Change, Contexts, Consequences, and Constraints

This has been a tremendous journey learning about different cultural aspects of international professionals and trying to get in tune with how early education programs achieve the highest-possible quality, performance, and maximum impact for the children. The consequences for professional development include learning how other countries working hard to constitute the right of every child in every nation by having access to a quality education.  The type of education that will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens and ready them for life in a changing world.  The consequences are indeed positive simply because you  connect with different cultures and get insight on what steps different countries take in order to eliminate challenges of:  national early childhood education standards, national licensing and accreditation system, child care resource and referral system, or professional development system.   Professionals learn about who and how they collaborate with others in their country.  One goal that should be mentioned when discussing international awareness of issues and trends should be to consider the ongoing changes of early childhood in those specific countries and what we as professionals can do as family to help them find a resolution to problems in hopes that we may receive exchange of information as well. 

Exploring Professional International Contacts

Setting the Pace for Success

It is such a great challenge trying to get in touch with international contacts!! It has thus far been the greatest challenge of all my assignments!!  After viewing the alternate website I found interesting topics such as access, quality, investment, and governance.  A professional goal(s) that I would love to attain definitely relates to all of these because they all are important components that foster high quality programs.  How can you have high quality programming without having full access for each and every child and family? The website discusses how international countries provide equitable resources for disadvantaged children to make sure access is equitable.  As far as quality, it shares information on what quality programs should have and be able to do for the children.  For instance, it states that early childhood care and education programmes should emphasize the child’s holistic development and extend beyond assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling.  High quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness. Upon reaching the dream of owning and operating my own child care facility, I can refer back to everything I have learned.  Investing is absolutely the gateway to securing funds and resources for high quality programs.  The website gleans about how the greatest difficulty faced by countries in their efforts to expand and improve the quality of early childhood care and education is the mobilization of resources.   Governance is defined as having control, or authority and I can see why it should play a part in child care success.  Early childhood care and education is often the concern of several government sectors and usually these are education, social affairs and health. The multi-faceted nature of early childhood care and education gives rise to the challenge of effectively coordinating provision of policy development and implementation across the different sectors.  Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments. Child care indeed need governance.  Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments. 

The website discusses the Education Regions Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Carribean.  It offers tremendous information on how policies and education are supported within these regions.  I enjoyed exploring the site.  


References:

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

Sharing Web Resources-

Upon clicking on researchnet on the naecte website, it was interesting to read about the purpose of the establishment, and what the program offers.  This program facilitates scholarly pursuits on collaborative research projects that relate to topics of early childhood teacher education.  It provides a focus for conducting research studies, and outlet for dissemination of research results and professional development opportunities for NAECTE.  The ResearchNets meet during the fall and/or the spring conferences to organize, plan research projects, and share research results. They also continue to network through email, listservs, conference calls, and on the NAECTE website.

I also read a journal article entitled, Call for Papers that discusses the importance of inclusion and how teachers need to be sure to include each child by access, participation, and supports.  That itself adds to my understanding of equity and excellence.  Additional information to add to my learning would include professional development that promotes inclusive practices.

The link to the site is:  http://www.naecte.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

On the harvard website, it simply explains it's mission and the purpose for the Global Children's Initiative program.   The program is committed to building a unified science of health, learning, and behavior to explain the early roots of lifelong impairments; it leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative program and practice models that reduce preventable disparities in well-being; it catalyzes the implementation of effective, science-based public policies through strategic relationships and knowledge transfer, and preparing future and current leaders to build and leverage knowledge that promotes the healthy development of children and families and brings high returns to all of society. (Global Children's Initiative)  There are three objectives or domains that the program concentrates on for enrichment, early childhood development; child mental health; and children in crisis and conflict situations.  I learned about the importance of the program and how it plays a role  in focusing on the developing opportunities to provide leadership training for individual researchers, policymakers, and institutions.


I want to share with you an international contact from Aceh.  Meridas Eka Yora is the founder and director of the institution Fajar Hiayah for Islamic Education and Director of the Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation. Meridas developed three boarding schools for children orphaned as a result of that devastation in Aceh.  Aceh, a special territory on the Southern tip of Indonesia, was the closest land to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, in which more than 225 Indonesians were killed and 500,000 left homeless.(World Forum Radio)  This was a tragedy never forgotten and still affects the communities to this day.


The program shows excellence and equity by actively collaborating with a network of local and international organizations to engage in social and educational developments and programs.


References

(N.A)(N.D.)Global Children's Initiative. Center on the Developing Child.  Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

World Forum Radio