Research around the World

ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa: Mission Statement

To further develop African ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development.

ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Program Overview

The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) is an innovative and multifaceted approach to addressing ECD capacity building and leadership development in Africa. The ECDVU is supported by a range of international, regional and local organizations, including the employers of participants. It is a unique training and results-oriented program that uses face-to-face and distributed learning methods including: residential seminars, web-based instruction, CD-Rom and print material support, and a 'community of learners' strategy within and among cohort countries. Typically, ECDVU participants are nominated by ECD country committees; these committees' nominations are based on achieving inter-sect oral, multi-organizational representation and evidence of individual commitment to child well-being and broader social development within the country. Nominees accept responsibility for promoting ECD capacity within their country, their region and internationally.

The first topic I chose was the Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program for Informal Minders and Community Volunteers in Ghana.

The facts and insights I gain was the Ghana office of UNICEF introduced the IECD program aimed at promoting the survival, growth, protection, and education, all key components of development of the child aged 0-8 years, and worked to develop a working model for ECD centre which can also be used in communities where there are no such centre.   

The second topic I chose was the Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana.

This topic emphasis on coordination and supervision of ECD programs the research discussed the evidence and rationale for coordination and supervision, types of coordination and some guiding principles for effective coordinating, how it has worked successfully in some other countries and the lessons learnt from those countries.

The noteworthy information that I have gained from the website is that countries around the world are taking steps to improve early childhood programs.

Reference:

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA):

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Research that Benefits Children and Families- Uplifting Stories

Option 2:

The major contribution I would make for children and their families would be providing quality early childhood care for children of diverse backgrounds. 

I would use the Nation Association for the Education of Young Children, Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment to show how I would make a positive contribution.   The core values set standards of ethical behavior in early childhood care and education are based on commitment to the following core values that are deeply rooted in the history of the field of early childhood care and education.  

I can use these standards as a guideline to help me in the research of respecting the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual as well as provide children from diverse cultural the respect they deserve.

Reference:

National Association for the Education of Young Children, Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of

                Commitment .

My Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose for my simulation is Finding Ways to Support Children and Families of Diverse Backgrounds.

The demographics of our school systems are changing rapidly. The teachers need to prepare now for these ongoing changes. I feel that it is very important as a future educator not to be broadsided by these changes. I want to look into the research that surround the cultural differences of families, children.  I want to be able better understand and provide these children, families and educators the information they will need to be productive in the classroom.

My personal experience with this simulation process in that it is really preparing me for the research process of the topic I chosen.  The insights I have gained from constructing the research chart is that it is really helping me understand how to research material the correct way.  

My fellow colleagues I will greatly appreciate any help that you can provide throughout this process.  Feel free to share any information that you may have to guide me in the right direction.

Final Blog Assignment

The three consequences of learning that I gain through the alternative route resources of websites are first The National Institute for Early Education Research conducts and communicates research to support high quality, effective, early childhood education for all young children. Such enhance their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life. The second consequence is the challenging behavior can mean many things to many people. Zero to Three has developed a set of resources to help parents and professionals better understand and respond to some of the most common and typical challenges that crop up in children’s early years. The final consequence is the barriers facing early childhood is parents not being able to afford the high quality care they deserve.

One of the goals I have as an early childhood professional is to become an advocate for those families who for some reason cannot afford nor have access to quality early childhood programs. I want to make sure children and their families, no matter what consequences they may be facing will be provided with the best quality care possible.

I still intend to make international connection in hopes to better understand the diversity of other cultural around the world.

Reference:

National Institute for Early Education Research

Website: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Website: http://www.zerotothree.org.

(Newsletters):

http://zttccfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid

Getting to Know Your International Contacts: Part 3

Website: http://www.unesco.org/news/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

I chose the alternative because I never could correspond with an international professional. The topic of discussion that I gain insight was about my specialization the diversity of children and their families.

The purpose of the UNESCO is to help lead international educational agency, to develop a clear guidelines and principles for language policy in early education, particularly within the context of the DaKar Framework of Action, Education for all.  The UNESCO voiced support for the maintenance of linguistic and cultural diversity and the promotion of children’s right to learn in their mother tongue. Many of the world’s language and cultures are endangered by historical incursion, mostly associated with colonialism, and host of contemporary political, economic, and social processes.

The decisions about which languages will serve as the medium of instruction and treatment of children’s home languages in the education system exemplify the exercise of power, the manufacture of marginalization and mineralization, and the unfulfilled promise of children’s rights.

This report from the UNESCO provides a rational to promote mother tongue based bi/multi bilingual early education grounded in international normative frameworks theory about dual language acquisition and emerging evidence about the ipact of mother tongue based bi/ multi bilingual education initiatives.

Sharing Web Resources

I decided to look back at a website that I used in week two of this course. The website was from the National Institute for Early Education Research. Website: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php

Through the National Institute for Early Education Research website I found a article that was interesting to me as it relates to availability, accessibility, and affordability.  The article dealt with pre-k disparities: What You Get Depends on Where You Live.

In this article they analyzed the data for The State of Preschool 2010, and find a disturbing trend that was noticed in the previous year continued to happen. During these very difficult economic times, disparities among states in providing high-quality preschool education are growing larger. Consequently, children’s access to and quality of experiences in preschool vary drastically depending on where they reside. “For instance, a relative small percentage of children (6 percent) in Alabama have access to a high-quality program 9meeting all 10 of NIEER’s quality benchmarks) while their peers to the south in neighboring Florida have a better chance of having access (68 percent) to a lower quality program (meeting only three of the 10 benchmarks). Alabama’s neighbors to the west in Mississippi have no state-funded preschool program at all to attend. This problem is not limited to the deep South- patterns like this repeat across the country. And tight state budgets are only exacerbating the problem.

The insight I gained from this resource as it relates to the studies this week is that there are so many states that still do not have access to high quality early childhood programs. As a future professional and advocate of young children I want to set the bar high for myself and try and make sure all the children in the state of Mississippi have the opportunity to take part in a high quality early childhood program. I know it want be easy to accomplish, but with a lot of hard work and help from local and state legislators we can hit the ground rolling.

Reference:

The National Institute for Early Education Research [NIEER], 2010

            Website: http://nieer.org/resources/newletter/index.php

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part2

The website I chose to explore was the Harvard University’s Global Children’s Initiative, website Http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_inititative/

The background of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was founded in 2006. It was founded on the belief that vitality and sustainability of any society depend on the extent to which is expands opportunities early in life for all children to achieve their full potential and engage in responsible and productive citizenship. The center draws on the full breadth of intellectual resources available across Harvard University’s school and affiliated hospitals, the Center generates, translates, and applies knowledge in the service of improving life outcomes for children in the United States and throughout the world.

The insight I learned from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University is that Mental health concerns constitute a massively under-addressed issue that has significant implications for the broader health and development of children and societies. They found the urgent need to identify the scope of the problem within and across countries and to develop evidence-based approaches in policy and service delivery that are responsive to diverse cultural contexts.

The information about issues of equity and excellence I acquired from this resource is that The Global Children’s Initiative looks at children in crisis and conflict situations by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration that incorporates a science- based, developmental perspective into the assessment and management of child well-being in a range of natural and man-made crises, focusing on both immediate circumstances and long-term adaptation

References:

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/