Final Post

In order to truly understand the issues and trends of early childhood, it is immensely important to take a look from outside of our own personal lens. When we reach out to international contacts and learn about international organizations, only then can our horizons be broadened. Through this course, I was able to immerse myself in the plight of collecting research and data to benefit the early childhood field internationally with the International Step by Step Association (ISSA). I was able to learn about the importance of having statistical facts in order for law and policymakers to hold any form of voice in the advocacy roles. It is is also important for members of the EC field to take into account the need for collective data so that others may draw upon studies and findings to help the children and families they serve.

Through the past 8 weeks, I was also able to connect with an old professor who is now in the same line of profession I am, only a few thousand miles apart in Germany. Through this contact, I was able to get actual quotes and opinions on issues and trends that EC members are facing there. It was also an amazing chance to be connect with students from Germany as I was able to set up a pen-pal program with my Kinder students and Charlotte's Kinder students. Through my connection, I hope that my students will have made a connection that will last a lifetime.

It is so important to continuously research and collect resources regarding the issues and trends of EC. Especially as members who have chosen to further our education, we have made a commitment to ourselves and to our field that we will be advocates for those who cannot. It is my professional goal to be an advocate for the students that enter my classroom, and for those in my community. With this start, perhaps one day I can play a role as an advocate for Charlotte's students or others around the globe.

Issues and Opportunities

 

My international contact, Charlotte, is currently a Kindergarten teacher in Germany. While she completed her undergrad and graduate coursework within the United States, she has aspirations of continuing her line of work with the German school systems. Based on her own upbringing and experiences in education in East Germany, she believes she will create the biggest impact within her own country as an Early Childhood educator. Currently, Germany's field of early childhood which is labeled as Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), has issues regarding the lack of data and research associated with early childhood which impacts policy and lawmakers. With the lack of support that data provides, many law and policy makers are left without a strong foothold to make any true changes. While America and other Anglo-Saxon European countries have a long-record of data regarding ECEC, Germany has a lack of scientific inquiry which affects data needed to make change. Charlotte says that this is mainly due to the disinterest in German politics back in the sixties and seventies which meant a lot of public funding was pulled. Without funding, data-driven research becomes nearly impossible.

Charlotte says that she has been attending Professional Development (PD) courses during the summer months the past two years in Berlin that deal with how educators themselves can conduct their own research for future use. In fact, Charlotte has had to partake in quite a bit of PD on her own time and dime (or Euro, essentially). This is mainly due to the lack of funding her school receives as she is located in a small village, away from any major city. Most of their funding comes from alumni and private donors. As it is a K-12 school, most of the PD is centered towards the later grades as those are seen "more important" as these are the years that students choose their future workforce as discussed in a previous post on this blog. If Charlotte and her Kinder-colleagues wish to further their professional development, they are usually forced to apply for grants from local colleges or donors.

In terms of future aspirations and goals, Charlotte hopes to make an impact in her school system by challenging the lack of attention early childhood educators and other field members receive when it comes to funding and resources. She hopes that she can challenge her colleagues to join her on this journey so their voice may be heard at the national level for the need of funding. However, Charlotte says the first step is obtaining data and research so that their requests are supported with evidence.

ISSA: EC Workforce Initiative

 

Equity of care within Early Childhood has been the main focus of discussion in this week's program lesson. As it be, the website that I chose to follow from the beginning of the coursa, the International Step by Step Association, recently rolled out the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative which focuses on equity of the EC field members. This initiative focuses on the country system and policy level to support and empower the professionals in the Early Childhood field. The initiative is aiming to "bridge gaps in policy and practice and promote high quality, equitable services" (ISSA, 2016) through four main goals.The first being Compentences and Standards: 
 
 "Competences and Standards ensure that there are agreed requirements and expectations for      what early childhood workers should know and be able to do as well as the core principles guiding their work with young children and their families. This also entails professional profiles of different roles within diverse early childhood services and defining competencies at individual, team, institutional, and systems levels" (ISSA, 2016).

The second goal is Training and Professional Devleopment:

"The early childhood workforce is very diverse, and both pre-service and in-service training opportunities need to be up-to-date, evidence-based, and linked to practice so to support a competent workforce. Given the diversity of the workforce, including many volunteers or staff without formal education, it is important to develop career pathways with diverse entry points/levels and a clear progression route" (Early Childhood Workforce, 2016).

