Sharing Web Resources

The website that I chose to study further is the Early Childhood Australia website and the reason that I really like this website is because it had an extensive amount of resources for those working in early childcare. It keeps teachers current with what is going on in the here and now but it also has an archive of the Australian Journal of Early Childhood which is a professional journal that has resources and research about a large variety of topics being studied in Australia regarding the field of Early Childhood Development.

This sight not only helps teachers and parents stay caught up on what is current in early childhood development, such as the issue of screen time in the classroom and how much technology should be used in the classroom but it also helps teachers know what government is planning in regards to incorporating indigenous programs into the classrooms of Australia. The politicians have to make difficult decisions in Australia the same way that they do here and they are following the research. As teachers we may see things one way but the politicians have to look at more than just the good of an individual classroom so their job is slightly more difficult.

This website is wonderful for teachers and parents alike. It also has resources for ideas about ways to incorporate best practices into the classroom and how to share those best practices in the home when the school day is over. Overall a very informative website. 

International Contacts and Poverty

While working on this blog assignment I unfortunately did not have any success reaching out to contacts from other countries. None of the contacts that I made returned my emails or phone calls and I was unable to get the podcasts to work so I had no choice but to research the UNICEF Website. On the website I found a document that has shown me some startling statistics and makes me realize that even though poverty is present in the United States it is so much more prevalent in other countries. For example, more than 658 million people is South Asia alone have no place to use the restroom or wash their hands and are forced to openly defecate which means that they find a bush or a river to defecate in causing a lack of sanitary conditions that lead to sickness and disease. Even the homeless people in the United States can find someplace to use the restroom and wash themselves. Another startling fact for me to see is that 63 million children under the age of 5 have had their growth stunted due to malnutrition in South Asia. After some careful research I could not find any statistics of the same problem in the United States. While I am certain that this a problem seen in the United States it is not nearly as serious as it is in other countries. Another statistic that was shocking to me was the fact that more than half of all deaths to children under the age of 5 years old take place in just 5 countries with the majority of those 5 countries being in South Asia (UNICEF, 2014). I realize that poverty is an important issue that affects child development and that the United States should be doing everything they can to help the children of this country to overcome this challenge so they can have proper development but as an advocate for all children I challenge you to notice the children of other countries, less industrialized countries and find out what you can do for them as well. These children deserve the same chance at a healthy development as do the children of the United States and it is a sad state that the world is in when only a few notice the problems of so many.

Resources

UNICEF. (2014). UNICEF Strategic Plan 2014-2017. Retrieved on January 22, 2015 from, http://www.unicef.org/strategicplan/files/UNICEF_Strategic_Plan__2014-2017_e-version.pdf

International Resources-Early Childhood Australia

           The organization that I chose to study further for the purposes of this course is Early Childhood Australia. This organization offers teaching tips and tools for teachers as well as opportunities for teachers to further their education. It also offers resources for parents on how to handle various developmental problems and an e-newsletter that is full of articles on current events and tips as well as news on policy making and government involvement in the early childhood field. The link to this website is: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/.

            One issue that the newsletter from this organization that I noticed that we would relate to in America is that of offering parenting classes to young people of various cultures. In the December news article there was talk of an organization helping young Aboriginal men how to become good fathers and often times we find that young men and women in low income areas and households also need some teaching on how to be quality parents. Maybe it is their age and maybe it is their circumstance but it is a fact that parenting classes are something that should be offered to a lot of people both here and in other countries.

            One thing that I learned from this organization is that no matter what country you live in there is always room for more professional development and everyone takes the education of young children very seriously. Studying the way other countries experience their early childhood programs and the education of their teachers is helpful in leading me toward my goals of having our nation take on a bigger role in the education of our youngest children. Everyone stresses learning for kids in K-5 classrooms but what about smaller children. Other countries take serious this area of study while every state in our nation has a different set of guidelines for what their teachers have to do to teach. This organization takes the time to stress education and provides teachers with opportunities to do further their education. America should consider this as a nation and not just individual states. 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

        In trying to make contact with ECE Specialists from around the world I contacted Mr. Eric Atmore from South Africa and a Mrs. Besilda Rios from the Philippines. Neither one of these professionals responded to my emails. Even though I sent them written letters I am going to say that I am probably going to have to go with the alternative assignment for the blog posts and listen to pod casts. If I hear back from the professionals I will go on with the assignment without modifying it.

        For part 2 of the assignment I am choosing the website Early Childhood Australia: A Voice for Young Children. I am choosing this website because I have read a lot of studies coming out of Australia over the past through years in my Journey through early childcare development and am usually fascinated by what they are doing over there. I look forward to learning more about their approaches to Early Childhood Development and how Australian professionals feel like the field can be made better.