Research Around the World EDUC 6163

This week I chose to take a look at the following website: http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

This website has the links to major reports and thesis of students of the “School of Child and Youth Care University of Victoria”. There were many different topics; integrated early childhood development, the status of coordination and supervision in Ghana, improving the quality of child care, using community resources in curriculum development, and so much more.

            As I read the paper titled “The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana” The study found that policy’s work better when there is a team collaborating and making decisions (Amponsa, 2003). It was found specifically in Ghana there is a gap of the absence of policy statements for coordinators and supervisors (Amponsa, 2003). It was concluded there must be more training and support offered to these coordinators and supervisors in order to decrease the gap and provide quality child care (Amponsa, 2003).

            Taking a look at these reports and thesis of students at the University of Victoria helped me to see how countries can support one another with the research they conduct for their early childhood programs. The research which is conducted is specifically focused towards that one country, but the results can be taken into consideration for early childhood programs around the world. I was surprised by the number of topics that were reviewed that I have read studies on here in the U.S.

            It was very beneficial for me to look at this website this week to see that countries can help one another through research to provide high-quality early childhood programming.

References

Amponsa, M. (2003). The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana . University of Victoria.

EDUC 6163 Week 3 Option 2

If I could choose any topic in the early childhood field to conduct research on I would have to choose to research health in early childhood education. My experience in the early childhood field has led me to believe that there needs to be a greater partnership between public health officials and early childhood providers. I believe that research should be conducted to see what more can be done to prevent health concerns such as childhood obesity, the effect smoking has on children etc. If one were to conduct research on this topic one would be comparing results of programs that partner with public health officials and the effects it has on the children and families of that program compared to one that has not partnered with public health officials.

EDUC 6163 Week 2

I put a lot of thought into my research topic for this course. I wanted it to be meaningful for the early childhood field, but even more so I wanted it to be meaningful for the Head Start program. I work for. As I prepared for the topic I spoke to the executive director of my program who is my supervisor as well about my thoughts and we discussed what direction would be best to take this research in. I chose to research the topic of cultural experiences in the classroom and best practices for keeping continuity between home and school.

As I become more familiar with the research of this topic I would like to answer three questions.

1.      What are some way’s to keep a family’s culture alive in the classroom?

2.      What can we do to respect a family’s discipline techniques while ensuring developmentally appropriate practice both at home and school?

3.      Are there cultural differences amongst people of the same ethnic background who live in the same community?

Question number three I am not completely satisfied with. I want to find a way to reformat this question to have deeper meaning for the research I will be conducting. As I worked on the “Understanding Research” chart this week I began to reflect upon the type of data I would collect with this. I believe I would be researching quantitative approaches.

One of the resources I used in part two of our first assignment this week talks about this topic very well. You can find it in the Walden Library. It had some great insights on this topic.

References

Cheatham, G. A., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2013). Goal setting during early childhood parent-teacher conferences: A comparison of three groups of parents. Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education 27(2), 166-189.

This is my last blog for the course “Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field”. The blogging has really helped me to learn about issues and trends all around the world. Below are three things I have gained from studying international websites.

1.      New Perspectives: As I studied international websites I was able to learn about the different cultures. I gained new perspectives on poverty, standards, school readiness, and many other issues and trends in the early childhood field. The main perspective that I gained was that each country is working towards something different in early childhood education. Some are focusing on academics while others are focusing on crisis and child maltreatment.

2.      Deeper Understanding: From studying the international website I learned that each country has an area in early childhood education. For us here in the United States we are working towards academic success, even more specific we are working on school readiness. By taking a look at what other countries our working towards I now understand why here in the U.S. we have a strong focus on school readiness.

3.      Poverty is everywhere: Before studying the international websites I was aware that poverty existed everywhere, but having reflected on these sites I have learned that poverty is everywhere, but it can take many different forms. Poverty isn’t always income level. Poverty can also look like deprivation. Deprivation is similar to poverty, but it takes into considerations a child’s shelter, sanitation, drinking water, health, food, etc.

In lieu of my increased knowledge from studying international websites I have set one goal for the field of early childhood when it comes to international awareness. The goal is for early childhood educators to partner with early childhood professionals from around the world to best meet the needs of all children.

Week 7 UNESCO Website alternative assignment

After viewing the UNESCO website I learned a lot about limited government funding for early childhood programs. As I study the field of early childhood education I learn about the importance of funding for the field and the limited amount that is available. One of my professional goals is to raise awareness about the funding for many early childhood programs.

