Sharing Web Resources

This week I found the information shared by Dr Grace on the media segment most relevant to my current professional development. The Zero to three website shares much information that also connects what I have leaned this week about the new supporters of early childhood. The website provides facts about the early years and the importance of investing in early childhood.  For example, an article on  human brain development  illustrates that during the remarkable first three years of life, the brain creates 700 new neural connections every second.Synapse formation for functions such as hearing, language, and cognition peak during this period before children reach preschool. These peak periods create the important foundation for higher level functions that will be built on top of them. During this sensitive period, early experiences influence whether this important foundation will be strong or fragile. The early years thus present a prime opportunity to positively influence the course of a young child’s life. 

The article also highlights the support of the politicians. Matthew Melmed, Executive Director of ZERO TO THREE.  applauded  President Obama for his leadership in emphasizing how important it is as a nation for us to begin where learning begins – at birth. He shared that the President’s plan for Early Education for all Americans is the road map for the early learning components of the budget. The budget includes $1.4 billion to expand the comprehensive supports offered to the most vulnerable families through Early Head Start – which for almost 20 years has proven it improves both child and parental outcomes. The plan would provide $200 million in 2014 specifically to create more high-quality child care options for babies and toddlers with working parents, using Early Head Start’s quality benchmarks, expertise, and resources. Looking ahead, the budget proposal provides for $7 billion over 10 years to ensure young children and families have access to high-quality child care.

There are many other insightful pieces that are found on the website, however the one that I found most interesting is the the article on child mental health. I learned that infant and early childhood mental health includes a full spectrum of social and emotional functioning. This ranges from the ability to form satisfying relationships with others, play, communicate, learn, and express emotions, to the disorders of very early childhood.

Zero to Three website http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/

                 Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

I have been fortunate to make contact with one of my conversation partners. She is Mrs Michelle McBean, an early childhood professional. She works with the UNICEF Office in Guyana and she also heads the Early Childhood Department at the University of Guyana.She believes that UNICEF has been outstanding in its work to reduce poverty in Guyana and around the world. I was directed to the UNICEF website Guyana to read about what has been happening specifically in Guyana. Mrs McBean is currently spearheading a UNICEF funded project that  provides training opportunities for caregivers who work with children in the 0-3 age category since most caregivers who work at this level are untrained. She believes that the early years are critical and persons who work with children during the early years need to be well trained.
 I was pleased to learn that among the many goals that UNICEF is working towards achieving is the  elimination of poverty and hunger.There are several programs that place emphasis on monitoring the situation of children and women in Guyana, and on the continuous improvement of monitoring and evaluation systems, which can produce reliable disaggregated data and analysis, to help better understand and address the issues of poverty affecting children and women. Education is the way out of poverty and UNICEF has partnered with the government to propel primary education. Currently, Guyana is on track to achieving universal primary education with net primary enrolment rates consistently above 95% since 2000 (MDG Report 2011).

I look forward to hearing from my other contacts during the weeks ahead.





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              ZERO TO THREE

The organization I selected is Zero to Three. The link for this organisation is http://www.zerotothree.org/

ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development.  It plays a critical leadership role in promoting understanding around key issues affecting young children and their families, including child care, infant mental health, early language and literacy development, early intervention and the impact of culture on early childhood development. Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. ZERO TO THREE is unique in their multidisciplinary approach to child development. Their emphasis on bringing together the perspectives of many fields and many specialists is rooted in the robust research studies showing that all domains of development—social, emotional, intellectual, language and physical—are interdependent and work together to promote a child’s overall health and well-being in the context of his family and culture.

A current issue that I found interesting is 'The Rally 4 Babies. Rally 4 Babies seek to bring awareness to the importance of early stimulation for babies (0-3) and hopefully get states to allocate funds for projects that will teach parents and other programs that work with young children how to provide stimulating, secure environments for the child from the prenatal period to approximately three years(Zero to Three).
Another issue that I found quite interesting is school readiness

School readiness is best conceptualized as a process that occurs over time, in the context of caring relationships with informed and supportive adults who can nurture both the qualities and the developmental skills that help children become successful learners. We know that kindergarten is not the beginning of a child’s educational experience, nor is it the endpoint for school readiness. We know that infants and toddlers 

explore, process, and understand their world differently than older children. Furthermore, infants and toddlers are dependent on their relationships with adults in distinct ways that have an effect on their learning and development. In addition to unique cognitive and developmental processes, infants and toddlers are developing the foundational qualities of curiosity, mastery motivation, and other approaches to learning that are critical precursors to school success. Finally, social and cultural contexts add another layer of complexity to early development that further influences the goals and expectations for early development, learning, and school readiness (Zero to Three).

