It's a new course.

Dear friends and colleagues,
Welcome to Building Research Competencies. If you are like me, I am fearful of researches, but the few readings indicate that I am in a for a good time, the mountain is not as steep. Looking forward to working with you.

Consequences of Learning

Final blog – Week 8 

Although I was unable to establish a contact with an Early Childhood Professional, I gained new knowledge from the site I explored. I took the option of reviewing the Zero to three website and interacted with many resources and information on the site. It was an eye opening experience for me. 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 toddler.

There are obvious consequences of learning about international early childhood for my personal and professional development.

1.     1.       The studies helped me to understand that there are many organizations and institutions that focus on child growth and child care; many are conducting research to better the life of the growing child. Organizations like NCCP, UNESCO, NAEYC  are in the forefront of development of standards and establishing guidelines to regulate the practice.

2.    2.        Another consequence is the knowledge that children are part of the communities of the world. Children are the same in their growth and development even though they live and grow in different places and have unique experiences that are unique to them. They all deserve love, care, acceptance and nurturing environment, no matter the family they come from.

3. 3.     Now, I understand that Early Childhood Education is an international issue, there are similar issues all over the world like the changing demograhs, many families have moved from their home countries to other places of the world, the issue of poverty, it is highly revealing that even in the so called rich and developed countries, there are children living below the national poverty line. Many families need both parents to work to support the family, then the question of where to keep the babies become the issue. I have gained wider perspective of what happens in other countries of the world.

          My major goal for the Early Childhood Professional field is to create awareness for the importance of the first few years of life by engaging parents and partnering with them to find quality programs to enroll their children. Children need to be taken care of for us to guarantee their growth and the future economy of the nation. I am getting involved in educating the care givers and those who work with young children in effective child minding.

Week 7 - Sharing Web Resources.

           I explored the UNESCO site for insight about issues related to international Early Childhood. For the genuine interest for young children UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning and which provide for children’s holistic development.  UNESCO works in partnership with member states and other stakeholders to encourage implementation of policies. It organized the first World Conference on ECCE in September 2010, which culminated in the adoption of a global action agenda for ECCE called Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations.  It is important for young children to develop to their fullest potential.

Learning begins at birth. UNESCO is working hard among international countries to ensure that all young children have access to quality early education, organized seminars and trainings in various nations of the world to create access and equity.

 In 1993, the heads of state and government of nine high-population countries – Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan – launched the E-9 initiative aimed at achieving concrete progress in basic education. The Initiative calls for the education  ministers of these nine countries to meet every two years to review their progress. The topic chosen for the 5^th E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting, held in Cairo, Egypt, in Decembe2003, was early childhood care and education (ECCE).  This conference is important to me because I live in Nigeria where there is no government subsidy for early education, and quality that is accessible to the general population is very low. However, high cost quality pre-school is a available for the rich and those who can afford the huge cost.

One of my important goals is to ensure that child care workers are trained and their training subsidized for greater effectiveness. Only people who know can impact knowledge. Teacher quality is crucial to quality programs. The ECCE workforce is often made up of a diverse group of pre-school teachers, care workers, informal carers and other professionals. Adequate training and work conditions are essential so they can integrate the content and practice of early childhood care and education and address the transition to formal schooling.

Another insight is the working relationship with Education Ministers and policy makers in the countries with high population, to help them recognize the strength of their nations.

Reference.

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

Week 6 - Sharing web resources

Zero to three website is my professional site of choice for this course. I am gaining deep insight on the development of babies from zero to three years. There are many areas of learning relevant to early childhood which includes brain development, parent teacher communication, care-giver and parent communication etc.

For this week’s assignment, I took a step further to look into related information on the site. I found the information on school readiness useful and relevant to my current assignment. I am yet to explore further on equity and excellence in early childhood.  I reproduce the information below for the benefit of everyone.

Children develop at their own pace and in their own way. You can help babies and toddlers

learn and grow by getting to know each child in your care and engaging in activities that

match their individual skills, needs, and interests.

Four Key Skill Areas That Help Children Get Ready for School

Language and literacy skills. Learning to communicate, first through gestures and

babbles and then through words, helps children connect to the people and world around

them. The development of language skills is the foundation for becoming literate. Reading to

children and letting them play with books helps to build their interest in books. Talking,

reading aloud, and singing all nurture children’s language skills and help them experience

stories through listening.

Thinking skills. Children are born with a drive to understand how the world works. They

start by figuring out connections such as: “I cry, Daddy comes to get me.” As they grow,

these connections become more complex, for example: “If the ball disappears under the

couch, I can use this stick to get it back.” Children learn about how the world works when

they are given the chance to explore—to shake, toss, touch, listen, stack, knock down,

bounce, and so on. When children are exploring and having fun, they are learning.

Self-control. The ability to express and manage emotions in appropriate ways is called

“self-control.” Self-control is also the ability to stop one’s self from doing something that is not

allowed. Very young children have little self-control. But you can help babies and toddlers

work on skills like cooperating, coping with frustration, sharing, and resolving conflicts which

all lead to the development of self-control.

Self-confidence. When children feel good about themselves and their abilities, they are

more willing to take on new challenges—a key ingredient for school success. Self-confidence

is important for getting along with others and developing relationships with peers, which are

key factors in enjoying and succeeding in school.

Reference

www.zerotothree.org.

Week 5 - Issues of Equity and Excellence

Science of health and development has now been closely linked to early childhood. This knowledge and understanding has informed researches into the long-term effect of experiences gained in early years on adult life and economic growth of the nations. Around the globe is a new wave of understanding of the importance of equity and excellence in early care which confirmed that when children's biological systems develop in an environment of positive early experiences, they have a greater chance to thrive and grow up to be healthy adults irrespective of family background and socio-economic status. Making opportunities available to every child irrespective of race, color, social economic status is now critical.

      Center on the Developing Child of Harvard University is championing the cause of research and findings which led to the establishment of the Global Children’s Initiative. At a time when inequalities in school achievement, workforce skills, and lifelong health status compromise a nation’s competitiveness in a global economy, the need for new ideas to break the inter generational cycle of poverty around the world is critical. The substantial gap between what we know about the roots of growing disparities in health, learning, and behavior and what we are doing to promote the well-being of vulnerable children internationally provides a compelling agenda for strengthening policies and investments that focus on the earliest years of life. Global Children’s Initiative is the primary practical manifestation of the Center’s global child development agenda. The initiative draws not only on the expertise of individuals whose specialties span the biological and social sciences but also on the wisdom and experience of those who are addressing the needs of vulnerable children “on the ground.”

From the website, I have learnt many different dimensions of child health which includes the science of learning, science of behavior and the science of health. To this end, there will be:-

1.       1. Education of key leadership of International agencies, publish papers and bring findings to the knowledge of stakeholders for implementation.

2.       2. It is important to generate and apply new knowledge that involves the health and developmental needs of young children in all variety of settings.

3.       3. Addresses  gaps in the achievement of young children,

I have learnt that child survival and child development are different issues in different environments and nations of the world, and to give quality childhood education, leading to responsible adult hood, every policy maker must get involved in making access to quality and effective early childhood program a priority in the interest of the nation.

Reference

Global Children’s Initiative site. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)