Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

What a pleasure on Monday, February 18! Cyle responded to my last email as I was getting ready to apologize for flooding her with so many questions when I know she is so busy.
The following is her message:
Hi, Marie,
I haven't forgotten you. I have been super busy - and am behind on paperwork/data entry, etc. for my little students. … ….. Do you have the contact information for Elizabeth de Burro? Dr. Ann Austin knows her well and she would be the best person to answer the questions below. She was the director of Pastoral del Nino at the time the articles were written and is wonderful person with lots of insight, including insight into the political side of poverty issues.
Do you speak Spanish, then?
Blessings!
Cyle

So my next move is to ask for Elizabeth de Burro’s email address and venture writing Dr. Ann Austin.

This week, I received the Early Childhood WebWatch newsletter. Following is a summary of senior writer Stephanie Peatling’s article (2013) mentioned in the EC WebWatch and published in “theage.com.au” .
In the Land Down Under, private day care centers under the umbrella of Early Childhood Australia have asked the government to be directly paid so that parents do not have to advance half the tuition. This measure would simplify the process which at this time forces families to pay the tuition in whole and to wait for the refund of half of it later in the year. The current process is wasting administrative time because each family has to be reimbursed instead of just one institution and those institutions would greatly benefit from being paid early to better balance their budget.
Right now, it is difficult for families and schools to optimally manage their budgets. When a family chooses to have their refund directly paid to the school, they would only have to pay half and the school would be directly funded by the government. Many families have to wait for their refund to pay the rest of the tuition.
Since the government is requiring better teacher qualifications, the Early Childhood Australia is asking the government to increase teachers’ salaries and also provide funds for hiring the requested number of teachers per center.

With regards to this week’s topic, the EC WebWatch addresses the issue of funding that also has a big responsibility in excellence. If excellent teaching is performed by excellent teachers, those teachers must be paid accordingly to their talents in order to avoid teacher turn over. I appreciate the Early Childhood Australia position statement because it brings reality back into the discussion.

Peatling, S. (2013) Childcare industry pushes direct rebate to centres. Retrieved from:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/childcare-industry-pushes-direct-rebate-to-centres-20130208-2e3wy.html#ixzz2Ln6SdoP8
ECA WebWatch—Issue 156, February 2013. © Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved from: webwatch@earlychildhood.org.au
Since listening to the radio brings me companionship, I was stunned the first time I discovered that NAEYC had a station. This week, I listened to Dr. Walter’s interview.

Avoiding Preschool Expulsions
Pica and Ginsberg with Dr. Walter S. Gilliam

What an extraordinary revelation! At an amazing rate of three times more than any other grade, our three year old population is the cohort most frequently expelled from schools.

Since schools are reliable for their students’ well-being, they may expel young children when they present risks of harmful behavior to themselves or to peers. Also, teacher/child ratio and teachers’ lack of training on how to manage challenging behaviors weigh in the difficult relationship between the school and the child. However, Dr. Walter has never seen a child expelled when parents and teachers had a good relationship.

Consequently, Dr. Walter suggests that schools hire consultants/mentors that would attend classes and help teachers identify particular concerns children exhibit. If expulsion makes it on the agenda, consultants could work with teachers and directors as well as with parents with whom they could develop a home behavioral plan; the underlying idea being that providing mental health support for teachers leads to accrued tolerance for children.
Finally, keeping children in school reaps economic benefits and children with behavioral issues are the ones who benefit the most from being in school where they can receive appropriate help.
While emphasizing main reasons 3 year olds are expelled from schools such as overcrowded classrooms and teachers’ lack of training both leading to stress on the job, Dr. Walter throws in a comment about teachers that could be negatively interpreted due to its reference to mental health in a country where mental health is not well understood. According to a screening of which readers are given no details, teachers scoring positive for depression tend to expel young children at a greater rate than others. This unsubstantiated comment raises questions as to the implication of the administration in the decision making and the process through which the decision to expel is reached.

Earlier in the interview, Dr. Walter speaks about a consultant/mentor who could work with teachers in the classroom, with the director, and with parents and develop a school and a home behavioral plan. This idea is interesting because it would bring a specialist to the classroom who could bring their expert support to teachers and children.
In order to successfully be implanted, such a program would need to be accompanied by teachers’ employment protection provisions to prevent support from becoming potential documentation for no rehiring.

Walter, S., G,. NAEYC Radio. BAM Radio. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/newsroom/NAEYCradio

Sharing Web Resources

What a fantastic way to end the week! Traveling and meeting people with different cultures and languages excites me the most during vacations. Since I have not been able to travel in the last few years, the opportunity to explore countries and their approach of early childhood education fills that gap every week.

Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?
With a click of my magic mouse, I am in Australia at the “Australian Government” website, at the “Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations” page. My research questions are awareness and accessibility of early childhood education in Australia. Surprisingly, Australia has committed to universal access to pre-kindergarten by mid 2013. Although access is limited to 40 weeks of 15 hours each, such government effort will change many lives. Also worth noticing, preschoolers will receive instruction by a well-trained and educated teacher. States and provinces will receive governmental funds that will be spent according to a set of agreements that states and provinces have previously agreed to.
Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?
Remarkably, Australia appears to readily put their decision into actions as affirmed by a parent who spent 4 years over there and, who on the other hand, deplored the Australian rampant machismo. Obviously, cultures work at resolving their society issues at their own pace and in their own time. Californians may be less openly macho and yet less progressive regarding early childhood education as in 2006 they rejected a proposition for universal pre-k (Jacobson, L. 2006).
If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?
Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?
In response to the concerns of providing equity and excellence to their young population, Australia demonstrates heightened awareness of the challenges at hand. Below are a few excerpts from the “Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians” addressing the challenges to enforcing equity and excellence in the school system:
“As a nation Australia values the central role of education in building a democratic, equitable and just society— a society that is prosperous, cohesive and culturally diverse, and that values Australia’s Indigenous cultures as a key part of the nation’s history, present and future.
Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development and wellbeing of young Australians, and in ensuring the nation’s ongoing economic prosperity and social cohesion. Schools share this responsibility with students, parents, careers, families, the community, business and other education and training providers. In recognition of this collective responsibility, this declaration, in contrast to earlier declarations on schooling, has a broader frame and sets educational goals for young Australians.
In striving for both equity and excellence, there are several areas in which Australian school education needs to make significant improvement. First, Australia has failed to improve educational outcomes for many Indigenous Australians and addressing this issue must be a key priority over the next decade. Second, by comparison with the world’s highest performing school systems, Australian students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are under-represented among high achievers and over- represented among low achievers. Third, there is room for improvement in Australia’s rate of Year 12 completion or equivalent.”
Strikingly, Australia’s commitment to making it right by their aboriginal populations manifests every time they make a decision that can potentially affect the greater part of the population. In order to be equitable and provide excellence to all children, Australia has realized that some children have greater needs than others and that meeting those needs responds to what society needs to do to be equitable and dispense an education that is excellent to everyone.
What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?
As Delila Vasquez mentioned “inequity is a social issue and it concerns all of us.” The field of early childhood must promote high-quality early childhood education to every child and endeavor to make preschool available at birth through kindergarten. Writing policies benefitting every child and working in partnerships with communities to ensure culturally sound programs will help children grow physically and socio-emotionally healthy. This effort needs to be a “sustained and coordinated approach” (Council of Australian Government, 2009).

In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday, February 12, President Obama expressed his commitment to be working with states to make early childhood education available and accessible to every child (Avance, 2013). Professionals in the field must make sure the president’s words manifest into actions and continue advocating when and if interest in young children fades away.

Resources
Jacobson, L. (2006). Calif. Voters Reject Universal Pre-K Initiative
Foes raised questions on plan’s benefits, costs to taxpayers. Education Week. Retrieved from:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/06/14/40reiner.h25.html

Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. (December 2008). Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEEQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mceecdya.edu.au%2Fverve%2F_resources%2Fnational_declaration_on_the_educational_goals_for_young_australians.pdf&ei=plwgUcXgOMmLiAKip4HABA&usg=AFQjCNEiz3h7n-tbLyUrxqo2d7xFw-2lQQ&sig2=01xY-2aN56xHDxjehlwybw&bvm=bv.42661473,d.cGE

Council of Australian Government. (2009). National Integrated Strategy for Closing the Gap in Indigenous Disadvantage. Retrieved from: http://www.coag.gov.au/node/65

