More from My International Contacts

                                        By Lisa Martin

Liberty Children’s Home wants and needs to expand their services, and increase staff, but funding remains a critical issue. They really need donations and funding to continue helping at risk and forgotten children. Delfina Mitchell, the Director, spends most of her time trying to raise money and maintain budgets. Although, Liberty Children’s Home is in a poor part of Belize, I am sure that there are directors and administrators right here in New York or New Jersey with the same concerns. If you cannot charge more for your services, and the grants are getting smaller, how do you maintain your program, more importantly how do you maintain quality? In those cases where cost increases are passed along to the families, what happens when the family can no longer afford early childhood care and education? Like the program, their income is not growing and they are barely able to maintain food and shelter, yet there is no subsidy or government assistance available to them.

I visited the UNESCO website and they had an article that talked about how both under developed and developed countries have trouble financing early education. It seems every website I visited had articles related to funding and financial issues facing early childhood education or preventing the implementation of early education, and I realized the US is no exception. So, while I appreciate the international challenges facing early education across the globe, I feel I must be in tuned to what is happening right here. The Children’s Defense Fund discussed the potentially devastating cuts that may be facing education in the US with the fiscal cliff negotiations. These issues also affect children in broader ways. Medicaid is likely to be one of the entitlement programs looked at for cuts to decrease the deficit. “Medicaid is the health program that covers more than one third of the children in America” (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012).  We have discussed the implications of poverty on children and families, and hence early childhood care and education, but we have also of late discussed increased investment in early childhood. Right now we are in a position where it could go either way; things can get better or much worse.

Children’s Defense Fund. (2012). Children’s budget watch. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/budget-watch/

More to Share: Delving Deeper Into My Web Resources

                                                                          By Lisa Martin

This week I made it a point to dig deeper into my web resources in search of articles related to this week’s topic – excellence and equity, especially as it pertains to the three main barriers awareness, accessibility and responsiveness. I chose to search for articles regarding accessibility as that has been my focus this week. I was surprised by the layers of articles I could uncover just by asking for more information or clicking on a link within an article. I visited my main web resource www.unesco.org and uncovered two interesting articles pertaining to access and quality. The first article dealt with a subject that we are all too familiar with, and that is gender disparity in education as it pertains to girls having equal access to schooling. However, what was most interesting was learning how in both developing and industrialized countries girls are so easily denied their right to education, leaving them illiterate and their countries unable to achieve the type of success attributed to a strong, skilled and educated workforce. It is so sad that well into the twenty-first century an organization like the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization (UNESCO) has gender equality as one of their two main global priorities. “When girls go to school or participate in literacy program, they not only acquire fundamental literacy skills and academic knowledge. They are empowered to make key decisions and take charge of their lives” (UNESCO, 2012).

The other UNESCO article concerned improving access to education for the world’s most disadvantaged and needy, like the children in Asia-Pacific region – Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Over the past decade UNESCO has implemented initiatives that have resulted in some improvement, but still governments fail to properly fund early education, and there seems to be a lack of understanding or acceptance of the importance of quality care and education from birth to eight years for a child. The article that took me most by surprise was one I uncovered on the Children’s Defense Fund website www.childrensdefensefund.org.  It was actually about legislation written by Senator Bernie Sanders, a politician I really respect, called the Foundations for Success Act, which he developed working with the Children’s Defense Fund. It touches on all the things that contribute to our inability to give our children access to the type of early start they are entitled to, poverty and a shrinking middle class. It also talks about how we were once a leader in education and now have fallen far behind. “The United States ranks 17^th in reading, 31^st in math, 23^rd in science, and 18^th overall in secondary education out of 36 nations” (Sanders, 2011, p. 3). The bill proposes to provide early child care for all children from 6 weeks old through kindergarten. Let’s hope it gets passed into law.

I think the most alarming discovery in searching for article on my web resources that dealt with access to early childhood care and education was learning just how detrimental lack of access is, and the toll it takes on children and families. We have discussed the importance of investing in our children from birth and the benefits it yields down the road, in comparison to investing in unproductive adults. However, after reading and browsing through half a dozen or so articles I realize failure to invest in our children is about more than just paying for incarcerations and drug rehab programs. It is about saving our environment, putting people on the moon, restoring the United States place as the true leader of the civilized world in everything from education to invention. We must continue to advocate for access to quality early education programs for all children.

References

Sanders, Bernard. (2011). The early care and education crisis in America: The benefits if investing in our children. Retrieved December 7, 2012 from, http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/early-childhood- education-care/legislative-update.html

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2012). From access to             equality: Empowering girls and women through literacy and secondary education. Retrieved December 7, 2012 from, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002184/218450e.pdf

 

 

 

Getting to Know My International Contacts

                                                                       By Lisa Martin

My pen pal, Delfina Mitchell, has been extremely busy of late, so I have no real updates on things at Liberty Children’s Home, other than their continued efforts to raise funds. However, I have been reading about other early childhood initiatives taking place on the global scene. The World Forum has one on a subject close to my heart – inclusion. They have developed a permanent initiative on the inclusion of children with special needs based on information provided by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to the UNESCO policy brief on Early Childhood (2009):

“Worldwide, there are about 650 million persons with disabilities. This accounts for 10% of the global population, and constitutes more than 20% of the world’s poorest people. Children with disabilities experience stigma from birth and are more prone to exclusion, concealment, abandonment, institutionalization, and abuse. Mortality rates among children with disabilities are 80%, even in countries where under-five mortality has declined below 20%. Strikingly, 98% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school.”