The third goal is Monitoring and Mentoring:

"Creating systems for continuous feedback and coaching are important for ensuring that workers receive information they can use to improve their practice on ongoing basis and are linked to pathways for career advancement" (Early Childhood Workforce, 2016).

And the final goal is Recognition of the Profession:

"Currently, the level of remuneration, working conditions, and status of the early childhood workforce is poor, including relative to primary teachers, nurses, social workers and other similar professions. Recruitment challenges, high turnover, and low morale compromise the quality of provision. There is a need to explore ways to improve the attractiveness and perception of the profession and to promote ways to give voice to practitioners in their daily work and in policy discussions, including through collective action" (EC Workforce, 2016)

These goals are aimed to achieve equity for the professionals of Early Childhood by addressing the main four reasons many individuals choose to enter the field, or once in, whether or not to stay. As we have studied throughout this program, many Early Childhood Educators (ECE) and other EC members, deal with low pay, lack of training, and unclear standards to follow. Something like the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative can have a huge impact for EC professionals and highlight the work they do that changes children's lives.

References

Welcome to EC Workforce | EC Workforce. (2016). Retrieved December 03, 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodworkforce.org/

Excellence and Equity in Germany

Germany's school systems are based through vocational training. From a young age, children are pushed onto a track for a certain type of career, usually based on their family background. This means that from an early age, German children are learning and are immersed in specific schooling and educational practices that are meant to guide them on an educational path motivated by their future career. It would be as if the assignment most Kindergartners were given that has them describe "What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up" actually put them in vocational training to begin their path for that carreer.

My German educational partner for this Blogging journey, Charlotte Freidrich, comes from a family of professors and teachers, meaning she was destined from an early age to follow on the educational vocational track. While some of her peers were destined for the medical field, others for mechanic training, this meant that Charlotte was within a set group of students who took education-based courses as young as six years old. Charlotte remembers taking a class on how to teach counting when she herself was barely old enough to grasp the concept of multiplying and dividing. Charlotte holds firm that this type of education better prepared her for her career as an educator, yet to American standards, having a child enter vocational training at such a young age that basically determines their career over a decade later, seems strange. In terms of equity, however, this educational approach could be considered both positive and negative. While children are given real-life training and educational services for their vocation, what happens if a child decides they no longer are destined to be an engineer, but perhaps a professor instead? Could it be considered equity if the child does not have the opportunity to follow a different track?

Sharing Web Resources

My chosen organization this semester was the International Step by Step Association which conducts international research that directly relates to the early childhood field. This organization is a data-driven association that aims to provide real information and resources to the international early childhood community.

One section that stood out to me is the Call for Evidence to Inform Landscape Anaylses on the Early Childhood Workforce that ISSA published this week. In this study, ISSA is working with the Results for Development Institute (R4D) and launched the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative (ECWI). This initiative is a global effort has the sole responsibility of determining the challenges members in the early childhood field are experiencing. As I am still a new member to the field, I find it both interesting and important to understand what challenges I might face in the field and how they relate to other members on a global scale. A few areas that they look into are competencies and standards; training and professional development; monitoring and mentoring; and recognition of the profession. As each area encompasses more than just the early childhood field professional, this study builds upon the influence of economists, politicians, and others in relation to the field as a range of income, status, and EC landscapes are studied.

It is important to view the challenges EC members face, especially at a global level. We can determine how challenges can be overcome and manage the future of the field by studying other areas. With the data and resources I obtained through studying this initiative this week, I believe that I will have a better understanding as I continue in the field and put more years on my Early Childhood member time card.

International Introduction

My connection in Chemnitz, Germany is Charlotte Friedrich. As she was once my professor in my undergraduate career, I know her teaching style and the care that she shows her students. Having worked in post-secondary education, Charlotte completed her Masters in Early Childhood in the United States and returned back to her hometown to teach Early Childhood. According to Charlotte, over 12.5 million Germans are below the poverty level. That high of a number has not been seen since Germany's reunification in 1989 and the early 90s. In the small town of Chemnitz, which is a city in East Germany, there are quite a few families that fall under the poverty line, mainly due to the rural lifestyle this city has adopted. With a busy city center, the villages surrounding the main city are mostly farms that grow just enough to sell in the markets in order to survive. Many of Charlotte's students miss a lot of school during the harvest months which puts their education as risk and usually results in a high drop-out rate.

