My Research Project

The research topic that sparks my interest is Preschool Classroom Learning. The reason that I decided on this topic is because I currently teach 4-year-old class at a local Head Start Center. It is amazing to find new and creative ways to bring new information or teach new skills to eager young minds. Preschool teachers are often labeled as "babysitters" by many people outside the field that don't understand the training required to make or build on the skills of children. I enjoy bringing new experiences to all children and watching them grow into healthy individuals with a love for learning.

The subtopic for this research project will focus on Special Education in a Preschool Setting. I decided to focus on this because children develop at different levels and different times but there are some children that encounter delays requiring special education. I also have experience working with children with cognitive delays/physical impairments and would love to learn more about special education in a preschool setting.

The information that gained from constructing this research chart is that it allowed me the opportunity to organize my ideas and narrow down the subtopics to streamline the projects. I plan to gather more information from Walden University Library, National Association for the Education of Young Children website, National Head Start Association website and Zero-to-Three website for more information. I would also like to recommend the above websites to share with colleagues because they provide useful information on all topics related to child development and early childhood education.

International Contacts Week 8

I have really enjoyed learning and expanding my resources for working with children and families in the Early Childhood field through this courses. I have been able to use many resources from this course and share them with my families and co-workers. The consequences of working with my international contacts:

• Consequence 1: I learned that the push for successful early childhood education is important in other countries or regions of the world just like the United States. For example, my contact in Beijing, China informed me that enrollment was steadily rising and is currently at 51% for children attending or receiving preschool services.
• Consequence 2: I learned that throughout the world, poverty is steadily rising and that many countries are finding ways to combat this issue using education and community resources. The community is teaching families how to become self-sufficient using some farming techniques to assist the family in learning more about proper nutrition/healthy lifestyles.
• Consequence 3: I learned that teacher preparation is a key issue in all regions of the world in early childhood education and that every region is pushing for excellence in early childhood education. For example, UNICEF China is developing a classroom protocol for preschools to determine the training needs using assessments and teacher resource packages. They are also working on a parent education and finalization of a national framework for early preschool quality.

I believe that a global goal for early childhood education would be a national framework that is used by every region of the world and work education into the government budgets so that every child will have a solid foundation when they enter school.

Getting to Know International Contacts Part 3- Week 7

I did not receive a response from my international contact this week despite the fact that I sent the email for this assignment about a week and half ago, so I had no choice but to study the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizational website.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization website provided tons of information under various tabs but the tab for this assignment was " Strengthening Educational Systems in the Early Childhood Care and Education" (2011) where I learned:

• "When government resources are limited the last year of pre-primary is placed in school setting or there may be efforts to lower the entry age."  Government drop the entry age for preschoolers to 3 years old and place the programs in public elementary schools in effort to secure funding for when funding is low. Mississippi currently participate in this program with a Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 in selected schools throughout the state which allows a smoother transition and adjustment to public school.

• "There are no universally agreed for quantifying: pedagogy material, personnel training, service setting, and parental education and involvement." Preparation for early childhood field does not vary depending on the country or area because to properly prepare our children we need to provide the right materials, a qualified staff, a safe place for the program and active ways to involve the families.

• "Governments were particular urged t expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the imperative of constitutional policy in favor of the poor." In many countries, where children can not afford to attend certain schools for various reasons, the government or agencies finds methods or ways to bring learning experiences to children affect by this but these programs are often not stable or dependable (which means they can stop or cancel with little or no warning).

UNESCO (2011). "Early Childhood Care and Education." Retrieved April 15, 2011 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood

Week 6- Sharing Resources

The site that I have decided to study is the National Black Child Development Institute (http://www.nbcdi.org/) which is a website that provides helpful information and resources for African-American families on subjects ranging from Literacy to Health and Nutrition.

1). Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

I followed the Health and Nutrition link from the website which lead me to another e-newsletter named "Child Health Talk" that only comes out four times a year.  The e-newsletter contains healthy recipes, book recommendations for different ages and helpful information and links for Autism.

2). Thoroughly search one area of the site. What did you find?

The website provides curriculum for parents to use with their chidlren or for parent educators to use for parent support groups. I also found information on upcoming conferences and how to submit papers for conferences. There are also calendars and information on how to become a member of the organization.

3). If you receive an e-newletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you been studying. What new information is available?

I followed the link from the "Child Health Talks" magazine in the article on Autism (http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org/) where I learned more information on Autism. During the summer months, I work at a camp for children with disabilities (working primarily with kids that have Autism) so it was interesting to read about myths or the fad diets associated with Autism.

4). Does the website or e-newsletter contain information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

The National Black Child Development Institute provides a new curriculum for parents or parent educators named "Parent Empowerment Project." According to National Black Child Development Institute (2011), "Parent Empowerment Project is a unique program that seeks to educate, motivate and inspire parents to excellence as their child's first teacher." The website adds to my understanding and belief because it promotes excellence and equity for all in the mission statement and everything that it promotes on the website.

5). What other new insights about the issue and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or newsletter?

