Early Childhood Systems Around the Globe

The Center on the Developing Child with Harvard University’s Global Children’s Initiative put the spotlight on a few nations across the globe and the work they are doing to support early childhood systems within their country. Three countries I learned about were Zambia, Brazil and Santiago, Chile.

The Zambian Eary Childhood Development Project was founded in 2009, with a mission to measure the efforts of an on-going anti malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. The ZECDP created the first comprehensive instrument, of its kind, to assess children’s physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development. The ZECDP collaborators hope that the data collected as part of this project will not only improve understanding of child development in this context but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly changing developing world (2012).

Nucleo Ciencia Pela Infancia is part of the Global Children’s Initiative in Brazil and the first of its kind out of the United States. The project represents a unique opportunity for collaboration amongst Brazilian scholars, policy makers, and civil society leaders to specifically build an agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development, strengthen leadership, and translating and adapting the center’s current resources for a Brazilian audience.

Finally, in Santiago Chile, Un Buen Comienzo (A Good Start) was designed to improve early childhood education by way of teacher professional development. Specifically focusing on langage development, this project is also designed to intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance as well as socioemotional development, and it seeks to involve the children’s families in their education (2012). Encompassing 60 schools, this project seeks to put Chile at the forefront of demonstrating the impact of a high quality early childhood education.

 

 

Fighting Childhood Poverty

Childhood and poverty and just two words that should never go together, kind of like cereal and orange juice. It just doesn’t mix well together. The unfortunate side is that many children are born into these poverty-based situations and have no choice or substantial knowledge to know that this cycle cannot continue. The cycle can stop with them, but the important part is that they need to know that before the baton is passed to them. What is interesting to note is that childhood poverty is something that is experienced throughout the world, not just here in the United States. So where exactly is the breakdown in providing for our children? Why are so many being born into this class?

CHIP is the childhood poverty research and policy center; their website is www.childhoodpoverty.org. They are comitted to reduce global poverty by partnering with China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. Three things I learned from reading through their website are that a true grasp on information regarding childhood poverty is lacking in all nations, the cause for childhood poverty varies greatly and that in order to move forward in the fight against poverty, change must be made that involves pro-poor, pro-child policy.

This proved interesting because in a country like China, with high educational and income levels, their level of childhood poverty is still quite high. So, it begs to answer the question-what is at the root of this epidemic? This is going to require some extensive research and time to enact policy changes and effective programs.

 

The National Black Child Development Institue

I chose to follow the National Black Child Development Institute, or NBCDI. I chose this organization because, as I stated in the post prior to this one, I have never heard of this particular organization and I wanted to learn more about their mission and what they do.

I haven’t received a newsletter yet but one thing that stood out to me on their website was the previous President and CEO and I share the same last name! Carol Brunson Day attended the President’s 2011 speech on education. Additionally, one thing that stood out to me was their annual conference. This is something I would be interested in attending and will make plans to do so this year. Their commitment to supporting our children resonates deeply with me and I am very interested in directly learning more about their mission.

 

Establishing connections

For this particular course, I have chosen to go with the alternative to part 1’s assignment of making contact with 2 early childhood professionals outside of the United States. The reason I chose the alternative is because over the course of my program here at Walden University and over the course of these past few months in which I started a new job, I have been experiencing learning curves in every sector of my life. One of these most recent curves came a few weeks ago when I received a promotion at my job in a charter school. This promotion involves more intensive work, serving the children of my school and I am proud to be in this position. However, with this promotion comes more time dedicated to my career and leaves a little bit less time for my graduate program. So, unfortunately I have to take the option that allows me to be successful and still progress in both areas of my life. So I will be listening to the podcasts and taking each assignment from that alternative.

I also chose to follow the National Black Child Development Institute. I chose this because it is an organization I have never heard of before, and in addition to my position at the school, I am also chair of the school’s Diversity committee. I have a strong passion and desire to see our young, minority youth succeed and so, any resource or outlet that is committed to that goal as well, is something I am interested in. I toyed between choosing this organization as opposed to the Harlem Children’s Zone. This dilemma arose because I am very familiar with the HCZ, being from NYC and being employed with a Charter School. But, those reasons are also exactly why I decided not to follow them. I want a challenge, I want to be presented with new information and be able to walk away from this course and this program, knowing something that I did not know before and never would have been exposed to, were it not for branching outside of my comfort zone.

 

My Supports

It’s ironic that this topic came up as the blog post for this week, as I have personally been experiencing this critical component to my success and how much it means to me. When I was in the process of looking for a new job last year, I went on the interview for my current job and when asked what would I most like to see from my administrative team, I replied simply with “Support.”