I relate to Charlotte as I  have a high Hispanic population of students who miss school during the harvest months as families pull children out to help harvest in order to earn extra money. As an educator, it is heartbreaking knowing these children are missing essential concepts and information that will help them succeed, but as Charlotte says, "when it is a matter of survival, education means nothing".

Web Resources

I chose International Step by Step Association (ISSA) because "ISSA champions the right of all children to reach their unique, full potential and welcomes all organizations and individuals who have the same ambitions" (ISSA, n.d.) which is something I hold to my own advocacy. While I have not received a newsletter as of yet, I do follow them on Facebook and a current issue that they are addressing is the childhood statelessness in Europe. As our world faces many struggles and tragedies, children have become the silent victims. Children that are considered statelessness may be for a number of reasons: they may have been born to refugees, born without access to birth certificates, delivered in a time of competing nationality laws, or even children who have been abandoned or orphaned due to war or times of need. Without a nationality, these children are left without access to healthcare and the basic rights granted to those with an identifiable nationality. It makes it extremely difficult as an individual to access the most basic of things and even to travel. So many take our nationalities for granted, yet we do not realize what it gives us in return. ISSA is currently fronting a petition to European states to identify these stateless children and to grant them nationality for survival. I have already signed the petition and have realized how important a nationality is. It is something that I will remember during the election this Tuesday, regardless of the results. 

Link to Organization: http://www.issa.nl/

Link to Petition: https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/end-childhood-statelessness-in-europe?utm_campaign=2ve2HAdFOV&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=member

Child Development in Germany and the Dominican Republic

Part I:

Based on my own personal connections and professionalism, I have established a relationship with one of my old teaching assistants from college who is now a Kindergarten teacher in Chemnitz, Germany (just as I am a Kindergarten teacher here in the United States). I have also connected with someone I met last year on my honeymoon in the Dominican Republic! She now works at a daycare in Punta Cana, servicing at-risk children in the area. Both women are extremely well informed about the world of early childhood and have agreed to aid me in this course and in future questions. I have talked with each of these women and we will be in contact at least once a week for the remainder of this course!




Part II:

I chose to keep up to date with the International Step by Step  Association as I have not heard of them before, yet on doing research this week, I learned of their mission to have all children "reach their unique potential" which is a motto I try and live by everyday as an educator. I look forward to learning more about the organization and to possibly being an advocate for them.

My Supports

Living things are reliant on the support of others. Without support, there is limited chance for success. I believe that is why all living things were created in multiples; it is essential to support one another for survival. My family is one of the biggest forms of support I have. I have never had to question whether or not my decisions or actions would be supported. Even the decision of moving halfway across the country for a career was never once met with anything less of hugs and genuine congratulations. Without my family, I believe I would be lost in the world.

 

It is with this thought, I imagine my difficult situation would be living my life without my family. The realization of not being able to pick up the phone to call my dad for advice or visiting my mom to discuss a life decision, or even escaping reality with a weekend trip with my brother and sister, I would be utterly lost. Support is essential for success, and it is also essential for survival. Without these systems in place, the world would be much different.

My Connections to Play

Play is such an essential part of life. We begin to experience the wonder of the world around us from infancy and mature in our methods to take in information and relate it to ourselves through the act of play. Even now as an adult, I find joy in "free play" in the terms of doing things that I enjoy and that are beneficial to my self. As a child, I was lucky enough to be able to experience play within my school systems as the time period then celebrated learning within the classroom through play and activities. This was how I learned and is what sparked my love for teaching.

Play for me as a child revolved around being outside, getting dirty and being active. I have more scars on my body from my days climbing trees, biking, and falling off playground sets than I have accumulated in my years since I was a child. Each scar is a memory of a time where I was free to utilize my creativity with my friends and family to be anything I wanted, to do anything I wanted. It was freedom.

