Consequences of learning about the international early childhood field:

            The first thing I realized was how different countries can be.  What works in one country may not work in another.  In Spain, they are thinking of sending children home from school for lunch to avoid the cost of providing lunch.  I can’t even imagine this working in the US.  Too many parents already complain about half day kindergarten and trying to find care for the rest of the day. 

            Another consequence was the realization of how behind the US is compared to other countries.  Bilingual classrooms seem to be common everywhere but the US.  There is also global competitiveness.  Dr. Grace explained that there is a “push down” expectation to try and catch up to the rest of the world (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010).

            My final consequence is that I have found numerous blogs and websites to further educate me on international matters.  These resources will come in handy in both my personal and professional development.  Which brings me to my goal on international awareness:

            I would like to continue learning from other countries and form a collaboration to enhance all early childhood programs.

           

 

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010).  Economists, scientist, and politicians supporting the EC field. 

            Conversation with Dr. Cathy Grace. 

UPDATE:

I just received this response from my international contact on the question - - Are there any
incentives to further your education?

Response:
Teachers receive points to further their education. They can attend courses or whatever is officially accepted by the 'ministerio de educación y cultura' to get those points that will be translated into years of teaching. They are important because depending on those years a teacher can move from school to school, until the one that she/he specifically asks.

Thought it was very interesting!

Getting to know your international contacts - - part 3

Well, I am a little disappointed that my international contact did not respond to my questions this week.  I waited until today (Saturday) hoping to get a response but have now opted to do the alternative assignment.

In looking at the UNESCO website, I easily found articles and events related to my professional goals.  The first article I read was under the EDUCATION tab on a news link.  It was written by Irina Bokova, the Director - General of UNESCO.  The title caught my attention - - The First International Day of the Girl Child.  It is about raising awareness for the discrimination and inequities that girls all over the world face.  Girls endure more poverty, violence, early marriage, and lack of opportunities than do boys.  This is still an injustice in the US as well.  Women make less than their male counterparts for the same job.  This inequity and injustice violates basic rights.  Empowerment through education can break this cycle. Educating others will change the lives of these children for the better, which is one of my professional goals.

Next, under the UNESCO tab, I looked at the Calendar of Events and noticed a workshop on Data Management.  It is a three day workshop in Nepal to strengthen providers capacities in data collection and analysis.  It will help in program planning and monitoring and evaluation.  This sounds like a great opportunity to improve program performance which any administrator would welcome.

Finally, under the CULTURE tab, I found an article on UNESCO & CERDOTOLA joining together to promote African Cultures.  This agreement was just signed on April 12th.  It's purpose is to establish stronger cooperation between the two organizations to use their expertise in the field of culture and human and social sciences.  Their goal is to safeguard and enhance the world history, languages, and cultural heritage of Africa.  Collaborative efforts such as this are a great way to become a strong effective leader, another of my professional goals. 

                                               


UNESCO  http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

Sharing Web Resources

NIEER

I decided to follow the NIEER blog..."Preschool Matters...Today!"

  I found an article called (Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know about Pre-K in the Federal Budget".  The Department of Education is requesting $75 billion over 10 years.  State funding would be based on the number of families with 4 years olds at or below poverty.  The budget also asks for $750 million in discretionary funds for Preschool Development Grants for the 2014 year.  This money would be for states to create or expand a high quality preschool system serving 4 year olds from low and moderate income families.  The Department of Health and Human Services budget has $1.4 million for Early Head Start, $200 million to support high quality care, and $15 billion over 10 years to support home visiting programs. 

I then followed a link to see "What's New".  Here I found an interesting article called, "The Push for Pre-K: Has the time come for universal early education?"  This article gave information on both sides of the argument.  The first contributor, Rachel Sheffield, is a research associate from the conservative Heritage Foundation.  She co-wrote a paper stating that pre-k and head start do not get the results to justify spending in Obama's preschool initiative.  She goes on to say that we should focus on the children being delayed because they are brought up in single parent families rather than focusing on programs.  More discouraging, is a report by the Department of Health and Human Services which suggests academic gains made in early head start fade by third grade.  W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institution for Early Education Research at Rutgers University rebuts by pointing to the recent Chicago Child-Parent Center Study.  This shows children of preschool programs graduated at a higher rate.  It showed a 7 - 1 return on investment.  He adds that it keeps a child from being put into a costly special education program when they reach kindergarten or first grade.

I get very angry when I read articles like this that slam the early education field.  I noticed that the two sources against funding for early programs don't have the early education background that W. Steven Barnett has.  Background is a great indicator of knowledge, and, in my opinion, I would much rather take the advice of those in the field such as W. Steven Barnett. 

I also noticed many of the links on the home page of the NIEER site where very familiar topics - - access, assessment, outcomes, English Language Learners, Governance and Accountability, Quality and Curriculum, and  State Pre-K Evaluations to name a few.  Every topic we are discussing can be found on this website.  It is a wealth of information. 

Getting to know your international contacts -- Part 2

     Through my correspondence with Lucy, my international contact in Spain, I am discovering  that I am a little confused by some of the terms she used.  We recently discussed what the qualifications are to be an early childhood educator in Spain.  I also asked if there were any kind of regulations or rating system. Again, Lucy said it is very different between public and private schools. She said there is a curriculum to regulate the Infant Education Stage. Then, if a teacher wants to work in a public school, they must take an official exam (oposicion) to become an Infant Education Teacher.  The private schools (concertadas) are like companies - - you just have to pass the interview to be hired there.  However, she does say that generally a University degree is needed there too.  Children under 3 go to (guarderia) which seems to be childcare. In order to work at Guarderia, you only need to take a "modulo FP de Education Infantil" which is like a short professional course. 
    This is all the information I was able to get.  I was a little confused when she says there is a curriculum to regulate the Infant Education Stage.  I don't know if it is one curriculum that everyone must use, or if there are different curriculum for different schools.  Also, I thought it was interesting that "Infant Education Teachers" can teach in the public schools.  I believe the term "Infant" here is referring to children older than 3 since those younger than 3 go to "Guarderia".  I did not get a response when I asked her if anyone can attend Guarderia. If I get a reply to my other questions by tomorrow, I will post an update. 

Update:
Anyone can attend guardia and children with special needs are helped by a government paid "de apoyo". 

Sharing Web Resources -- NIEER

     The entire NIEER website relates to what I am currently studying.  Because it is an early education research website, I am most drawn to the News and Events section. This section provides articles from newspapers and blogs across the country regarding early education,  The Star Ledger in NJ, The Jamestown Sun in ND, The Boston Globe in MA, and The Charlotte Observer in NC are just a few of those represented.  Blogs include those from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.  I really enjoy these articles because they are current.

     The article from The Jamestown Sun caught my attention by it's title, "Childhood Education to get Second Hearing".  I read about how supporters of early education are urging the House Committee to provide state funding to create preschool programs around the state.  With the federal funding eliminated, states are now being asked to help with funding.  To my surprise, the committee chairman, Rep. Mike Nathe said that if early education is such an important issue, why can't the local districts levy a tax to fund it?  He continued by saying, "the House doesn't have the appetite for using state funding" and he feels communities should support the funding if they think it is such a good program. 

     Since we just read how economists, neuroscientists, and politicians are supporting the Early Childhood field, I was a little taken aback by Nathe's comments.  I applaud Sen. Poolman who rebutted by saying that there needs to be a compromise and that "a compromise between $4.7 million and zero is not zero!"

     This article has reinforced my opinion of politicians.  They say one thing - - Yes, early education is important and worth investing in.  Then do another - - No, you can't have state funding.  Ask your community for money.

    UGH! 

                                          Reference
Jerke, TJ (March, 2013).  Childhood education to get second hearing.  NIEER  Retrieved from:
          
       http://nieer.org/news-events/early-education-news/childhood-education-get-second-hearing

Getting to know your international contacts -- part 1

Well, I finally did it!

 I was able to find a contact in Spain through a community blog, Early Childhood Educators.  Her name is Lucy Moretti and she teachers ESL to children ages 3-12 in Madrid.  It is an extracurricular English class in both a Catholic (semi-private) school and in a public school.

 She told me that she has lost 25% of her students because of the crisis.  She said prices for the English classes are extremely low and they are set by the school parent association.  Even with low prices, they are still seeing a drop in enrollment.  Many families have only one working parent.  In the public school, children eat breakfast and lunch in the canteen, but due to the rising costs of this service, the school is currently meeting with families to discuss changing the times so that children can have lunch at home.  In the semi-private school, it is not such a problem because it is mostly wealthy families who choose to send their children to this school.  She also states that in Europe public schools are free and every child must go.  Madrid has taken many initiatives to provide food to children and has also done fund raising for this purpose. 

I was a little shocked to learn that the public schools were considering restructuring times so that children would be home at lunch time. I know that would never work here because most of our families have 2 working parents.  They already make a big stink about half-day kindergarten and trying to find care for the kindergarteners.