Understanding my background, support was a phenomenon that was foreign to me in the workplace. Towards the end of my 7-year career with my former organization, it became a “dog-eat-dog” environment, which left every man for himself. And when it came down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, this applied to my program Director as well. When I thought she had my back, as well as the backs of her supervisory team, we learned that her methods turned unscrupulous and we no longer had the support we once believed we did. Losing that support from her and essentialy being thrown out to the wolves without the support of our Director was a horrendous experience and one that I will never forget and one that I hope never to emulate. Now in my current job, I was offered a promotion this week, to be in a position where my support of my team is critical to the success of my team and I never want to be in a position where I feel I may have let them down. If they need to come to me, I want to promise myself that I will never abandon them. If you have a passion for the work that you are doing and this is especially true in education, you need the support of your peers, your colleagues, your family and friends in order to do an efficient and effective job-to know that what you are doing is for the greater good and will hopefully instill best practices for the future.

I am blessed to have the daily support of my Director, who believed enough in me to offer me the promotion. I have the support of my School Leader, who also believes in me to feel comfortable with me in this new position. And finally, the most important to me, is that I have the support of my parents. I still feel like a little girl rushing home to tell my parents I got an A on a test, to know that they support me no matter what and the least I can do to repay that support is to make them proud, makes me feel amazing and accomplished.

In thinking of a challenge I do not currently have, I immediately thought of a situation in which I am not able to fend for myself. Every month, I thank God that I am able to put my food in my house and on my table, pay my bills including rent and car note and still have enough left over to do the things I want to do, like travel and eat out. But, every month, I do worry what would ever happen if I wasn’t able to do this one month. Many times I’ve heard a variation of the saying that you’re only one paycheck away from the streets or from being homeless and I have to believe that I am a fighter who just can’t ever or won’t ever allow that to happen. But you never know. So in that scenario, I would have to draw upon strength and support from my God, whom I am very grateful to for blessing me and keeping me strong. For the day to day struggle, I would have to rely upon the support from my parents. Knowing that they are still here and will support me no matter what, physically, mentally, financially, as long as they are able to do so, I would have to seriously consider asking them for their support. I can’t even imagine my life without my parents and often, I thank God to be blessed that they are both still here. Cancer survivors and a host of other ailments, but at 74 and 66, my dad and my mom are still here and I am so thankful.

 

Just the right tools for success…

As a child, my parents supported my need for play by allowing me to have playdates with my next door neighbor and as I got older, allowing me to “hang out” with my fellow teenage friends. This relationships and our interactive playdates set the stage for me to be free and explore all that my mind and it’s imagination had to offer.

One of the key differences between the play of today and the play of children from my generation is the advancement of technology. When I was a child, video games were just making waves for having a color screen. The biggest and most popular system at the time was the Nintendo 64, and it was amazing that we were able to hunt for ducks, rescue the princess and drive the cars. It all felt so real; it was like bringing the arcade into our home. Today’s generation of video games is much different than what we had and therefore, our lack of dependence on the video games and technology allowed us to exercise our minds. We had no choice but to continue to utilize our brains and creative juices to sustain a full playdate, so to speak. The tables have since turned and children of today have video games that think for them, in addition to promoting a violent and over-sexualized society. Games like Grand Theft Auto gives children an intrinsic awareness of behaviors and actions that reflect today’s society. Smartphones, tablets and laptops give them constant connection to the word and to each other, so much so that the need for playdates seems to be dwindling.

It is my hope that the children of today’s society and their parents learn how to embrace the advancements that have been offered to us, yet with an understanding that it doesn’t mean our brains no longer have to work. In order to achieve social success, we must put a bit of work into making it happen. Allowing our creativity to be sparked and imaginations to explore, we can promote positive interactions and less reliance on technology.

 

The most important…

The most important man in my life is my Daddy. Yes, I’m 32 years old and still call him Daddy. He taught me that I am beautiful, I am strong, I am smart, I am loved and I am ok. The comfort and level of safety that I felt with him at 2, 3, and 4 years old has been magnified, as an adult. Were it not for my Dad, there were many things I doubt I could’ve made it through but he was always right there, supporting me, guiding me and most of all, loving me. I am the epitome of a ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ and I wouldn’t give that title up for anything in this world. This relationship is especially important to me, as a professional in the early childhood field, because so many of today’s students are living in single-parent households, with an absentee father. I am blessed that my father has been in my life since day 1. Is he perfect? NO. And honestly, one of the things my mother says in times of negativity is that “He sucks as a husband, but he’s a damn good father”. In my father’s eyes, I can do no wrong. Because of this, I never wanted to do wrong-I never wanted to be seen differently in my father’s eyes. Sure, I messed up the way any child would but the difference in his discipline style versus my mother is what strengthened our bond. My dad wouldn’t yell, he wouldn’t give me a spanking, he wouldn’t ground me. He would simply talk to me and for that I am forever grateful. It taught me how to have patience with children, it taught me to always let them talk-just because they are children does NOT mean they do not have a voice, an opinion, a story, a reason or an excuse. Let them voice that.