Play was all about making believe and focusing on what the world was made up around us. I was known by everyone in the neighborhood, regardless of where I lived, as I frequented the streets, searching for the next great adventure. Even now as an adult, I sometimes catch myself day dreaming about roaming the streets, finding a secret quest or a hidden tunnel to explore. As a child, anything and everything was used to create a world of imagination and memories.  It was a simpler time, even in the early 1990s, where the world felt safe and the act of creative and physical play for children was celebrated. Today's society only knows play in the form of a screen and a simple slide of the finger. Gone are the days where children are allowed to roam the streets on their bike, and gone are the days where kids ached for the rain to stop so they could go explore. Perhaps the worst part is how schools have become more test-oriented, eliminating the time once used for structured play for child which would be extremely beneficial to get our children out in the world exploring the physical aspect of our world, rather than the technological one.

Those That Matter Most - Relationship Reflection

 A relationship extends beyond just being connected with someone through mutual likes and/or understandings. Relationships are the cement that holds us as human beings together. We are not meant to be alone as we are hardwired for interaction and emotion. Relationships give us both of these. They bring us a reason to wake up, to go to work and better ourselves; they also give us a reason to continue improving our own environment and livelihood. Without relationships, it would be extremely hard to interact with the world around us, especially society. 

For me, the relationship I have with my husband and my two dogs are what keep me going and striving to better myself. Every decision and action I take, I remember them and ask myself, "Will this improve our lives?". The cliche of my husband being my best friend is extremely relevant as we met under interesting circumstances and quite literally spent every moment together after. Our relationship is build on trust and a love for laughter. Having this relationship makes me better as a person with a positive outlook on life as I have someone to share things with. Whether that be a good joke or a good book, or even share some of the stress from my day, I can rely on him. 

The same goes for my two dogs. While they may not speak in a language others can hear, their actions and looks show me that they trust me to take care of them as I trust them to take care of me. My two pups are the first thing I see in the morning (sorry husband), and the last ones to kiss me goodnight (again, sorry husband). I have a relationship with my dogs that give each of us a purpose in our little family and keep us all going. I believe that my life is better because of the relationships I have with my small little family, each one unique and genuine. 

A Word of Thanks

This has been an incredible course that has taught me so much about the stages of childhood. I plan to take the resources, notes, and hours of observation with me on my path towards a Master in Education through Walden. It has been my greatest pleasure to be apart of such a diverse and well-spoken community of individuals who are on the same journey as I am. On that note, I would like to publicly thank each and everyone in EDUC 6160 for an amazing 8 weeks of discussion and blogging. A personal shout-out to Kelly Willette and Steva Molinaro who have kept me interested with each and every blog post. I wish you both the best of luck in the courses to come and with your overall goals.

Thank you!

Contesting the Assessing

 

Children are assessed even before birth. Prenatal testing assess a fetus' gender, risk for complications, and their genetic makeup that predetermines if the baby will be born with a variety of "disabilities" such as Down Syndrome or Autism. Once the baby is born, they are further assessed to determine any post-birth complications or challenges that could not be assessed in the womb. As the child grows, they continue to be measured academically, biologically, socially, cognitively, and even psycho-socially. This measuring and assessing of children can be both beneficial and destructive. Things like fetus testing can help a parent grab a head-start on things such Fetal Alcohol, Down Syndrome, etc. However, it can be argued that it can be detrimental as many parents may opt for an aborted pregnancy if their child faces a certain challenge.

"Down Syndrome is the most common genetic cause of learning disability with a frequency of about 1 in 700 births. It is caused by an extra copy of Chromosome 21." (Tapon, 2009, p.112) Genetic counselors do more prenatal tests for Down Syndrome than any other test which is meant to aid in planning the pregnancy and delivery as well as prepare the parents psychologically for the birth of baby who has a "disability". This usually results in a discussion for putting the baby up for adoption or aborting the pregnancy. As wrong as it sounds, parents carrying a fetus that will be born with Down Syndrome, almost always receive this conversation from the genetic counselor and the birthing doctor. (Tapon, 2009) Around 67% of pregnancies that are diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the United States are aborted. Europe's rate is at about 92% (Mansfield, Hopfer, & Marteau, 1999, p.3) which is the highest rate of aborted pregnancies diagnosed with Down Syndrome. 

In fact, in the United Kingdom, fetuses who are determined to have Down Syndrome can be aborted at 40 weeks while a "normal" fetus can be aborted up until week 24. (Tapon, 2009) There is a lot of debate on whether this should be limited or not as more and more states are prohibiting termination after a prenatal diagnosis.


