-access

Zero to Three: In the News. (2016). Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=17904.0&dlv_id=49145

Professional Global Web Contact Part II - Saving Brains: Center on the Developing Child @ Harvard University

Following exploring Save the Children report and Voices from the Field, I explored the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.  The center proposes, “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.  These propositions guide their work internationally.  As I explored, I discovered a program called Saving Brains that struck my curiosity so I explored a little further.  Saving Brains is led by Grand Challenges Canada seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.  The Center on the Developing Child is part of a team that supports a dynamic learning community of Saving Brains innovators to help them advance the impact and scale of their work in countries around the world.  The partnerships are currently working with the community creating a suite of interventions for nurturing and protecting early brain development.  Currently, projects are being implemented in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.  I began by watching the video on the Science behind brain development and I urge you to watch it.  It is quite informative.  I found it alarming that over 1/3 of the children in the world never reach their full potential.  It discusses brain plasticity and the fact that the brain actually physically and functionally changes with experiences beginning at birth and continuing throughout life.  It identifies three types of stressors that influence development of the brain.  The third type, toxic stress, which includes violence, abuse, neglect, and war stood out to me as I related it to the children in Syria and it very often negatively influences young children’s brain development because they have a weaker platform from which to launch.  This disadvantage can play out in multiple ways as life goes on.  The children experiencing toxic stress need protection to prevent or limit damage to the developing brain.  Saving Brains believes the answer globally is twofold: Firstly providing a platform of health and nutrition and secondly creating a stronger focus on play-based responsive stimulation.  The speaker points out that it is never too late.  Starting an earlier combination of play, health, nutrition, and early childhood education, as well as responding, engaging, and nurturing the children, teenagers, and adults in our lives can change brains for the better across the lifespan.  The speaker states a Chinese proverb that says...”The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is now.”  Saving Brains is definitely something to think about.  The video entails the science behind brain development and evidence that supports their beliefs and program.  It is quite informative and interesting.  I pray that Save the Children can reach Syria’s children implementing these strategies to create a better life for them in their future.

 Reference

Center on the Developing Child. (2016). Saving Brains. (2016). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/saving-brains/

Professional Global Web Contact Part I: Save the Children: Children Under Seige in Syria

Report: Save the Children
Organization

A new report from Save the Children reveals that barrel bombs, air strikes and shelling are the greatest issues for the more than a quarter of a million children estimated to be living in the besieged areas in Syria.  Parents share the horrors of family life under siege including dealing with the psychological impact on children terrified of explosions and the severe consequences of being deprived of food, basic medicine, and clean water.  A Syrian aid worker describes what it is like to live under siege (2016), “There are snipers shooting at anyone on the road, and landmines in the fields.  Checkpoints stop everything coming in – food, medicine, fuel; everything needed for life.  They stop people leaving, even sick children in need of medical help.  Homes and schools lie in ruins from bombing.  Children are starving and the markets are empty.  It is the 21st century but here it is like hundreds of years ago.  This is what it means to live under siege” (p.3).  The children are the most vulnerable.  “Children are living on the verge of death.  They are forced to eat leaves – even flour and milk is forbidden to bring in” (Syrian aid worker, n.d).  A child states, “When I hear the sound of a shell or a plane, then I get very afraid and I hurry to escape and hide under my bed” (Ahmed, a boy in Duma).  A mother reports, “The wounded are left to die because there is no medicine to save their lives” (Haya, a mother in Eastern Ghouta).  This year marks the fifth year the country has been under siege.  The conflict in Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time.  Indiscriminate, brutal violence against civilians and the denial of aid has forced half of the population to flee their homes, with 6.6 million people displaced inside Syria.  A mother states, “Fear has taken control.  Children now wait for their turn to be killed.  Even adults live only to wait for their turn to die.  When will my turn come” (Rihab, a mother in Eastern Ghouta).  It is believed that between 250,013 and 470,014 have been killed.  The crisis is deteriorating even further with the active involvement of the Russian military, which is the latest in a seemingly never-ending spiral of military escalations.  At least 14 nations, including four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, are now militarily engaged in Syria.  Another 4.7 million refugees seeking safety and assistance are in neighboring countries and in Europe.  Children and their families are literally facing every issue we have discussed so for, changing demographics, poverty, hunger, lack of access to school, medical care, basic medicine, toys, and more.  They are denied the right to work and to go to school.  They are not able to meet even their most basic needs.  This is horrific and no child or family should have to undergo this.  While they should have been growing and learning during the critical first 5 years of life, Syria’s children have known only 5 long years of war.  I cannot even fathom the detrimental effects on all areas of children’s development; they are clearly suffering from trauma.  While they should have been growing and learning during the critical first 5 years of life, Syria’s children have known only 5 long years of war.  Here is the year-by-year account:

CHILDHOOD: The Greatest Casualty of Syria’s War
LIFE	Age	WAR
FIRST STEPS One of many happy milestones in a child’s first year of life	YEAR ONE	FIRST SHOTS The terrifying sound children heard when Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011
A DOZEN WORDS What a child learns by age 2, plus how to walk, run and jump	YEAR TWO	DOZENS OF CHILDREN The number reported in The number reported in 2012 to have been used as human shield

GEOMETRIC The kinds of shapes 3-year-olds like to sort, while playing with puzzles and games	YEAR THREE	CHEMICAL Weapons used in civilian attacks killing 426 innocent children in 2013
ABCs What a child starts to recognize by age 4, while singing songs and learning stories	YEAR FOUR	BOMBS Explosive weapons targeted on schools, leaving 1.6 million children unable to learn in 2014
TEN How many objects 5-year-olds can count, plus proudly say their name and address	YEAR FIVE	ONE The shocking photo of Alan Kurdi, whose tiny body washed ashore in 2015

Table: Save the Children.org

Save the Children workers are engaged in relief efforts inside Syria and in neighboring countries refugee camps.  To date, they have supplied 130,000 people with clean water, 34,500 children with a place to learn 3,500 emergency patients with care each week, 145,000 people with warm clothes and shelter, and 16 centers supporting traumatized children.  However, the war continues in Syria and the United Nations estimates there are 6.5 million displaced people in besieged or hard-to-reach areas.  Many live in dire need in abandoned buildings, open spaces and in informal camps mainly in the north near the border with Turkey, where there are few or no services available.  Some families are resorting to such negative coping strategies as eating less, marrying off girl children, and sending children to work in exploitative labor, which breaks my heart.  Getting the much-needed help to Syria is critical for the immediate and future well-being of children and families.  I urge you to read the report and check out the Voices from the Field blog.  While it is heart wrenching, they provide a very clear view of the many issues children are facing internationally and a glimpse of what is being done to help.

Reference

Save the Children.org (2016). Retrieved from  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/ c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/ b.7998857/k.D075/Syria.htm