Getting to Know your International Contacts Part 3

I chose the alternative to the assignment:

Insights that I have learned from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization website were

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•    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. This is particularly daunting in developing countries, where early childhood may be overshadowed by other pressing priorities, such as universal primary education.
• ·       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.  Coordination issues include coherent regulation, funding and staffing schemes and a common vision of care and education. Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments.
• ·       Early childhood care and education programs 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.

Consequences

I have learned that in the United States we are more fortunate to have advocates who fight for ECE policies.  Some countries suffer due to lack of resources and funding.  Lack of support is also a consequence.  Many educators feel they don’t have the support that they should and lack of pay is a concern.  It is important that educators have an open communication so that all can benefit and develop solutions to any problems or issues.

My goal is to continue to learn and share as much information as I can with the families I engage with.  I will continue to learn as much as possible so that I can share with my colleagues.  It is vital that we can become benefiting factor in ECE.  It is also important that we learn from these international countries.  Some countries do have policies and use techniques that may be implemented in the classroom in the united states.

Sharing Web Resources

 The division of early childhood website is the site I continue to use.   One outside link I followed was panel of excellence which is where DEC encourages the development of high-quality products, using multiple technologies, to support the effective implementation of DEC's newly revised Recommended Practices in early intervention and early childhood special education. These products may be for families, emerging or practicing professionals, professional development providers, researchers, and/or administrators at the state, local, or agency level.

One area of the site I found was called learning decks.  This sections offers professional development webinars for those who work with, or on behalf of, young children with special needs.

 The division for early childhood was started in 1973 by a group of volunteers who cared deeply about the development of young children with special needs. DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. This site is solely dedicated to assist all young children with special needs, by making sure they receive quality and appropriate resources.

  DEC continues exceed expectations.  DEC consistently offer trainings to professionals to improve a wide variety of learning opportunities designed for professionals who work with or on behalf of young children with special needs.

 I learned that DEC collaborates with many different agencies.  With these collaborations, DEC is able to accomplish our mission of promoting policies and advancing evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities

http://www.dec-sped.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

I chose the alternative assignment.  I explored the Harvard University's "Global Children Initiative" site.  Three insights that I have learned are as follows:

In Canada The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI)  was created to counter the separation between science, policy, and practice work, which hinders the real-world application of scientific knowledge. Drawing upon the Center’s scientific resources, the initiative fulfills two key mandates:

 supporting research in early brain and biological development, mental health, and addiction, and

translating that research for policy makers, healthcare communities, and the general public.

The collaborative Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) has been highly successful in creating a science-driven early childhood movement in Brazil, most notably through training Brazilian policy makers on how to apply developmental science to inform programs and policies. Building a Brazilian scientific community around early childhood development. NCPI is convening an interdisciplinary group of Brazilian scholars to guide the synthesis and application of scientific knowledge about child development to policymaking and practice in Brazil. It is also fostering collaboration among Harvard and Brazilian researchers, including publication of a working paper series.

 A partnership led by Grand Challenges Canada, Saving Brains seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The Center on the Developing Child supports a dynamic learning community of Saving Brains innovators to help them advance the impact and scale of their work in countries around the world.