My Final Blog

The three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field was from the insight of The Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s which indicates that there are over 600 million children worldwide that live in poverty. In a lot of countries 60 percent of children live in households that are below international poverty lines. 

One consequence is to draw focus to the ways in which poverty affects large numbers of urban and rural children, not only particularly disadvantaged groups such as street children or child-headed households (childhood poverty.org).

The second is the way the CHIP program try’s to emphasize the importance of preventing poverty in the mainly vulnerable first years of life, which can reduce the consequences of poverty continuing over an individual’s life course or through the generation (childhood poverty.org).

 The consequence of poverty denies opportunities to people of all ages. Lost opportunities in childhood may not always be regained later childhood. Poverty experienced by children, even in short periods, can affect the rest of their lives. Malnutrition in early childhood, for example, can lead to life-long learning difficulties and poor health (childhood poverty.org).

 Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s goals for the field, all over the world are to change the, that today's poor children are often tomorrow's poor parents. Poverty can be passed on from generation to generation affecting the long-term health, wellbeing and productivity of families and of society as a whole.  CHIP says tackling childhood poverty is therefore critical for eradicating poverty and injustice world-wide (childhood poverty.org).

 Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s  (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/),

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

I found that UNESCO’s Early Childhood Care and Education is first in pushing for health and the development of children all over the world. Their mission is to sustain early childhood, with the goal to build foundations, so that all young children develop their potential to the fullest. The issues related to international early childhood education for my professional goals would be their determination for life skills, values and to develop the groundwork for children to learn and grow.

UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education encourages teaching a child to be a good citizen, career skills to learn a trade and most of all education for every child in the world. UNESCO wants every child to learn about their culture, to know about value and respect for parents and teachers. Parents are the first teachers in a child’s life, so education will come from home to start with. If children are to learn about their future, they need to learn about their past as well.

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

Sharing Web Resources

I found this site: Rand Corporation did a study to why economists, and other business and economic leaders have led the call to increase public investments in the early childhood field.

Their call is driven by research finding that underlines the importance of a strong foundation in early childhood (RAND, 2008). This was important to show that a range of early interventions can successfully, put children on the path toward positive development and preventing poor outcomes in adulthood. I found this shows, that early childhood programs will produce benefits and make up for their costs. The Rand Corporation shows how early childhood programs can produce government savings, that more than repay the costs and produce returns back to our society (RAND, 2008). This maybe a reason the government should explore reorganizing how early childhood care is delivered. If we invest in early childhood care this will produce better outcomes, save taxpayers money, and improve the quality of life for the people in whom we invest in

(RAND, 2008).

Save the Children’s mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Their 2013-2015 strategic plans, Invests in the impact for Children, builds upon our historic foundation of serving children, all children for nearly one hundred years. Save the Children’s mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve lasting change in their lives all around the world. This website gives me understanding of how justice and excellence can be served in early care education for all children (Save the Children).

I found that Head Start programs should not be for just low-income children and kids should not be on a waiting list, to be placed in Head Start regardless of income. The process of funding should be given to all children, immigrants, ELL children, because it should not matter, when it comes to children. Head Start provides quality education for lower-income, but this leaves the rest of children whose parent can’t afford quality childcare dangling. Families of immigrant children should have access to education, without any restrictions, for all young children deserve quality education, without a higher cost. Information on early childhood education should be given to read in different languages, about the services provided for children

(Matthews, & Ewen, 2010).

The RAND Corporation. (2008). What does economics tell us about early childhood policy?

Retrieved from

 http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2008/RAND_RB9352.pdf

                                            

Save the Children.

Retrieved from
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/

                                            

Matthews, H., & Ewen, D. (2010). Early education programs and children of immigrants.

Retrieved from

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412205-early-education.pdf

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

 

The Global Children’s Initiative website sees a moral responsibility to give children everything they require to be happy and healthy. Global network works strong with all nations from the richest to the poorest. Imitating the U.S., they seek to advance their mission by, implementing research, public engagement and leadership. The Global Initiative development programs that are based in the science of child health, it appoints researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and students from a wide variety of institutions all around the world (Children’s, initiative 2010).

The global program information I have gained from these site focuses on three strategic areas:

They are changing the structure in health and development by educating the high-level decision-makers in learning about children beginning in the first years of life. 

The Global Children’s Initiative supports research projects that increase understanding about healthy development, how it can be getting back on the right path for helping children.

They focus on building leadership in people and their polices of institutions in low or middle class countries. They teach to enhance the number of diverse voices that contribute to the growing global market that helps young children (Children’s, initiative 2010).

Primarily in the majority of the world there are mental health concern issues that have significant consequences to health and development of children in society. The Global Children’s Initiative has an urgent need to identify the range of the problem within all across countries and to develop evidence-based approaches in policy and service delivery that are open to diverse cultural backgrounds. To confront this issue, a working group of Harvard staff are developing a program to research, education, and public commitment to important hole in knowledge across the countries of mental health issues (Children’s, initiative 2010).

