The Research Process



International Early Childhood Field

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are being able to compare and contrast educational systems, discovering the economic plight of poor children globally, and increasing awareness of what immigrant families have experienced before coming to the US.   I have learned a wealth of information from the UNESCO (United Nations educational, Scientific, and cultural organization) website because they focus on providing quality early childhood programs and this has inspired me to take a critical eye when observing early childhood programs and policies.  The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) website provided a lot of information about how poor families struggle to survive in this country because of the lack of quality health care, housing, and quality education.  Not only did the CDF supply highly informative articles about the inequities of poor Black children and families but there was glaring statistical information to support the devastating stories.

All of this new information has impacted me greatly personally and professionally because I now have a better understanding of how the early childhood field is interconnected globally and I would like to create an international collaboration network to exchange ideas with other professionals in the field.  I have enjoyed learning from my classmates and imparting valuable information.  We can all learn from each other because the teaching career in the past was an isolating profession when teachers would just stay in the classroom and not communicate with other teachers to exchange information.  I am so much stronger and confident because of this learning experience and I plan to take this valuable information to the classroom and beyond.   

Early Care Website

 

 

 

I researched the UNESCO (United Nations educational, Scientific, and cultural organization) website (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early) and discovered that this organization supports worldwide early learning programs that focus on the whole child which includes healthy nutrition and a stable quality learning environment.  The educational section of the website highlighted the need for equality and availability of quality education in many countries.  The next section focused on quality education and the importance of instilling nutrition in children and getting parents involved in early education before formal schooling begins.  Child-centered learning is encouraged and the appropriate learning materials must be provided.  Investment and financing is another area of concern this website addresses because many countries experience challenges to afford quality education programs.  Especially in developing countries, a choice has to be made to either feed or clothe the poor or to invest in universal early education.

This website raised my awareness of the advocacy measures that are being implemented globally for the educational rights for children.  All children deserve a meaningful quality education and even this organization realizes that when educating children it has to be viewed holistically.  We cannot be focused on just the academic needs for children but also the health and welfare of our children.  I now realize that many countries struggle with prioritizing universal early childhood education as well as the United States and this website has given me a better understanding of what our immigrant families have endured in their countries before arriving in the US.   Education is a priceless commodity and should be accessible to all children equally without economic biases. 

 

 



Sharing Web Resources

 I deserve a

#StrongStart!

http://www.nbcdi.org        National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)

 

Our mission “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.” 

VISION

NBCDI envisions a society that ensures a successful future for all children

          The National Black Child Development(NBCDI) is a great advocacy organization that focuses on improving the health and well being for Black children by advocating for policies, programs, and engaging professionals in the quest for justice.  Every year NBCDI puts on a very informative conference that offers workshops and dynamic speakers that share the new research in early childhood education and suggestion on how to improve the Black family as a whole (healthcare, education, and economics).  The NBCDI addresses the following initiatives which are:

·       Policy

·       Early Care and Education

·       Health

·       Family Engagement

·       Literacy

·       Child Welfare

 

            In early January the NBCDI started a great advocacy campaign called “Smart Start Campaign for Early Learning” which involved a massive Twitter feed on January 21 advocating for early learning to the President a week before “The State of the Union Address).  Supporters (children, parents, and educators) were asked to take a photo holding a sign that read “strong start for children” that they could download from the NBCDI website and send to President Obama a week before his speech to remind him to speak up for the rights of young children.  This campaign was very effective because the President did mention the benefits of an early childhood education. 

            Under the resource section on the website there is an article “A Framework That Works: How Prek-3^rd Can Be a Smart Strategy for Black Kids. Families and Communities” that suggests strategies to close the achievement gap between White and Black students.  The earlier Black children are submerged into a quality early childhood setting the better the results (NBCDI, 2014).  These children benefit from having a close and supportive relationship with teachers and culturally responsive teaching.  Strong family engagement in the learning process is crucial for academic attainment.  Teachers must be “Highly Qualified” in order to give the best services to Black children and they must have high expectations for these children if they are to be academically successful.

            I gained a wealth of knowledge from this website and I would welcome my colleagues to visit this website often.  The resource section contains helpful articles that have enlightened my thoughts on the best strategies to serve my students and their families.  I also learned that there needs to be an academic framework established through a cultural lens if we truly want Black children to thrive and succeed academically.

 

References

National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), (2014). Retrieved from

            http://www.nbcdi.org

 

 

“Global Children’s Initiative” website

 

“Global Children’s Initiative” website

 

            The Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University uses research to provide each child in the US and around the world with a promising future {Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010).  Good health and economic security are some of the primary focuses because children cannot function well if they are plagued by illnesses and poverty.  Out of this organization came the Global Children’s Initiative that accentuates three main areas which are:

1)     To educate the people who impact policy about the scientific research regarding health, behavior, and the dynamics of learning.

2)     To support multidisciplinary research and projects in various countries and to explore the components of healthy development and what causes the interference of healthy development.

3)     To create leaders in early child development policy and research in low to middle income countries in order to gain a diverse perspective for the advocacy of children’s rights.

The three areas of activities are early childhood development, child mental health, and children in crisis which are led by faculty of the organization in order to build a larger research base   In the early childhood field the focus is to create quality early childhood  programs around the world and to develop meaningful assessments.  There is research being done to improve the early learning programs in Chile. 

In the areas of mental health there is a concern about the mental health of children globally and if they are actually receiving mental health services.  A study is being conducted about the affects of HIV/AIDS on Rwandan children and what strategies would be helpful for parents.  Also there is a study being done about child abuse and how mental health services are being allocated in some of the Caribbean countries.  There is also a push to study the effects of natural disasters on children who live in Chile and Haiti because earthquakes impacted both countries.  There are a lot of children suffering from malnutrition globally and the Harvard researchers involved with this initiative want to form a collaboration team that is interdisciplinary to help find some solutions.  I think this is a wonderful research group and it is very helpful for teachers because it gives a scientific basis for why some things occur in early childhood.  This site offers much more than just research because it is research in action, because these scientists are actually changing the world by one project at a time. Now I am more inspired to do more scientific research.

References

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative.

            Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities

 

 

Sharing Web Resources

       The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) website (http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/early-childhood-education-care/#) has some very interesting articles that promote the importance of early childhood education and care and it also outlines the data that reports that only a small portion (4%) of eligible students will be able to obtain a spot in a Head Start programs due to the lack of funding (“Policy priorities,” 2014) .  Investing in early childhood programs has helped to keep children out of the prison pipeline and the benefits outweigh some of the benefits of the stock market (“Policy priorities,” 2014).  I never realized the connection between investments in early learning and improving the overall well being of the country.  It is so sad that so many children in the US will not be able to reap the benefits of an early childhood education because economists and legislators believe that this sector (babies and toddlers) can be ignored.  This has prompted me to now lobby for the rights of our poor young children on Capitol Hill.

            This website also advocates for all states having kindergarten for the full day instead of half day programs because research shows that if we want our children to be globally competitive, they have to be in school for more hours during the day.  Another interesting fact reports that children who start learning in preschool are less likely to be enrolled in special education programs when they enroll in elementary schools (“Policy priorities,” 2014). Which reminds me of how important early education is for young children because it enhances literacy skills, problem solving skills, and cognitive development?  Children that attend quality early learning programs have stronger social emotional skills and self regulating skills.  I visit this site often because it reinvigorates my passion and reminds me that I have a lot of work to do but the results can be very rewarding!

References

Policy priorities. (2014, February 1). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-

            priorities/early-childhood-education-care/