Needless to say, I found this information extremely depressing and heart breaking. Equity and excellence cannot exist in the absence of inclusion. I then went over to the Center for the Developing Child website and checked out their global initiatives and was immediately filled with a sense of hope again as they discussed the “moral responsibility to meet the needs of all children and a critical investment in the roots of economic productivity, positive health outcomes, and strong civil society in all nations, from the poorest to the most affluent” (Center for the Developing Child, 2012). I enjoyed reading about the improvement of early education in Chile through professional development. After all we owe it to all children to provide them with well qualified early education professionals. Teacher training and education is a key cause of educational inequality, when it should be a major factor in equity and excellence.

The care of children during and after war and other catastrophes is also of interest to me, so I listened to the podcasts of Maysoun Chehab, the Regional Early Childhood Care and Development Program Coordinator at the Arab Resource Collective (ARC), a not-for-profit non-governmental organization based in Beirut, Lebanon. She coordinates with and trains early childhood professionals in best practices in areas of conflict like Syria and Egypt. They provide psychosocial interventions and support to children and families post conflict. I was quite impressed with Ms. Chehab and her dedication, realizing the challenges she must face and the reward she must gain each time she positively impacts the life of a child and their family.

Center for the Developing Child. (2012). Global children’s initiative: A good start. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2009). Policy brief on early childhood. Retrieved from http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/initiatives/inclusion/    

 

Sharing My Web Resources

                                                          By Lisa Martin

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website provides me with a wealth of relevant information pertaining to education around the globe. Recently, I was pleased to see the world adopting a we are all in this together attitude regarding education as the  Director-General of UNESCO called for world leaders to unite for education for all, and Finland quickly donated two and a half million Euros. It is only through this type of global initiative and commitment that we can see the rights of every young child to a quality education realized. Another item that caught my attention, as I had recently written about it in regards to gender diversity and anti-bias, was an event to fight homophobia in educational settings. I started to compare the life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) teachers and students with the LGBT military members and thinking there should be a way to allow teachers and students to be themselves inside the classroom. I can only imagine the stress, and inner turmoil caused by having to hide who you are in some cases while taking part in such an important part of your life. In education it is not “don’t ask don’t tell” it is more like there is no place for that here.

There was also a report that I correlated to our initiative in the United States to invest in early education as a means of improving our workforce and ability to compete in the global market. The report was based on the interpretation of 600 young people of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which they summed up with the slogan “Be Skilled, Be Employed, Be the Change Generation” (UNESCO, 2012). I thought this was rather in keeping with the quest of the economists and business people in the United States, the idea of children being skilled, employable, making for a strong workforce. Knowing the work and objectives of UNESCO, including education equality for girls and women, I felt this approach to be a way of getting more funding and attracting more support; not that I find anything wrong with wanting children to acquire skills and get jobs. It is almost as if science must be validated by big business and finance, thus it comes down to dollar and cents; which I guess is true because the science behind the Apple products would not be so touted if it did not produce billions in revenue. I just view education in a more ideological manner, the idea that all children have access to quality learning and the opportunity to stimulate their minds and develop a hunger and thirst for knowledge through curiosity and inquiry.

This week we have been looking at how economists, neuroscientists, and politicians support the early childhood field, for UNESCO education is always viewed from all three perspectives to promote global change and outreach. They use the science to figure out what must be done, and then they calculate the cost of not making changes as well as the cost of implementing improvements (economics), and present it to the global leaders for support and approval (politics). The UNESCO website continues to offer me new insights and challenges facing the education field.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2012). The 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/resources/online-materials/single-view/news/three_major_new_education_reports_launched_at_gem/

My International Contacts and Resources

                                                                        By Lisa Martin

I reached out to a few potential conversation partners. I have yet to actually hear from an early education professional in the Netherlands, though I received an initial response saying I would. My pen pal, Delfina Mitchell, Director of the Liberty Children’s Home in Belize, said that her schedule is extremely hectic, but she would try to answer any specific questions I posed to her. I asked her about the aspects of poverty that are the greatest challenge to her work, but she has not responded yet. I have vacationed in Belize and it is one of those beautiful places, where once you leave the main tourist attractions behind you are shocked by the poverty and despair in which some of the people live. “While Belize has achieved significant economic growth in recent years, its progress masks steep economic inequities. In addition to a monetary poverty rate that increased to 41.9% in 2009, there are great economic, spatial, and cultural inequalities” (UNICEF, 2011). It is also a country with a high incidence of violence. Liberty Children’s Home in Belize takes in young children who have been abandoned, abused, and stricken with HIV. Ms. Mitchell is very proud of the work they are doing, but they need more funding. You can visit their website at http://www.libertychildrenbelize.org/ and learn more about the program and make a donation.  