The UNESCO website offers information about how there must be an evenly distributed amount of resources for all populations, but there is a greater focus for those who are living in disadvantaged regions (UNESCO, 2009-2014). There is a policy called “universalization”, when it is targeted appropriately can decrease the inequities where governments are looking to reach universal access, but at the same time it makes the poor a priority (UNESCO, 2009-2014). I learned that early childhood education is not always the primary focus in education though. Many resources end up going to other priorities such as primary education (UNESCO, 2009-2014). Even though it is important for resources to go to primary education it is even more so important to make sure that early childhood education is a foundation of basic education and a part of it (UNESCO, 2009-2014). Finally, there is a strategy of private sector involvement that supports the funding of early childhood programs (UNESCO, 2009-2014). It is important to be aware when using this non-profit funding that it is being used for those who cannot afford early childhood care and education (UNESCO, 2009-2014).

After having learned much more in depth information from the UNESCO website I find myself comparing it to early childhood education where I work. We are very fortunate for the government funding and support we are receiving. There is the need in the community for greater awareness of the importance of early childhood care and education, but at the same time I realize how far our community has come with this awareness. The importance of early childhood education is a more recent discovery and communities are working towards making early childhood a foundation for educational experiences.

References

UNESCO. (2009-2014). Early Childhood Care and Education. Retrieved from UNESCO: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources Week 6

This week I decided to explore the maltreatment link on the zero to three website. I have not really looked at this area as it has not pertained to the topics we have talked about thus far. In this section of the site one can learn more about child abuse and neglect, impact of trauma, and safe babies’ court teams. Safe babies court teams is a project that began in developmental science. Their aim is to “1.    increase awareness among those who work with maltreated infants and toddlers about the negative impact of abuse and neglect on very young children; and,
2.    change local systems to improve outcomes and prevent future court involvement in the lives of very young children.” (Zero to Three, 2014).

When I researched the site about the issue of equity I was lead to a power point presentation titled “Implementing Strengths-Based Initiatives to Achieve Equity” (Mayoral, 2014). The power point showed a few different graphs. One showed childhood poverty in the US broken down by race and ethnicity and the other showed an early language gap which increases dramatically from ten months of age to thirty six months of age (Mayoral, 2014). The presentation discusses the inequity of children who are facing severe disadvantages when they begin school (Mayoral, 2014). The way this presentation talked about inequities really opened my eyes to the challenges that children are facing to succeed academically. I was always aware of the types of inequities that were out there, but the graphs really helped me to visualize the high numbers of children who are facing inequities and how it appears to be increasing. On the eighth and last slide of this presentation there is a list of seven strengths based policy and systematic changes Below are these strengths based policy and systematic changes.

1. Focus on strengths.

2. Empower and support communities.

3. Shift from family involvement to

culturally competent family engagement.

4. Reduce language barriers by providing materials in

native language.

5. Increase culturally and linguistically competent and

measures and services.

6. Increase supply of qualified, bilingual and bicultural

birth-to-three professionals.

7. Provide information and empower parents by helping

them understand child development, ways to promote

learning, and how to become their child’s advocate

(Mayoral, 2014).

The Zero to Three website offers some really great resources of articles to read in regards to inequities in the early childhood field. I recommend taking a look at some of these articles as they really put everything into perspective with research to back up the findings.

References

Mayoral, M. V. (2014). Implementing strengths-based initiative to achieve equity. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three.

Zero to Three. (2014). The safe babies court teams project. Retrieved from Zero to Three: http://www.zerotothree.org/maltreatment/safe-babies-court-team/

Global Children's Initiative

For the blog assignment this week I am taking a look at the Harvard University website on “Global Children’s Initiatives”. Early childhood around the world can look very different than it does in America. Recent years in America our focus has been on standards and school readiness. After reading about the “Global Children’s Initiatives” I am able to see that this is not always the focus in other countries. Children and crisis is one of these topics. For example in Haiti and Chile post-earthquake child status is something that is being looked at closer (Harvard University, 2014). Child mental health is being looked at more closely in China and child maltreatment is being looked at more closely in three of the Caribbean nations (Harvard University, 2014). As you can see each country has something that is a primary focus. As we talked about in past discussions it is important to take care of a child’s well-being in order to provide the best education for a child. From the information from the Harvard website one can see the various ways this can look in each individual country. When these needs are addressed or met a child will be more likely to thrive in their education.

References

Harvard University. (2014). Center on the Developing Child. Retrieved from Global Children's Initiatives: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/