As is evidenced, children diagnosed with Down Syndrome face many challenges, even before they are born into this world. Once they have reached school-age, they can face even more challenges. Luckily, there are national laws and policies put into place that aid these children and provide resources to the families. Public schools that are federally funded provide Special Education classrooms, teachers, and instructional times to help these children through whatever they need help with. In the United States, they receive Individualized Education Programs (IEP) which pinpoints what areas to focus on and what steps should be taken to ensure a beneficial education. This is a result of measuring and assessing these children. In this case, it is beneficial to assess to determine the right path for these children so that they can receive a proper education and benefit from their surroundings.

The United Kingdom also provides assessments for school-aged children with Down Syndrome to determine what educational path they should be on. This can begin as young as 2 years old and determines what types of program and/or educational setting they should be a part of (Down's Syndrome Association, n.d.) so that they can achieve maximum results.

Assessing children with diagnosed disabilities can be extremely beneficial so that individualized approaches can be applied so that their challenges are minimal. I believe that measuring and assessing educational abilities for the sake of educational programs is acceptable and needed. Approach and reasoning prove to be the best reasons for measuring and assessing. When the approach is invasive or the reasoning is not for the benefit for the child, then measurement and assessment are unwarranted.

Reference

Down's Syndrome Association. (n.d.). Retrieved August 03, 2016, from http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-new-parents/education/early-years/

Mansfield, C., Hopfer, S., & Marteau, T. M. (1999). Termination rates after prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, spina bifida, anencephaly, and Turner and Klinefelter syndromes: A systematic literature review. Prenatal Diagnosis Prenat. Diagn., 19(9), 808-812. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0223(199909)19:93.0.co;2-b

Schooling from Preschool to Age 21. (n.d.). Retrieved August 03, 2016, from http://www.ndss.org/Resources/Education/Schooling-from-Preschool-to-Age-21/ 

Tapon, D. (2009). Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome: Comparison of Screening Practices in the UK and USA. Journal of Genetic Counseling J Genet Counsel, 19(2), 112-130. doi:10.1007/s10897-009-9269-1

I Ain't Worried 'Bout Nuthin'

 

Natural disasters are scary. Not just for the destruction they bring, but for the memories and nightmares they bring with them. As a child, we are in a bubble that encompasses our own unique world. It's the safety of our home, the family that loves us, the school and friends we go to everyday. What happens when this bubble is popped? When this world that we knew and loved, is gone?

This is what natural disasters bring. They can either be quick and deadly like tornadoes, floods, or fires. Or they can be drawn out and beyond damaging as is the case with hurricanes and earthquakes. While many children may not have to experience more than the news or the occasional lightening strike close to home, the reality is that many children around the world face natural disasters many time in their life, incapable of moving from the danger zones due to finances, or the fact that this place is their home. 

In September of 1998, three days after my sixth birthday, my young world was affected by Hurricane Georges when I lived in Biloxi, Mississippi. "The hurricane maintained Category 2 intensity as it tracked through the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall near Biloxi, MS on the morning of September 28th with maximum winds of 110 mph and a minimum pressure of 964 mb" (National Weather Service Forecast Office, n.d., para.2). It flooded our home that we lived in on Keesler Air Force Base, leveled my outside classrooms at my elementary school, and displaced many of my friends who lived even closer to the Gulf of Mexico, some who moved before I ever got to see them again. My small little world was turned upside down, but I was lucky that my family and community had ample amount of time to know when the hurricane would make landfall and to make it further inland. The memories of living at a hotel for weeks and the cleanup after will always be ingrained in my mind.

Hurricane Georges also impacted other children my age in Puerto Rico and influenced the stress levels of the children there. On the "eastern part of the island, 2,238 individual cases were reported as receiving crisis counseling in a 3-week period, including approximately 467 cases of children that were exhibiting acute reactions to stress" (Felix, Hernandez, Bravo, Ramirez, Vaiya, & Canino, 2011, para.12) It was the first hurricane to hit the island in 9 years, and has since been the last hurricane to directly hit the island since. These children's lives were affected similar to mine and will live with these memories for their entire lives.

References

Felix, E., Hernández, L. A., Bravo, M., Ramirez, R., Cabiya, J., & Canino, G. (2011). Natural Disaster and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rican Children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology J Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(4), 589-600. doi:10.1007/s10802-010-9483-1

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2016, from http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/?n=georges