Global Children’s Initiative……. (Week 5)

ü  In Chile, the UBC (Un Buen Comienzo) is working toward a push for quality to improve early childhood education through teacher professional development. The UBC is focusing on language development for children who are 4-6 years-old. Also, to focus on getting children to attend school, socioemotional development, and partnering with parents to be involved in their child’s education.

ü  A health economist, Günther Fink is focusing on early childhood development issues in Zambia. Fink and his colleagues realized that, in order to assess the true impact of the initiative on the country’s human capital development, they needed to assess the physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development of children at age 6 ( Harvard, 2012). Flink found developing a measuring tool for comparisons within Zambia, others for comparisons within sub-Saharan Africa, and still other sections of the survey will permit broader global comparisons.

ü  In Zambia it is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with nearly 4.3 million cases and 50,000 deaths per year. Malaria is responsible for one quarter of childhood deaths

 

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

Sharing Web Resources…… Week 4

The information on the Zero to Three website that is particularly relevant to my professional development is Infant and Toddler Policy Issues.  Working in Early Head Start I like to stay current on issues pertaining to health and nutrition. The issue  on the impact of child nutrition programs and provides policy recommendations for the reauthorization of the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) make me view this in a new way (Sklar & Kossen, 2009).  I’ve had experience in both programs and it is interesting to learn the recommendation to better serve families.

Policy Recommendations

1. Revise CACFP area eligibility to allow more food insecure families with infants and toddlers, particularly those living in rural areas, to receive access to nutritious foods.
2. Increase CACFP reimbursements to reflect the actual cost of providing food.
3. Eliminate administrative barriers to participating in child nutrition programs.
4. Increase efficient use of resources by requiring collaboration between WIC agencies and early care and education programs such as Early Head Start.

Through the website, I’ve learned politicians and neuroscientists add to the website by the research.  For instance, there is a section Public Policy where there are different topics where politicians and neuroscientists’ expertise are added to the information. 

                                               

In exploring the website, I’ve learned there is link for state and community policy. This link is for policy decisions made at the state and community levels directly impact the lives of infants, toddlers, and their families.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program

(CACFP), established in 1968, reimburses

family child care providers, child and adult

care centers, Head Start and Early Head Start

providers, and afterschool programs for the

nutritious food served to eligible children, as

well as meal preparation costs and training

for staff on nutrition, child development

as it relates to feeding practices, and

Implementation of the CACFP program (Sklar & Kossen, 2009).

The Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants and

Children (WIC), begun in 1974, is a federally

authorized program providing economic

supports to purchase nutritionally balanced

foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding

instruction and promotion, nutrition

counseling, and referrals to health and other

social services (Sklar & Kossen, 2009).

Sklar, C., & Kossen, J. (2009, June). Reauthorization of wic and cacafp. Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Nutrition.pdf?docID=9081

Zero to three, national center for infants, toddlers, and families. (2012). Retrieved from http://zerotothree.org/

                                              

Childhood Poverty Research.... (International Part 1)

The podcast I listen to featured Delfena Mitchell, the founder of the Liberty Foundation. This ia an organization that provides residential care and education for abused and abandoned children in Belize, Central America. The podcast discussed the abuse and neglected children in Belize. According to Ms. Mitchell, Belize has the highest incidence of abuse and neglect in Central America. Ms. Mitchell gave examples how to help children deal with the aftermath of the abuse when coming to the facility, such as medication and recreation activities. After reaching out to Ms. Mitchell, I have not received an email back from her.





INDIA

India is home to the majority of poor people in South Asia, and deprivation is endemic, especially in rural areas (CHIP, 2007).

Insights…..

Ø 62 million children under the age of five are malnourished and 34 % of newborns are significantly underweight.

Ø The cycle of disadvantage starts at birth and continues through childhood to motherhood and the next generation.

Ø Income from migrant children's work constituted between 18 and 45 per cent of the poorest households' income.

Despite the poverty, India is making efforts to improve the life of citizens there. Over the last five decades India has made systematic efforts to alleviate poverty through measures to increase economic growth, including liberalization of the economy, targeted programmes, land and tenancy reforms, participatory and empowerment based approaches and the provision of basic services (CHIP, 2007)

The Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP). (2007) Country Overviews Retrieved   from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell [Audio podcast]. (n.d.). Retrieved from World Forum Radio:  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio

Liberty Foundation | Liberty Foundation exists to provide ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.libertyfoundation.org.uk/

Sharing Web Resources…..

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies- To promote national policies and partnerships to advance the development and learning of all children and to provide vision, leadership, and support to community Child Care Resource and Referral. (http://www.naccrra.org)

Issue/Trend:  Childcare Dilemma: Parents Weigh Costs

Childcare is becoming too expensive for families with the change in the economy (Arnold, 2011). Quality of child care is becoming increasingly difficult to afford for working families. Parents have to choose between quality childcare for their child verses saving money.

ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.  (http://zerotothree.org/ )

Issue/Trend:  Our Families, Ourselves: How Our History Influences How We Raise Our Children

     The information provided the way we are raised influences the way we bring up our kids, the power of the past on our parenting. Also, parents can use reflection and self-awareness to make good parenting decisions today (Siegel, 2009).

Arnold, A. (2011, November 2). Childcare dilemma: Parents weigh costs. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodfocus.org/artman2/publish/impact

Naccrra, the national association of child care resource & referral agencies. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.naccrra.org

Siegel, D. (Performer) (2009). Our families, ourselves: How our history influences how we raise our children. Zero to Three. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/parenting-resources/podcast/our-families-ourselves-how.html

Zero to three, national center for infants, toddlers, and families. (2012). Retrieved from http://zerotothree.org/



Bridging the Connection in the Early Childhood Field

This week I attempt to contact 4 early international childhood professionals to learn more about the field from a global aspect.

·         Ruzanna Tsarukyan- The Step by Step Program was initiated in Armenia in 1998, initially by the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation - Armenia, in order to support early childhood education in the face of difficulties due to the economic crises in the country. (Asia)

·         Marcelle Delahaye Camping, CEO and Founder of the Liberty Foundation The Liberty Children’s Home provide care and education for abused and abandoned children in Belize, Central America.

·          Eric Atmore-The National Early Childhood Development Alliance (South Africa)

• D'Andra Howard-UNICEF Eastern Caribbean  (Barbados)

Below is a copy of the email I sent to the professionals.

My name is Andrea Cureton I live in the US and currently pursuing a M.S. Early Childhood Studies - Admin, Mgmt. and Leadership at Walden University. The focus of the course I’m currently taking is the issues and trends in the early childhood field. To understand more of a global aspect of the early childhood field, is it ok if I contact you time to time to discuss the state of the early childhood field in your country, your concerns, as well as your hopes and dreams in the early childhood field?  I have a passion for the early childhood field and look forward to communicating on this expanding field.

Sincerely,

Andrea Cureton

 

Since I was unable to contact the early childhood professionals, I had to choose the alternative blog assignment.  Hopefully in the coming days I get a response from the any early childhood professionals.

·         World Forum Foundation

·         World Forum Foundation Radio

Expending my Resources….

I’ve decided to join the following:

·         National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies- To promote national policies and partnerships to advance the development and learning of all children and to provide vision, leadership, and support to community Child Care Resource and Referral.

• ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.

  Naccrra, the national association of child care resource & referral agencies. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.naccrra.org
Zero to three, national center for infants, toddlers, and families. (2012). Retrieved from http://zerotothree.org/