Global Children's Initiative

I have yet to hear back from the professionals I contacted. So I chose to take the alternate assignment and  review the website http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/. 
The priorities of the initiative is in this area is to adapt the successful work the Center has conducted in the United States for a broader range of strategically selected audiences, in an effort to energize and reframe the global dialogue around investments in the earliest years of life. To this end, we plan to educate the leadership of key international agencies, publish and disseminate papers to establish a strong scientific framework for global work, and conduct systematic communications research to identify the most effective ways to translate the science of child development for global policymakers.The second priority is to generate and apply new knowledge that addresses the health and developmental needs of young children in a variety of settings.  In this effort, the Center is pleased to operate the Özyegin Family - AÇEV Global Early Childhood Research Fund, which supports cutting-edge research conducted by Harvard scholars and their collaborators across a variety of fields and disciplines related to early childhood development. With this fund, the Center and AÇEV seek to advance global understanding of the early childhood roots of disparities in learning, health and behavior to have an impact on policy and practice in countries around the world.

I specifically took a look at a program entitled "A Good Start" in Chile where the goal is to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development.   The program also focuses on health of children to improve school attendance. Not only is Chile the only country receiving aid the imitative is also active in other countries as well.

Sharing Web Resources 2

As I have been reviewing the National Black Institute Website  there is a recent statement that the organization posted in regards to President Obama's State of The Union address.  As an early childhood professional this was an important issue. The fact that the government is recognizing the importance of education from birth supports our efforts.

"NBCDI supports the idea that increased investments should go to programs in a mixed delivery system that provide highquality care and education – but substantial funding should also be available to help programs move up the quality 

ladder through both environmental improvements and professional development. Indeed, because teacher-child 

relationships make the most difference in child outcomes, funding should be directed towards increasing the quantity, 

quality, affordability, efficacy, flexibility and cultural relevance of professional development, training and higher 

education programs for new teachers and for the existing early childhood workforce, many of whom have worked 

heroically for years to care for children in their communities. 

As we work in a bipartisan way across the country to build and invest in an early childhood system that effectively and h the organizations 

successfully allows children to learn and parents to work, we encourage taking what we know works and building a 

foundation in which culturally competent staff across early childhood settings are engaging in strengths-based practice 

with high expectations in order to achieve positive outcomes for all of our children and invest in our country’s economic 

future."

The organizations is also establishing new chapters in other states,highlighting the new chapter in Jackson Mississippi.

Resource:http://www.nbcdi.org/sites/default/files/uploads/NBCDI%20Statement%20on%20High%20Quality%20ECE%20for%20All.pdf

Getting to know your professional contacts part1

 I have not received anything back from the contacts I made so I  decided to research Mongolia, just because I was curious. Over the years the economy has become more stable bit for the people of this country the divide has grown between those who benefit from the economy and those who are living in poverty.  The malnutrition rate is growing as families are unable to afford healthcare. One of the other concerns is the government is not doing anything to support those who are living in poverty.  Children are taking on more roles at home by watching out for their siblings instead of getting the proper education. From what I have read though the amount of children living in poverty is decreasing if their was government programs to help  there would be more progress in Mongolia.

Sharing Web Resources

As the we all know hurricane Sandy was devastating for so many individuals, but did any one think about how children are being affected in this aftermath.  Something I found interesting on  http://nbcdi.org was a an blog on helping African American families cope with crisis. The book is entitled Helping Children Cope with Crisis.
"Helping Children Cope with Crisis is an activity book for African American families that was developed by the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in collaboration with other organizations serving the African American community."

I find this information very helpful to families.  Especially for African American families because we have a tendency to not address things and assume the children will be ok. Children are very resilient but having a resource like this can help them cope.

Resource:

http://nbcdi.org/blog/2012/11/02/helping-children-cope-with-crisis/

Establishing Professional Contacts

In effort to establish professional contacts I have contacted Mrs. Eva-Hammes-Di Bernardo in Germany and Rev Charles Arko-Nunoo of Ghana. I am awaiting responses from both.  

For the  Second part:
I have chosen to explore the website of the National Black Child Development Organization.  I have requested to receive there newsletter and am awaiting information from them.  Thus far I have found it interesting the the organization developed a program entitled Parent Empowerment Program(PEP). PEP was designed to give parents the tools to be their child's first teacher and is geared towards lower income African Americans but of course it can be used in a broad spectrum of parents.  I look forward to sharing more as I continue to explore the site.

When I Think Of Research.....

When I look back over this course I have gained insights on completing research, designing research, methods of research and a variety of terms related to research. When it comes to completing research the design and topic and specifics must be well thought out and planned in order to create a valid research project.  In the beginning I did not anticipate any difficulties in doing research but as I proceeded throughout the class it did become more difficult. As an early childhood professional I understand how important research is to the field, research is the reason our field is advancing and will continue to grow.

Research Around the World

The website I explored was http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php.  There where several topics on early childhood to explore. I specifically took a look at the study on Parents’ and Other Caregivers’ Perception of Early Childhood Development Needs and Quality: A Study of the PLAN-Assisted Programmes in Bawjiase, Ghana. This stood out to me because I wanted to know the out comes of the study. Which it was found that parents did understand the need for quality care and exactly what their children needed. There ideas did not stray from what recent research stated children needed to know. Just interesting to me because education is different across the world and some areas tend to be more advanced than others.

Resource:

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/documents/major_projects/Etse%20-%20MP%20Final%20-%20UVic%20LP.pdf