The only new information that I gained was learning or expanding my knowledge about Autism but the other information was not really new to me because very little has changed on the site since I began studying it. I hope that the NBCDI updates the website really soon so that I can share more information in my next blog.

Gettiing To Know Your International Contacts-Part 2

I finally heard back from one of my contacts, UNICEF Beijing and the information in the email is listed below:

Dear Chapman,
As for your questions, please see the answers below:

1. What is the current belief or viewpoint on early childhood education in Beijing?

A: The gross enrollment ratio in pre-primary education has been steadily growing, and reached 51% nationwide in 2009. Beijing ranks among the top of provinces and reached nearly 90% in terms of three year pre-primary education in 2008. The percentage of children receiving pre-primary education, including both three year and one year, has reached 96.72 in 2008. It's optimistic that by 2010, one-year preschool education will become norm, two-year preschool education basically universalized, and three-year preschool education popularized in Beijing. But there are also many problems, including the need of training a large contingent of high-quality kindergarten teachers and the need of building up more quality kindergartens with both governmental and nongovernment resources to ally the difficulty of finding proper kindergartens for children.

2. What sparked your interests in the field of early childhood?

A: Early childhood is one of, if not the most crucial development stage in one's life. Research shows that many social and economic problems can be traced to early years, and early interventions can bring positive influence to children's ability both cognitively and noncognitively and can increase the chance for children to have a more successful life in the future.

3. What is your current work in this field?
A: We are working on teacher's capacity building what includes the development of a classroom protocol for preschools and training needs assessment as well as a teacher resource package. We are also working on parenting education and the finalization of a national framework for evaluating preschool quality.
If you are interested in knowing more information on projects conducted by UNICEF China, policy papers and data on early children development, you are welcomed to log on to our knowledge website http://www.cdp.org.cn/ which will be launched soon (most probably in April).


I have yet to receive any response on questions regarding equity or excellence.

Week 4- Sharing Web Resources

The website that I have chosen to study is the National Black Child Development Institute (http://nbcdi.org/) which fascinates me because it provides information for African Americans on a variety of topics from Child Welfare to Health and Nutrition.

1. What specific section (s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

The feature that I want to address this week is the Pre-K to 3rd Campaign, which works to improve the academic success of children in grades Pre-K to 3rd grade. It works to assist the child and family with a smooth transition in every phase of the child's educational career from childcare to graduation from high school. I believe that this is relevant because many times transition can be difficult for the child and the family so this program provides teachers or others in the early childhood field with suggestions on making this transition easier for all parties.

2. Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in the news?

I have not found anything controversial on the website or the e-newsletter but I have found a topic that provided more light on my current job. Head Start is currently advocating in Washington to continue the program that is currently on the list of items to cut in education. The newsletter encouraged parents of Head Start children to write or call their state representative and voice their opinion about the need for the continuation of the program.

3. What information does the website or the e-newsletter and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website?

The trends that I gained from the website include the need for healthy nutrition as well as providing a safe environment for children (child welfare). The website provides information on how to eat healthy and other information that families to can use to discuss health and nutrition.

4. What information does the website or e-newsletter add to your understanding of how economist, neuroscientist or politicians support the Early Childhood field?

It provides information on healthy living and nutrition, education field and literacy which can help Economist because it provides more information on how families live. The Neuroscientists can learn about how children function and more information about cognitive development. Politicians can find information about the needs in different communities.

Getting To Know My International Contacts

I am continuing to have difficulty contacting international contacts in the Early Childhood field. I have emailed several contacts using the email addresses from the various websites and have yet to find true success. I continued until earlier this week when I made contact with a formal director of  Pastoral del Nino project, Shannon Peairson. Shannon Peairson recommended that I contact Ann Austin for more information. Ann Austin recommended that I contact Elizabeth U de Burro for more information. Elizabeth U de Burro was unable to participate in the weekly contact and finally linked me to the new director of Pastoral del Nino, Hermanna Mercedes Duarte. I have sent numerous emails to both email accounts but have not received a response for any questions. After receiving the run-around from all these individuals I decided to complete the alternative assignment focusing on poverty in China.

The company that I found the most interesting facing similar problems to the United States was China. For example, unemployment and poverty is higher in parts of China just like it is in the United States. The insights that I gained from studying this website include:

• China is the most populous country in the world (World Bank, n.d)
• By 2001, 5%  of country lived below the poverty line (World Bank, n.d)
• Rural poverty fell from 250 million in 1978 to 35 million in 2000 (World Bank, n.d.)
• Economic growth and poverty was higher in Western China (World Bank, n.d.)

The interesting fact that I found was that the poverty level fell sharply because of the cultural and technological advances in different areas of  China that were not readily available in the Western Part of the country. Many of the families were facing the same problems that we are currently facing in this country such as high unemployment and difficulty meeting the needs of their families.

Resources

National Center for Children In Poverty (n.d.) Retrieved on March 19, 2011 from http://www.nccp.org

World Bank (n.d). Retrieved on March 19, 2011 from http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/aag/chn