AVANCE’s Statement on President Obama’s Renewed Commitment to Early Childhood Education in Annual State of the Union Address. Retrieved from: http://www.avance.org/2013/02/avances-statement-on-president-obamas-renewed-commitment-to-early-childhood-education-in-annual-state-of-the-union-address/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2
First, I decided to explore a little more the Unicef website. Dr. Mohammad Yunus who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, “Creating a poverty-free world” says that “poverty is not created by poor people but by the system”. Dr. Yunus promoted micro-financing in Bangladesh and helped many families rise above poverty. In the video, Dr. Yunus uses the metaphor of the bonsai tree to explain poverty. From the tallest tree in the forest, we take the best seed and plant it in a flower pot. The tree will grow small even though there is nothing wrong with the seed because it came from the tallest in the forest: something is wrong with the base, the flower pot. Dr. Yunus recommends society gives more space to poor people, more opportunities, and they will be able to make a decent living for themselves.
Resources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C3XQ3BTd4o
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/bangladesh_36162.html
How does early exposure to education, providing infants and toddlers with a stimulating environment that ensure the building of healthy brain pathways prevent behavior problems and lack of motivation in school? Underprivileged children benefit the most from universal preschool because this may be the only place where their curiosity for the world will be solicited which in turn will get them ready to succeed in primary school. Although affluent children are most likely receiving adequate brain stimulation since birth, why do they experience behavior problems and lack of motivation in school? It appears that poverty creates lifelong issues difficult for underprivileged children to overcome. Making preschool available and accessible for all children can greatly reduce achievement gaps without totally eradicating inequalities.
After watching the Unicef video filmed in Georgia, I am wondering if the early childhood education brought by the occident in demand of the Georgian government might not create conflicts with families when their children become aware of their cultural environment. In an effort to push English to first position as first foreign language, native English teachers are encouraged to teach in Georgia. What will the outcome of such a big push for western values?
Resources
http://www.unicefusa.org/news/video/
On the “Current Context for Global Child Development” at the Center on the Developing Child, health and development are in the spotlight. The article mentions that the global community has acknowledged the importance of “early childhood health and development”, and critical health factor in successful physical and emotional development,. However, children in many countries continue to suffer from malnutrition and infections as the converging understanding of economists, neuroscientists and politicians brings these children and families some hope. Early childhood science has the potential to bring positive change to the world.
Resources
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/global_child_development/current_context_/
Since Cyle has not yet replied to my last email, I decided to investigate two programs that stemmed from a desire to remedy children’s health problems.
The first one originates in the province of Quebec, Canada. Dr. Gilles Julien, pediatrician, strives to develop social pediatrics in communities for the well-being of the greater number of children. Social pediatrics is based on trust, respect, and working closely with children and their families, in partnerships with various systems and organizations that play a role in children’s life to better meet their health needs. This practice helps children and their families to regain control of their lives. In this sense, the model departs from the notion of "support" and adopts the empowerment and involvement of the child, the family and the community. The model promotes actions focused on the strengths of children, families and the creative potential of the community, according to the African concept that “the village is responsible for their children." This practice involves an impressive number of partners from the extended family, community, community groups, civil society and institutions. It promotes social commitment to enrich the living environment of the child and contributes to the social and economic equity.
Ashoka Canada - Everyone is a change maker - works in partnership with Dr. Julien’s Foundation. They envision “a world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem and drive change”.
Resources
http://canada.ashoka.org/videos
http://www.socialmedicine.org/
Secondly, the Chicuchas Wasi school in Cusco, Perú, drew my attention as my friend was describing it. The following is an excerpt from Chicuchas Wasi’s home page:
We have worked for 25 years to educate the families, and the Andean community, regarding the value of their (girl) children and the many abilities they will develop if given the opportunity for a future out of poverty and economic dependence. We strive to prepare these girls with skills that will enable them to defend themselves economically when they become adults. Through the experience of their years of education, our girls will instill in their own future children the knowledge that there are choices other than poverty and dependency on a father, brother or husband for survival. We hope to stem the flow of unwanted children who are often abandoned when their fathers leave their mothers with no income, no food, no social resources. Without formal education, and left to survive as a mother alone, women are forced to seek security with another man who often will not accept the women's children by another man – and child abandonment is often the result.
Chicuchas Wasi began in 1987 as an organization caring for abandoned children in Cusco. The indigenous Andean community lives in poverty, often lacking clean water, food, medical care, and education. We have made much progress in our 25 years, assisting the Andean community by providing free education for many of their girls who enter and continue in our school each year.
This project is a testament to what poverty brings to children and their families. This project speaks about an excellent program striving to reduce inequity.
Resources
http://www.chicuchaswasi.org/chicuchaswasi.org/Home.html

Web Sharing

While researching information on how Australia addresses issues of poverty and science advances, I came upon an article in the online newspaper “The Drum” regarding neuroscience and economists’ position on early childhood (Alberici E., 2011). This article aims at triggering the public’s attention on how the government takes time in implementing what science is crying out and loudly supported by the voice of economists such as the Nobel Prize Winner James Heckman who strongly recommends that states invest in early childhood. Heckman argues that “every dollar invested in a pre-school program generates a 17 per cent return to society” (Alberici) and that investing money later in the educational process is a waste of resources. Clearly, the reference to our functioning but antiquated school system that considers children to be ready to learn after the age of five contradicts research findings stipulating that most of brain pathways are built between 0 and 4. No doubt remains that investing in early childhood education promotes children’s success in school and represents overall savings to society.