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved from

 http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative

Sharing Web Resources: The Dawn of a New Era: Investing in Early Childhood Helps America Recover and Grow

In my current profession I want to learn more about: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that provides very important opportunities to help the United States get back to creating new jobs and supporting programs which provide essential services to young children and their families, while contributing to the economy of the country (Lombardi, 2009).

 A New Era calls for action on key principles by supporting common standards across early childhood programs. The Dawn of a New Era recognizes that low income children need more intensive and comprehensive services that should start early to prevent children from achieving their potential. They give support for teaching staff and reach out to parents as a central part of early childhood services. It aims to meet the needs of working families and connects health services to early childhood programs (Lombardi, 2009).

Now, is the time to invest in creating better early childhood jobs, improved standards and monitoring, more coordinated data systems, to improved facilities for all children. The Era endorse levels of government and funding streams, These actions should be put into place with input from a wide range of stakeholders. The Dawn of a New Era Investments, are shaped to the needs of children and families most affected by the economic delay, in ways that provide long term and maintains contact as needed (Lombardi, 2009).

 This research confirms to have high quality programs, that start early and continues through school access and has a major impact on inclusive child development and learning. Along with investments in other services, more than 1000 high quality programs serves children birth to age five and this is developed across the county (Lombardi, 2009).

 Lombardi, J. (2009) The dawn of a new era. Exchange, (188), 8–9.

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s

The alternative I chose was Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s. The importance of childhood poverty is not always acknowledged by policy makers. Assumptions are often made that policies that are good for adults households should be good for girls and boys of any age. This can often be the case, but not always. Sometimes children (and different children) need more directive strategies that identifies with their needs and rights to survival, protection, and development to be able to participate. Children need a policy that addresses their shorter-term situation even when policies are aimed at long-term changes is put into action (Childhood Poverty). 

One  insight I have gained from this site is the vast amount of children and their families living in or at risk of chronic poverty (poverty that lasts for years or generations).This life threaten number of families experiencing poverty in different ways continues to grow. Some of the most important causes of childhood poverty are economics. My next insight I learned financial growth does not necessarily reduce poverty. To reduce poverty it should be equitably distributed rather than maintaining or creating wealth gaps between rich and poor.

Supportive families and communities can often shelter children from the worst effects of poverty, as can dedicated public action to protect children and families (Childhood Poverty).    Another insight would be to change public attitudes to promote equality of, and investment in, particular children, such as girls or children ethnic groups, makes it a critical situation. However, the absolute lack of resources facing many families and governments “means that action on these fundamental causes cannot be ignored in favor of cheaper and easier awareness rising’ measures” (Childhood Poverty).

Well-designed and implemented programs should be directly aimed at improving the wellbeing of poorest in society and those people who are vulnerable to poverty and its effects are very important.  All people should have access to good quality, accessible and affordable (If at all possible free) primary health care, education and early childhood development programs are imperative for wiping out childhood poverty (Childhood Poverty).    

 Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page Retrieved from

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Sharing Web Resources

The newsletter I subscribed to was save the children.org; it is the most popular organization that covers the need of children all over the world. They are recognized for their responsibility, partnership, innovation, which takes them to the focal point of communities; to show and help families learn how to help themselves. I learned that they work along with the government, non-profit organizations and neighboring partners to maintain their own freedom without the interference of political agendas or religion (Save the Children).When there is a disaster like tsunamis or the destruction in Haiti’s; Save the Children as quickly and as effectively steps in to deliver food, medical needs, even education to help rebuild their communities through extensive recovery programs. Save the Children works to determine where poverty, hunger and disease areas and help replace them with hope for their future (Save the Children).

The international website I  selected was Global Funding for Children; in this site an article was published by Kathleen Toner, CNN; wrote this article on March 14, 2013 through Global Funding about a young girl named Ntaiya who lived in the Masan village. When she 14 years old she had to go in a cow pen with an old woman with a rusty knife to do what they call a female circumcision and you are not suppose to cry.  This type of procedure is commonly based on religious and cultural beliefs of these people. This ritual still goes on to prevent premarital sex and marital infidelity; even though it is illegal today. Female circumcision and child marriages are illegal today (Toner, 2013). Kenyan government still thinks that educating girls is still not a priority. There are only about 11% of Masan girls in Kenya finish primary schools. Ntaiya strived for a better life. Her dream of becoming a teacher weren't the norm in Enoosaen, a small village in Kenya. Her move paid off and she went on to excelled in high school and earned a scholarship in the United States eventually getting her doctorate degree. Over the next decade Ntaiya earned a job at the United Nation and went on to open the first primary school in her homeland of Kenya. She helping more than 150 girls gets an education and gets opportunities that she sacrifices to have a better life (Toner, 2013).  

 About Us - Save the Children Retrieved from

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm - 44k

The Global Fund for Children: Retrieved from. http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/