I am very impressed with the strides that Zero to Three is making to improve the lives of young children and their families. After attending the Rally 4 Babies. I wish I was living in America so that I could sign the petition to make my voice heard. Those who can, please support this campaign!,

My professional contacts

Establishing Professional Contacts

Hi Colleagues,
This week I emailed two early childhood professionals from the Caribbean Region.One is from Haiti and the other from Jamaica. I met both of them at the last Meeting of Caribbean Professionals in Saint Kitts and Nevis and I was very impressed with their presentations on their various programs on Early Childhood. I  am  interested in knowing how their programs have been doing. I have not yet gotten responses from either of them, but I hope that I will very early in the new week. If I do not, then I may be forced to do the alternative assignment. I have chosen to focus on and explore the Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families because it seems interesting and it is packed with information about the dynamic world of early childhood. Hope blogging will be fun over the next eight weeks.

MY SUPPORTS

   

Never forget the ones who made you stronger and always respect the ones who stood by you. (  Tabetha Brooks)

In my daily life I depend on the support of many people and things. Some of them are:

My Staff - I depend on the staff in my department to function effeciently so that our department can run smoothly. They show their support by keeping deadlines, going the extra mile to ensure that what needs to be done is done and excreta.  Without their cooperation and support I will be an unsuccessful department leader.

My family- They are my best supporters. I depend on them for all types of support, but especially emotional support. I feel comfortable sharing my inner most thoughts and know that their advice is always genuine     Cannot imagine my life without their support.

The internet- I depend on the support that I get from the internet providers. I am able to communicate with my colleagues at the various education centers across Guyana for stats and other needed information to get my job done, without ever leaning my office space. I can study on line, connect with friends and family and so much more. The internet helps to make life much more easier for me. Occasionally, when my internet is down  I feel frustrated because I am unable to get my work done.

My God- Faith is an important component of my life and therefore as a believing christian I depend on the support of my heavenly father for all that I need to get through the day. These needs may include: strength, wisdom to make the best decisions, patience and compassion, etc. I am assured of His support each day through prayers. Even when my day may not go as planned I still feel at peace. Without God's support I know that things will not go right

                                                                              

                                                                       

I have decided to select visual impairment as my challenge.

If I were to become visually impaired or blind I would be sad and frustrated. I would need the emotional support of my family and friends to get by. I would need to learn how to use the technology available for visually impaired persons to do my job effectively. I would also need the support of the community because at times they are not very sensitive to persons with this challenge. With the support of all mentioned I will be able to live a fulfilling life. Without the support of these persons and things, I believe life can become dull and uninteresting.

."My Connections to Play."


Some quotes that help express what play meant to me as a child are:

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” – Carl Jung

“Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – O. Fred Donaldson

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers



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As a child, play had an integral role in my development. I have learnt how to be creative, imaginative and understand and relate well to my young students because of my play experiences.
During my early and middle childhood years my family lived close by the sea, so my parents took my siblings and I regularly to the beach. The bucket and spade represent my memories of my dad and I building digging and playing in the sand and counting the amount of spade full of sand it took to fill my bucket. My siblings and I would each try to out do each other in gathering shells and smooth rocks, some of which I took for my science corner at school.

Well, I was quite obsessed with barbie for most of my childhood. I thought that she was the most beautiful doll in the world. Actually I think she still is. I remember how happy I was when I finally got my own. She helped me build my imagination and also I used her to learn real life skills such as how to sew, braid hair, and a few others. These skills also helped with my fine muscle development.

Sometime around my later childhood, I was given a pack of Jacks. I practiced playing this game, which requires excellent coordination if the eyes and hands. When I went into high school I was very shy. However, I was able to use my excellent skills in Jacks playing to make friends. Everyone wanted me on their team. Some of those frienships I still value unto today.

I think the face of play is changing for this new generation. They see play as sitting before the television with a nintendo or going on line to video games as play. So if a six year old is asked if he plays, even though he does not engage in outdoor play, he is likely to answer yes. However, the consequences of engaging only in such play is evident. Many children are obese, have pent up emotions and struggle with self regulation, just to name a few. My hope for the children of this generation is
that they will experience the true joys of play. That they too will be able to develop their imagination, creativity, and excetra. Almost all aspects of their development depends on play. As an early childhood professional I will always advocate for play, because I know the benefits that are derived through play and each individual deserves those benefits in childhood and beyond.

Relationship Reflection Relationships are important to me because they help to validate me and motivate me grow and achieve my goals. I am also given the opportunity to express what I feel with those significant others. Caring for others motivates me to work as hard as I do. They push me to overcome obstacles and take on challenges that can sometimes feel overwhelming. My Family/i>.

My relationship with my family is very important to me. They have inspired me to be the the person that I am today. The values that are upheld are passed on to the younger generation both implicitly and explicitly. These include values of integrity, education, respect, etc. Today I hold these values very dear and I plan to pass them on to my children. Sister/Sister My sister Esther is one of the warmest persons you will ever meet. Her calm personality helps to cushion my feisty over the top own. We relate easily to each other.She is my best friend. We are just three years apart so we are able to talk about almost anything. My Friends Though I could not find a photo of the us altogether I must include them in this reflection. They are warm and loving and they help to keep me grounded. Most of them are Christians so we encourage each other to keep the faith in God alive and to make decisions that are most beneficial to us. Keeping partnerships going requires open communication and trust. I think that without these qualities they will not last.