In her podcast, Delfina Mitchell talks about a “nine year old boy, Joseph, who came to them from an abusive home, where in addition to being abused himself, he witnessed the abuse of his siblings. As a result, he did not speak for over a year – a voluntary mute. Within weeks of being nurtured and cared for at Liberty Children’s Home Joseph began to talk” (World Forum Foundation, 2011). I am sure she has hundreds of other stories like this to tell as they continue to help children overcome their rough beginnings.

There seems to be correlations between lack of education and thus opportunity, and substance abuse and violence. Many will argue that these are the things that promote or cause poverty. Whereas, I would argue that it is economic inequality, and the failure of governments to provide safety nets and improve opportunities for their poorest citizens that cause poverty. If the parents had the opportunity to go to school and learn a marketable skill and get a job, they would be less likely to turn to drugs or alcohol, without the addiction they would not resort to violence; without the sense of hopeless despair and anger, they would not resort to abuse. I know I sound like a bleeding heart Liberal government can and should fix everything. I am not and I do not believe government can or should do all things. However, I believe no country, the United States included, can eradicate poverty without a meaningful and focused initiative by the government.

United Nations Children’s Fund. (2012, April, 11^th). Draft country programme document –Belize. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from  http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/2012-PL14-CPD_BELIZE-FINAL_ODS.pdf

World Forum Foundation. (2011). Episode 3: Delfina Mitchell. Retrieved November 2, 2012 from http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/

 

 

My Global Resource of Choice

                                                          By Lisa Martin

The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is committed to bringing countries together to identify ways to improve education, promote global peace, preserve the environment, and so many other important issues. You can read about their mission and goals at their website http://www.unesco.org/.  I chose UNESCO as a resource because I believe that there are many challenges facing the world and young children that require unified and focused resolutions, which take into consideration all people, and it all starts with education. It has taken us some time to reach the point where we realize education is the key to global economic growth and progress. I read this very interesting article on the UNESCO website regarding the importance of educating children on biodiversity. “Biodiversity is the foundation for healthy ecosystems and sustainable human development. It touches on all aspects of our lives - from our security to our welfare, from our social relations to our health” (UNESCO, 2012). We have been talking about and stressing the importance of teaching children about human diversity, but they also need to be aware of diversity among all living things. The biodiversity component is a part of a much larger initiative concerning education for sustainable development. “Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption” (UNESCO, 2012).

I believe just as we teach our young children to recycle, we should teach them how to take care of the planet on a whole. We should teach them about the importance of respecting life in all forms and preserving it. One of the primary purposes of education is socialization, creating socially responsible, productive individuals able to contribute to society. In many ways this is one of the major goals of UNESCO to protect the rights of children and families everywhere and contribute to a better quality of life for all, as well as a more productive and sustainable global population.  Although, UNESCO functions on an international stage, I believe some of their core values can assist the United States in dealing with the changing demographics. Ideas like greater intercultural communications and increased teacher training can help us improve our early education system. I recommend you check out the UNESCO website and read their education goals for 2015.

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and cultural Organization. (2012). Biodiversity and education. Retrieved November 8, 2012 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/special-themes/biodiversity-initiative/biodiversity-education/

EXPANDING MY RESOURCES

                                                                        By Lisa Martin                      

It is important to me that I remain informed of advances and current research in the field of early childhood care and education. It is equally important to me that I am aware of what is happening in the field globally, so I like this new direction my blog will be taking. I am excited about having the opportunity to share information and gain insights from early education professionals from other countries, not that I do not currently have such opportunity with my international classmates at Walden University. I really want to be “pen pals” with a professional from the Netherlands, because of their government’s commitment to early education. “The Netherland government considers child care as an integral and essential part of economic growth” (Neugebauer, 2007, p. 58); a notion the United States seems to be finally adopting. To this end, I contacted UNICEF and asked to be put in contact with an early childhood professional from the Netherlands, and immediately received a response in Dutch – which thanks to Google I quickly translated, stating they will address my request and needed my actual address. I have not heard anything further, but am hopeful I will make contact with a dedicated professional from the Netherlands.

I also emailed Marcelle Delahaye Camping, the CEO and Founder of Liberty Foundation and Delfena Mitchell, the Director of the Liberty Foundation Children’s Home in Belize. This program opened in the summer of 2005 and takes in children who have been abandoned, abused or orphaned and many have disabilities, special needs or are HIV positive, predominantly between birth to 5 years of age. I discovered them at the World Forum website. I received an auto response from Delfena, but nothing more. I also signed up with UNESCO because they do so much for children around the world, and I was interested in following issues and trends on a global level. I will receive weekly updates from them, and be able to share any really interesting or insightful stories with you.

If I do not get a response from the people I reached out to, I will have to use the alternative method of gathering and exchanging, which I would prefer not to.

Reference

Neugebauer, R. (2007). Early childhood trends around the world. Exchange, (175), 58–63.