My dad’s going to be 75 years old this summer and each day, I thank God for him and the blessings we have been able to share together. The relationship a woman has with her father is the foundation for her future relationships. I know this to be true, as I am living it and so are many of my friends and family.

 

I Believe the Children Are Our Future…

Such a simple, yet profound statement and how appropro to complete my last blog post with these lyrcis. Call her what you want, but Whitney Houston was an iconic legend, in her own right and no one will ever compare to her voice. And that voice is what sang the opening line to one of her greatest songs (a remake, actually), The Greatest Love of All, something once again, so appropriate for my final blog post for this class

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

 

Assessment of what?

When it comes to assessment, there is one question that begs to be answered. Are we assessing the performance or the child? Is the child short-changed before the tests even begin, because the school staff knows they are not prepared to take this test and measure up to state, local, or in-house standards? Is the school prepared for what to do when the same child or children fails? Therefore, have they been properly assessed? Was it a bad day? How does it reflect on the school? There are so many unanswered questions, with regards to assessment and the ultimate question-is it fair? Is it a fair and logical test to measure capabilities, learning level and advancement?

The Department of National Testing is responsible for testing children in the Dominican Republic. Their tests are used to measure curriculum and teacher training, as opposed to measuring the child. Additionally, where our children are being tested in 3rd and 4th grades, children (rather students) in the Dominican Republic are not being tested until the 8th grade, in high school and the equivalent to an adult equivalency test.

Personally, I agree with the latter type of testing for a number of reasons. The first being, it makes more sense to test the childen to assess the teacher’s ability to teach and get the subject matter across, rather than grouping them into one category that they must perform as such to fit in. Again, we are categorizing and stigmatizing children with an unnecessary need to do so. Finally, testing children at such a young age puts them in a position to experience undue stress and further lack of proper resources, such as nutrition, books, familial support, access to the internet, and most noticeably finances.

Ferrer, Guillermo (2006). Educational assessment systems in latin america. Retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/Ferrer.pdf February 11, 2012

 

Racism & Inequality

How does a child deal with racism when they don’t yet know what it is? How can a child understand and grasp the concept of racism when they are ignorant to its existence? As a firm believer that racism and other prejudices and biases are taught, not learned, to children by the tainted adults in their life, it was quite hard for me to try and understand why my parents would get upset when I was singled out or when I mentioned daily scenarios in passing to them and be met with an angry huff or a frown. Thinking their anger was directed at me, it took years before I realized that my parents were upset at the actions of the people I was describing and the stressor that was racism and that it even existed in my innocent world.

The belief in unfounded stereotypes is passed down from one generation to the next. For a child to deal with racism in school, as I did, leaves a profound impact on learning how to get along with others. Being in a situation as the only African-American girl in my class, I found it difficult to find someone to relate to and for many years, was unaware of my true background. When we were assigned projects on our cultural background, I always said I was from Ghana. It wasn’t as accepted back then (and possibly because of my parents’ influence) to say that (though it obviously wasn’t a secret), our family history is from the slave trade. Now, I explain my background to people as Southern Black, meaning my family was brought over to this country from Africa during the salev trade and the majority of them and generations to come remained in the south once slavery was abolished. That cultural background and history gives me a rich dynamic when it comes to food, music and genetics. However, back when I was a little girl, it was much easier to give up that identity and make it easy on the White teachers who were expecting this project, to make it simple, clear and avoid making any waves by just saying I was from Africa. The sad part is (as I said above), my parents encouraged this.

Since Ghana was my make-believe homeland, I decided to look up stressors that affect their children. It was hard to focus on one area because I was met with a deluge of information (poverty, child labor, sexuality, infectious diseases). One of the bigger issues is female genital mutilation. While I was studying for my undergrad degree the first time, I wrote a final paper on FGM in Africa and am surprised to see that it is still a problem that plaues young women in Africa. This speaks to the inequality of the sexes, which is quite amazing to me to see the dynamics in other countries, compared to the US. According to the Fact Sheet on Harmful, Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, one of the most noticeable achievements at the international level has been the lifting of the taboo against addressing the issue of female genital mutilation, which is now acknowledged as a violation of the human rights of women and the girl child.