Continuing to Share Web Resource Information

I have been very impressed by the Zero to Three website. The deeper I get into the site, the more information that pertains to my daily functions as a preschool teacher pop out to me.

This week our assignment is to answer the questions below in relation to our resource site, in my case Zero to Three website.

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

On the Zero to Three site there is an interactive tool designed to help parents and caregiver’s support the growth of small children by illustrating four skill sets. The tool provides information on how children grow and develop in language, literacy, thinking and self-confidence. This has been beneficial to me as a provider and a great tool for parents to refer to also. I have listed it in our school's April newsletter for parents to access.

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

In an e-newsletter Zero to Three sent out a week back they listed an article about parents temperament in relation to how it makes our children react to different circumstances. This article really made me think! I have so many preschool parents who have a hard time with their 2 year old children going through developmental phases of temper tantrums, in some cases yelling etc. This article was a great piece written on how a parent can adjust their own temperament to aid in those situations.

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

The Zero to Three site has a whole section on policy and ECE. This section is devoted to various policy changes in the community, state, and federal brackets. This section speaks specifically to the changes that politicians are proposing that would assist or hurt our children. There are also policy guides here to help us better understand what proposals are being made. Zero to Three gave me a greater understanding of the important part a politician plays in ECE. As a student I don’t recall thinking much about how a politician could affect ECE. Now as an adult with children of my own and others that I care for, I think a great deal about the affect politicians have on me and my students – both direct and indirectly.

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

Also through the Zero to Three site I have gained a greater understanding of maltreatment and abuse in children. From the information we studied last week on poverty, to the various articles about abuse and neglect, this portion of the site has definitely given me a different perspective on what some children go through. The saying is very true; we have to be a voice for those that can’t speak. In this case, those children who are mistreated and abused.

Getting to Know Our International Contacts

I am really sad to say I have not received one contact back from any of the ECE professionals I have tried to contact. As a result I am required to do the alternative option on this assignment.

Apart of this assignment is to write about a country listed from the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre's (CHIP) page and a few ideas or insights learned from the review. After reviewing the site I chose to review information for Mongolia. Not knowing much about the country as is, I figured it doesn't hurt to expand knowledge on a topic I am passionate about with a country I know nothing about.

I learned that in 1990 Mongolia went through a major change in government. They went from a one-part state to a multi-party democratic state. Through the changes like with most governments the people suffered. The economy dropped, causing unemployment and inflation in prices. Although things have slowly gotten better they aren't where they need to be.

In 1998, it was reported that 36% of the population was living below the poverty line. And it seems to have gotten worse. There seems to be a huge gap between the poor and rich. As one example is given, the social services in the country use to provide for all. As it stands many poor people in the country are unable to get health care. There are now fees associated as well as restrictions whereas before none of that applied to anyone. Those who can get to clinics also notice a great deal in difference between the care they receive and those who are rich.

It seems that overall the conditions are getting better, but there is so much work to be done. Below I have listed a few key points from the site about the country that I learned.

1. I was surprised to read through all this the birth rate has dropped and more children are surviving these hard times. That seems total opposite to what normally happens in most countries. In addition, less children are getting sick and catching diseases. This is great news. However, malnutrition is now a high concern. Many children are under weight and don't have safe drinking water.

2. Mongolia is a country of migration and it seems many families are choosing to move from rural to urban areas to provide better services and living conditions for their families. However it seems that many children are suffering from the migration. Many children's education has suffered. We know that with lack of education comes so many other negative factors. CHIP is currently conducting a study on the effects of migration on Mongolian children.

3. I was happy to learn that there are policies in action to assist the Mongolian families and the issue of poverty. There are other organizations involved to help their government. I was really happy to go on to read about how involved CHIP has been in researching and providing information about poverty in Mongolia. This will surely aid in illustrating how bad the problem is and perhaps how to effectively to help the people who live there. I think it will be important to be sensitive to their culture, their current government and current state.

Zero to Three

This week in our Issues and Trends in ECE class we are learning more about the organization we chose during the first week of class and sharing more information about it.

I chose to learn more about the ECE site:

www.zerotothree.org

This organization is a non-profit national organization that focuses on providing information to professionals, parents, supporters and policymakers in the interest of young children. Their main focus seems to be health and development in the early years.

I signed up for the newsletter a week ago but haven't received more than a confirmation as of yet.

While browsing the site I stumbled upon a lot of interesting information. What stands out to me about this organization is all the effort put into try to show and convince policymakers how important it is to invest in infant-toddler programs and services. There was also an initiative that caught my attention. This fairly new initiative talks about implementing early learning guidelines that will aid those working with this age on what they are capable of learning and doing. The guidelines would be distributed to each state and its up to that state to decide how to distribute it across the board.

The site is truly informative for anyone who works with or comes in constant contact with a child age birth to 3. I plan to use many of the resources on the site in collaboration with my own preschool.

Expanding my Resources

I decided to check more into the Zero to Three website (www.zerotothree.org) as Part 2 of my first blog assignment. The Zero to Three site offers great information for developmental milestones, current issues involving the age and policy's affecting young children. This site has been a great help for me as I have a 2 year old daughter. I look forward to visiting it more often as it pertains to my preschool age children.

Trying to Make the Connection

Well I have emailed 7 ECE Professionals and haven't received one response. I will look at searching via Facebook as one of my classmates suggested. I'll post if I get something.

Making a Connection

As apart of my first blog assignment in Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Education Field I am required to make a connection with a ECE professional outside of the country...how exciting! I would have never thought to do this! I have sent emails to about 5 ECE professionals in Africa and Asia...wish me luck! I hope to hear back soon.

Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Education Field

I am excited to begin another class with Walden. I was able to transfer in a few units therefore I have only taken 1 class thus far with a lot more to go. The postings following this one will revolve around my current course - Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Education Field.