In 2009, the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) released that 1 in 4 kindergarteners lacked general knowledge, adequate social-emotional and cognitive skills, with deficiencies in their physical health and mental well-being (Alberici). That same year, federal and state governments united with the goal to make early childhood education accessible to all children by 2013.

Resources
Alberici, E. Early childhood education: it really is brain science. (2013). Drum. Retrieved from: : http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-14/alberici-early-childhood-education/4008962

Continuing to read about EC Australia led me to Kids Matter a Washington State organization whose frameworks was used in the creation of numerous pre-schools in Australia. In 2010, the early learning framework designed by Kids Matter was applied to 100 day care centres and preschools. It is worth noting that the framework was first applied to elementary education following the old idea that children start learning at 5. However, Kids Matter Australia website puts mental health at the forefront of a sound and successful education for all children and not just for children showing signs of imbalance. Mental health is defined as “laying the foundations for the future” and it is recommended that families and professionals in the field work together to ensure that “children are mentally healthy so that they are better able to meet life’s challenges” (Kids Matter, 2012). Since Early Childhood Australia (ECA) recognized in October 2004 the original inhabitants of Australia, concern for tribal children and their families is reflected in EC programs as the ECA committed to review progress made toward helping the population out of poverty and illiteracy (ECA, inc. (2000-2013). Additionally, in Kids Matter Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative’s programs page, there is a program dedicated to “Tribes Learning Communities” (Kids Matter, 2012).

Another important ECA statement concerns play-based programs. ECA recognizes science advances in brain research and points out that play must be privileged in all stages of children’s development:
Research and evidence all point to the role of play in children's development and learning across cultures (Shipley, 2008). Many believe that it is impossible to disentangle children's play, learning and development.
Brain development
While research on brain development is in its infancy, it is believed that play shapes the structural design of the brain. We know that secure attachments and stimulation are significant aspects of brain development; play provides active exploration that assists in building and strengthening brain pathways. Play creates a brain that has increased 'flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life' (Lester & Russell, 2008, p. 9).
Young children's play allows them to explore, identify, negotiate, take risks and create meaning. The intellectual and cognitive benefits of playing have been well documented. Children who engage in quality play experiences are more likely to have well-developed memory skills, language development, and are able to regulate their behaviour, leading to enhanced school adjustment and academic learning (Bodrova & Leong, 2005).

The exploration of the ECA website helped me put in perspective the traditional education still based on children ready to learn at five with science progress saying that learning starts at birth. I never realized that our school system was based on such outdated thinking. Interestingly, the “ECA’s submission to the Early Years Learning Framework” (2008) highlights that “All children have a right to their cultural strengths and identities and a right to the knowledge, skills and capabilities which will enable them to participate fully in mainstream society” and that one size fits all education is contrary to children’s rights:
It is in this context that we must place the rights of all children to a fair share of the social goods of education. We are about social justice, and that means that early childhood education has to distribute resources differentially, in order to rebalance the disadvantage of some individuals and groups. Positive discrimination practices apply to all children and early childhood educators have to move from simplistic notions of ‘treating all children the same’ to sophisticated understandings about ‘unequal treatment’ to achieve more equitable outcomes.

All children have a right to their cultural strengths and identities and a right to the knowledge, skills and capabilities which will enable them to participate fully in mainstream society: ‘keep kids strong in culture while they’re learning’ as one respondent group to the EYLF consultation said. It is important to recognize that ‘identity’ is not a static concept and that the power lies in enabling children to use different cultural resources in different circumstances and to continually construct ‘identities’ that give them the best chance to live constructive and fulfilling lives.

Resources
Kids Matter. (2012). Australian Early Childhood. Retrieved from:
http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/faqs

ECA. (2000-2013). A Voice for Young Children. Retrieved from:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/position_statements/a_statement_of_regret_and_commitment_to_aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_children_and_families.html

Kids Matter. (2012) Programs Search. Retrieved from:
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/early-childhood/resources-support-childrens-mental-health/programs/programs-guide-search

Shipley, D. (2008). Empowering children. Play based curriculum for lifelong learning.(Fourth edn). USA: Nelson Education

Lester, S. & Russell, S. (2008). Play for a change. Play policy and practice: A review of contemporary perspectives. Play England. Retrieved 21.6.2010 from http://www.worldleisure. org/pdfs/Copy%20of%20book_rev_play_for_change.pdf

Bodrova, E. & Leong, D. J. (2005). Uniquely preschool: What research tells us about the ways young children learn. Educational Leadership, 63(1), 44-47.

ECA’s submission to the Early Years Learning Framework. (2008). Retrieved from: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/.../early_learning_framework.pdf