Research Simulation

I chose to focus on the topic of cultural responsiveness in the Early Childhood Education field.  I chose this topic because of my personal and professional experience with this issue.  I currently work at a very diverse center with Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic children.  It's important for all families to be respected and feel a sense of belonging when they bring their child to school each day.  The environment should be representative and respectful of all cultures.  This motivates children to learn and gives them a sense of pride.  It also opens their minds up to learning about others and teaches them respect. 

During this simulation I learned more about this topic.  I also gained a better understanding of how to research and evaluate scholarly articles.  It took a while in finding good resources that focused on my subtopic.  When I searched my topic I was given articles that focused more on Early childhood in general.  I had to really dig deep in finding quality resources that focused more on cultural awareness in the field.  Does anyone have any advice on how I can better narrow down my search results to more articles based on my specific topic? I would appreciated any responses. 

International Early Childhood Field: Week 8

Consequences for learning about the international early childhood field:

          

           Learned that poverty exist in other countries and greatly effects the education of children. 

      Learned that other countries have their own initiatives for providing quality early childhood programs

      Learned that poor health conditions in other countries also effects their education and development.

My goal is to continue to research and connect with international professionals to provide quality childcare for all children.  

UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education"

I chose to review the UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage.  While reviewing the webpage I came across information related to accessibility, equity, and quality.  The organization states that there are countries that promote services for low-income families that have limited or no access to mainstream early childhood services.  Although those services are available to them, that doesn’t necessarily mean those services are considered “quality”.  The government has limited resources to put into services for low income families, therefore high quality services are going to those who can afford it. 

The website also focuses on the benefits and factors of high quality childcare programs.  The benefits are that children are more motivated to learn, confident, and ready for school.  Factors that play into high quality programs include, culturally and adequate learning materials, teacher training, and parental education and involvement.

Lastly the organization focuses on investment and financing.   It states that developing countries, in particular, have to put early childhood programs on the back burner to focus on more pressing issues such as healthcare and universal primary education.  There’s just not enough money available to put into investing in high quality childcare services.  

Sharing Web Resources

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has a link called "topics" that I chose to explore further.  Under the link was the topic of family engagement. The website offers ways on how to better communicate with families and get them actively involved in their child’s development and education.  When families are involved children become more motivated to learn when they have a strong support system.   This specific topic addresses the issue of responsiveness and how early childhood professionals can address the needs of all families.  NAEYC’s has a project called Engaging Diverse Families and has six principles of family engagement. 

Principle 1: Invite families to participate in decision making and goal setting.

Principle 2: Engage families in two-way communication.

Principle 3: Engage families in ways that are truly reciprocal.

Principle 4: Provide learning activities for the home and the community.

Principle 5: Invite families to participate in program-level decisions.

Principle 6: Have programs that implement a comprehensive program level system of family engagement. 

Sharing Web Resources-part 2

The organization that I have been researching is the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Their website is very informative, well organized, and easy to navigate.  The section that really stands out to me and that seems relevant to my current professional development is the section titled “Publications”.  Clicking on the publications tab takes you to a listing of articles related to educating young children.  I am currently a preschool teacher working with 3 and 4 year olds and I found several of their articles to be beneficial to my current teaching style and lesson planning.   

There is an article on the website entitled “Tender Topics: Using Read-Alouds to Explore Sensitive Issues”.  The title of the article made me want to read more on the topic.  I use read-alouds throughout my lesson plans to help improve listening skills and logic reasoning skills, therefore this article really stood out to me.  I also encounter situations within my classroom considered “tender topics” that are difficult to explain to children such as, divorce, child abuse, bullying, and homelessness.  I have several children in my class that have divorce parents and some of them don’t even know their dads, and it’s difficult for me to explain to them and the other children why both their parents are unable to attend “family picnic day” or why some children make father’s day cards and others don’t.  This article discusses ways in which we can address these tender topics with our class by using read-alouds and having class discussions. 

The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s website offers insight into how early childhood professionals can provide quality childcare through training and publications.  It’s a wonderful resource to use in gaining knowledge on the best childcare practices and policies. 

Childhood Poverty in Mongolia

After reviewing the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Research Centre’s website, I chose to further study poverty in Mongolia.  In 1997 Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization which made it one of the world’s most open economies.  This change brought about an increase in unemployment rates and prices, and a decrease in social services and welfare.  Although there has been a more positive shift in the economy in Mongolia over the past few years, due to increased macro-economic stability and growth, many Mongolians have yet to see the benefits from it.  Those living under the poverty line are mostly families headed by single woman with children between the ages of birth to 16.

Also in Mongolia health care services for poor families and migrants is almost nonexistent partly due to health insurance schemes.  Those who can afford health care tend to turn to private clinics for care because of the poor service they would receive elsewhere.  In Mongolia there has been some progress in health care seen since 1990, such as a decrease in infant mortality rates, although malnutrition is still a concern in this country.  With the lack of health care services for the poor, they also have to deal with a lack of education services, which “suffered badly with cuts from the national budget”. 

There should be more services in place to help families below the poverty line.  In Mongolia, more children are having to quit school at a young age to work to help support their families.  Children should not have to worry about finding a job; they should be focused on getting a good education. 

According to the website, there are plans in place to help reduce poverty in Mongolia, such as, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.  This development will assist in economic growth, social welfare, and rural development in Mongolia. 

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (2013) Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

Sharing Web Resources

The organization I chose to research was the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  This organization strives to improve practices in early childhood education.  It’s mission states, “NAEYC’s mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights, and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.”  NAEYC has a statement on inclusion that focuses on access, participation, and support.  Families need to know that there are high quality education programs available and that they exist in a variety of settings.  As part of participation, families need to feel a sense of belonging and be encouraged to actively participate in their child’s education.  Children also need to be supported and guided in learning and their development.  It’s important for adults to promote a sense of belonging, and be culturally sensitive and understanding.  According to the article, “Where We Stand”, “creativity and collaboration are needed to ensure that all children, whatever their current language proficiency or culture, have the opportunity to participate fully in the program’s learning opportunities.” (NAEYC 2009)  It’s important for educators to work closely with families to learn more about their culture and individual needs.  In my professional experience I have learned that understanding individual cultures is highly important in child development.  Understanding a child’s culture is key in teaching a child and planning and implementing lessons that help in guiding the child through development.  

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Where we stand on responding to cultural and linguistic diversity. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf