International Contact:  What I’ve learned

Through this course I have had the opportunity to talk with an early childhood professional in Yap.  Talking with Ashley has made me realize just how fortunate we are here in the United States.  We have so many resources available to us.  It has also been a great example of how important it is to teach from the cultural context that the children live in.  Ashley attributes her success to this sensitivity and also to her ability to be resourceful.  In speaking with her we have encouraged each other and reminded ourselves of why we do what we do.  Collaboration is very necessary for growth and mental health!

My Goal:

In attempts to find multiple international contacts I was able to start following several blogs from international teaching professionals.  I have really enjoyed the post.  My goal is to continue seeking out new perspective’s and possible ideas for bettering early childhood education.  Continuing to pursue international contacts is part of that!

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

This week I corresponded with my contact in Yap.  When I asked her about the level of quality she reported that one of the issues were large disparities between individual teachers.  There are not set standards and very little professional development.  While teachers do their best, there are still eminent skills that are lacking to teach effectively.  As a whole, she said her students were behind grade level which she felt was largely due to inconsistency from one teacher to the next.

Another big issue regarding quality teaching in Yap is the lack of resources. Everything she used in her classroom over the past year she brought from America. Construction paper, markers, crayons, posters, children's books, scissors, supplemental teaching books and many more things were brought from the United States. The only supplies available in Yap were pencils and erasers.   

When asked about her professional goals she said “In Yap my goals were to teach the students as best as I possibly could in a fun, yet productive manner. Now as a returning teacher, I hope to continue the many responsibilities that I had to carry out in Yap, and to bring integrity into everything that I do.”  She plans to continue more schooling for specific areas that she feels she needs help with. 

 Talking with Ashley has made me realize just how fortunate we are here in the United States.  We have so many resources available to us.  Teaching outside of the United States would definitely be an eye opening experience to the needs that are out there.

A current issue /trend I’m dealing with:

Help!  Obama Care is going to affect quality in my Childcare centers.  I work for a non-profit organization and work to support 26 child care centers.  They function as small businesses, but because they are under the organizations umbrella are subject to Obama Care.   I am currently facing a huge challenge in that starting in January any employees working over 30 hours will have to come under the Health care of our non-profit organization to a tune of $970.00 per month per employee.  Our centers simply can’t afford this, but laying off workers will lead to employees leaving to find other jobs, children seeing several care givers during the day and in general low quality care.  One of my directors asked me, “How do I tell someone who is my best teacher, a single mom who has worked here for 18 years that I am going to cut their hours?”  So I have formed an ADHOC committee to address this issue.  I found a lawyer that will help us for free and a business man and also someone in Human resources.  I really need help and don’t know where to turn because there is so much inaccurate information out there.  Does anyone know of a reliable source for explaining the details of Obama Care?  I am also wondering if anyone else is dealing with a similar issue.  This is a difficult issue because families with small children need health care, but they also need high quality care.  I wish I didn’t have to sacrifice one to get the other.

An article from my web resource:

Zero To Three says policies need to be different and more specifically focused then for preschool children.  Research that shows children with risk factors have a higher incidence of developmental delays and disabilities and these disparities are seen as early as 9 months and widen by 24 months of age.  A difference in language abilities begins to emerge before a child’s first birthday and widens by age 3.4.  This is pretty staggering Data.  Follow the link below if you want to see the chart showing the data.  In addition to supporting overall reform efforts of federal programs, there were a few other ways mentioned that are very specific and crucial to early development that particularly caught my attention:

·         Create a federal Paid Family Leave program that would allow moms to stay with their babies and form attachments. 

·         Increase funding for Early Head Start to double the amount of spaces for infants and toddlers

·         Identify and address developmental needs earlier through developmental screening efforts.

·         Increase access to Early Childhood Mental Health Services

Among these initiatives is one that I have never thought about before, and that is to form a partnership between Early Head Start programs and other childcare centers.  The article did not expand on the details of what this would look like except to say that Head Start would be a model.  I wonder what it would look like and what type of partnership it would be exactly.

Resources

Zero to Three. (n.d) Putting infants and toddlers on the path to school readiness: An agenda for the

administration and 113thCongress. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/federal-policy/2013-federal-policy-agenda.pdf

 

 

 

 

International Contacts Part II

I contacted my international contact in Yap.  In her school they do not have a readiness exam.  In fact, she had a large class of 23 students and no one was on the same level.  She said that although the curriculum was very similar to the United States, it seemed to her that it did not match the community values of practical, hands on curriculum that would equip the children for everyday life in the Island.  She felt that testing would not be a good way to assess quality since the people there take a more holistic approach.  However, she said more funding was definitely needed and described similar issues with inequity that we have here in the United States.

After doing some research I found an article that summarized the regions strategic plan for quality education.  The plan is called the Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP) I have summarized the plan below:

Planning and Management

• It was mentioned that there needs to be better data collection and basic educational planning.  Also putting financial resource in things that lead to a greater academic outcome.  Gender equality was also a concern.  

Curriculum and Instruction

• Emphasis was that the curriculum should be relevant and include vocational training.  Also the need for valid and reliable assessment procedures, and improved classrooms and teaching conditions. 

Teacher Training

• Training for teachers should include methods that reach different learning styles and improve their competence and confidence.  Also needed to improve early childhood, pre-service and in-service teacher education programs.

Community Partnerships

• Improve relationships with communities and stakeholders and establish regional qualifications framework.

Margou M., M (2006) Education Strategic Plan: 2007-20012 Yap State Federated States of Micronesia. Retrieved from: http://www.paddle.usp.ac.fj/collect/paddle/index/assoc/yap001.dir/doc.pdf

The President’s Budget Proposal: A Groundbreaking Moment for Our Nation’s Babies

The President’s Budget Proposal: A Groundbreaking Moment for Our Nation’s Babies

This is the title that caught my eye this week as I was browsing through the zero to three web-sites.  The President’s Plan for Early Education for All Americans includes $1.4 billion to expand the head start program specifically targeted to create high quality child care for babies and toddlers.  Zero To Three authors remind the reader that brain research shows that babies are born wired to learn and that those who lack quality early learning can fall behind.  The president’s plan also extends to home visits before their first birthday. This article celebrates what they feel is a good start in using the information and research we have to further expand a program that has been proven successful for almost 20 years in both child and parental outcomes (2013).

 

 

Another interesting even that I found out about this week in browsing poverty issues in my area is an upcoming poverty simulation.  During a simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency on Social Security. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources staffed by volunteers. I will share my experience at a later time!

 

Zero To Three. (2010) The President’s Budget Proposal: A Groundbreaking Moment for Our Nation’s Babies. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/press-release-presidents-budget-proposal.html