Final thoughts on International Efforts in Early Childhood Field

 

Three consequences of Learning

Consequence 1

          During the current course of Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field (EDUC – 6162), I went to a wonderful website that researched Early Child Education for most of the countries. This is the website of the 'Center on International Education Benchmarking' (https://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/about-us/)

         Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan gave an overview of research findings at the groundbreaking international study of early childhood education systems. Some of the facts expressed in this overview were astonishing. I am sharing a few with you:

Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan, Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families at the University of Columbia.

ECE of the USA is not in this table. ECE of the Netherland, Finland, and South Korea are ranking high.

USA Early Childhood Education ranks 22^nd in Quality.

The USA ranks 21^st in its expenses on Pre-Primary Education.

  Consequence 2.

Global Fund for Children was another website that keeps us updated on young children's problems and education. Education | Global Fund for Children

Consequence 3

The Aga Khan Network (AKDN) takes us to the far-off area of the world where this network helps young children in poverty and educates them for the future.

Aga Khan Education Services | Aga Khan Development Network (akdn.org)

As schools open, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Education Services have curated a list of practical tips and activities to support students' relationships, well-being, and learning during COVID-19.

My Professional Goal

I will keep myself attached to the above websites and other international websites to keep me abreast of the Early Childhood Education world over. My professional goal is to learn about the best practices in ECE in different countries.

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

 

    I am working at an Earling Learning Center in Rockford, Illinois. All-day, I see children coming from a population that is not affluent. Parents do not have a single moment to talk to the children. They are doing two or even three jobs to survive. While leaving their children at our center and taking them back from the center, they are in a rush. I see the neglect in the children's faces, in the dress they wear, and the attitude they have formed in response to the parents' negligence. These children are love hungry. They adore you with a single word of kindness and by a single act of empathy. They start loving you. For me, this love is a great reward.

         We strive for quality and excellence every moment at our center. I do not say that we are working in an ideal environment, but we are working every moment to improve it.

         My center gives importance to the continuous training of its teachers. I see all the opportunities for my personal growth here.

         Initially, I will continue working as a teacher at my center, but I will be more than happy to take an administrative role. My master's at Walden covers this Administration and Finance education of early childhood center.

 

But my dreams are more than being a teacher or administrator at an Early Child Center.

 

I will like to work in a position that may bring changes in the lives of children and their families. I want to work for the underprivileged but from a position where I may bring changes in parents' lives and ultimately in children's lives. I wish that children enter any center with smiles and their parents leave them in school with satisfaction and hopes.

I come from an area where children start working at the age of four. The parents of these children cannot even dream of child education. Generation after generation has passed with this neglect of children. I dream of bringing care, education, and hopes to these children.

          The new insights gained from the reflections, podcasts, and website visits this week and during previous weeks inspires me every moment. I know I am inching towards my big dream.

 

                                                              Tasneem Ahmad Mumtaz

Sharing Web Resources on Equity and Barriers to ECE

 

From Grassroots Review- a newsletter of Global Fund for children.

Amid the global crisis, GFC’s local partners have launched new initiatives that go beyond humanitarian aid, including a community radio station, community gardens, and virtual courses. In this blog, GFC’s Rodrigo Barraza García reflects on what he and our local partners have learned about staying safe while continuing to serve children and support each other. Read about these initiatives and what the crisis has taught us about collective care. 

Read more at: https://globalfundforchildren.org/news-press/newsletters/

                                    

Read more at: 

https://nieer.org/research-report/barriers-to-expansion-of-nc-pre-k-problems-and-potential-solutions

                                   

     Read more at: 

https://medium.com/@NatlHeadStart

    

         This webinar series provides a focus on the psychological and interpersonal dynamic of 

         achieving racial equity goals and supports participants in the practice of speaking the 

         language of equity.

         This webinar introduces relationship-based psychosocial tools for Infant Toddler Court 

         Teams to use, build on, and sustain equity practices in their specific communities.

        Read more at: 

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3754-breaking-down-barriers-for-engagement-with-families-of-color-to-achieve-racial-equity-webinar

            

    Promoting equity in your classroom is within your reach, and this on-demand mini-course will 

    give you some of the tools you need. It focuses on what equity work can look like for 

    teachers working with children ages 3 through 5 on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. 

    You will find strategies and tips for how you can support the learning and development of 

    each and every child in your classroom through intentional play opportunities and guided 

    instructional supports. The full scope of equity work cannot be addressed in a single 

    module or book. Consider this just one resource on your journey to teaching with an equity 

    lens. This module explores the six parts of the book Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool 

     with an Equity Lens.

       Read more at: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pd/online-learning/each-and-every-child-independent

Issues related to excellence and equity

 

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University has great resources on Child Development issues in video, text,  and audio formats.

You can build Child's brain!

                           

    Children of color are facing brunt of COVID 19

To listen the podcast go to the link: The Brain Architects Podcast: Addressing Racial Disparities in COVID-19 (harvard.edu)

The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Development

From International Web Resources

Global Fund For Children (GFC) is changing lives of children worldwide

Learn more about this Equity  by clicking: 

https://www.akdn.org/project/ensuring-equity-online-classroom