Issues and Trends: Change, Contexts, Consequences, and Constraints Revisited

The wonders of child development and the long-term consequences of the experiences of young children has made me focus on child development and early learning a key policy focus on the early childhood education programs shows a variety of short- and long-term outcomes from high-quality early childhood  programs. As a result, the early childhood field is focusing on developing programs and systems that lead to the best outcomes for children. In addition, alignment of programs for children from birth to age 5 with the K-12 system and considering the multiple facets of the transition to kindergarten are also being undertaken. An overarching consideration is the development of a coordinated system of early childhood programs to maximize the positive growth and development of young children.

A recent report issued by the Department of Education found that statewide, only 49 percent of kindergartners were deemed “fully ready” at the time they entered kindergarten, with the percentage much lower for poor children (2002). It is anticipated that children not “fully ready” will need special and more intensive teacher support in order to succeed in kindergarten, thus creating a problem not only for the child but for the teacher who is charged with educating children with a wide range of knowledge and skills.

Invest in Education

UNESCO believes that investing in high quality early childhood education is good business and establishes a strong foundation for success in school and in life. A growing body of research builds the case that investment in high quality early education will lead to a more educated, qualified, and talented workforce that will help Wisconsin better compete in a global economy. Why should taxpayers want to invest their dollars in quality early education for every child whose family wants it?

The research is clear that it helps children succeed. That’s one reason. But there is another that is very important but less well known. That reason is this: it makes financial sense. Tax dollars invested create economic development in communities now, and save money for years to come. Investing in early education generates economic development for communities in the short run in the form of jobs, the purchase of goods and services, and a more efficient workforce. In the long run, quality early education builds an employable, educated workforce. Children who receive quality early education arrive at school ready to learn and they do better in school. They need fewer costly special education classes. They are more likely to graduate from high school and to hold jobs. They are less likely to be on welfare. And they are significantly less likely to wind up in the courts and in the jails—and costing taxpayers a fortune.

Sharing Web Resources

The Web Resources I used was the DEC and NAEYC

The DEC/NAEYC joint position statement on inclusion contributes to the early childhood field in that it helps all involved with children fully understand the practices and techniques needed in order to have successful inclusion learning programs, whether at home or at school. All early childhood programs should model a program that displays a welcoming and supports diversity with open arms. The joint statement should help us face the realities of inclusion by breaking down the details in terms of access, participation, and supports. Through this statement we should be encouraged to look closely at our own practices and concerns and ponder if we are supporting development for every child.

Children should be given access to a variety of learning opportunities through their environment and activities. The Universal Design for Learning allows for every young child to have access to learning and the law forbids schools to not allow children to receive a free and public education regardless of the needs of each individual child. Participation is encouraged for children with or without disabilities as their social-emotional development is cultivated. It is critical that supports be in place so that every child is afforded the opportunity, through trained professionals, to be assisted in and outside of the regular classroom. As stated in the Individual Responsive Practice discussion with Dr. Darragh, it has to be continuous model of support from everyone in the child’s life.

Once access to a particular program has been made, the next crucial step is to figure out how it's going. A positive, respectful relationship between staff and parents is important in making certain that the participation of every child is meaningful and beneficial. Even if children with disabilities are able to access programs and environments, some may require additional individualized accommodations and modifications to participate fully in play and learning activities with peers (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). Then early intervention services should be integrated into the child's routine. Achieving high quality inclusion of children with disabilities requires that there be a strong foundation of systems level supports to ensure that the efforts of individuals, programs and organizations are successful and can be maintained. Teacher training is very important to prepare them to work collaboratively with families, therapists, and other staff to provide specialized services and to ensure a high quality program.

Inclusion benefits children with and without disabilities, it allows them to understand and accept their own and others strengths and gifts, it also helps them experience and appreciate diversity and access the same education that their typically developing peers can and, therefore, expect to be more successful in future educational experiences. Lack of knowledge in individualizing instruction and the lack of collaboration between teachers and families and other staff members are barriers to inclusive practices, that’s why teachers training and preparation are important component to inclusion success.

Resources:
Video - Individually Responsive Practice, Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Where we stand on responding to cultural and linguistic diversity. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2009). Research synthesis points on early childhood inclusion. Retrieved from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/NDPCI-ResearchSynthesis-9-2007.pdf/

Rodd, J. (1996). Children, culture, and education. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_199601/ai_n8743794/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Through environmental scanning of the research of the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, for over twelve years, stayed in front of emerging needs and issues in school improvement and student achievement, accumulating a valuable knowledge base linking policy and effective practice. From this, the Society was able to develop a visionary research agenda, providing independent analysis of government initiatives and promising local innovations across Canada. Each Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education study offered thoughtful analysis of the implications for policy and practice along with the findings of the research.

The most important work of Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education was field research in Canada’s public schools. With generous support from Canadian foundations, they commissioned a range of studies to expand the knowledge base about school change and effectiveness.  They studies were rigorously designed and reviewed, conducted independently, and their findings shared widely across Canada.

Sharing Web Resources

Most experts believe computers are not developmentally appropriate for children under the age of three (Elkind, 1998; Haugland, 1999; NAEYC, 1996). However, these same experts believe children three years old and older can begin to effectively explore and use computers. To evaluate whether computers are developmentally appropriate for children over age three, we need to determine the developmental needs of these children. Children this age are developmentally within Piaget’s preoperational stage. This means they are concrete learners who are very interested in using newly learned symbolic representation - speaking, writing, drawing (including maps and geometric figures) and using numbers. Further, children this age are extremely active and mobile. They often have difficulty sitting still; they need frequent changes in learning modalities; and they want a variety of physical experiences involving dance, physical play, climbing and sports. Preoperational children are also are continuing their mastery of language, and exploring various facets of social behavior.

Clearly many of these developmental needs match up well with appropriate use of technology in the classroom, especially exploration, manipulation of symbolic representation, matching alternative learning styles, and quickly changing learning modalities that individual students can control and pace to meet their individual needs. It is also a very powerful tool for students with specific learning disabilities.

The danger, however, is that computers will be used only to reinforce the national trend toward earlier and more academic skill acquisition, and that other important developmental needs will be ignored. Further, there is a danger that developmental needs not met through technology will be ignored or radically compromised: physical play, outdoor exploration of the community and of nature; art, music and dance; learning specific social skills and moral values, and experiencing diversity in a myriad of ways. Some also believe the easy access of information through computers will prevent our children from developing the persistence, ingenuity, tenacity, social adeptness and hard work needed to survive in the world (D. Wardle, nd). These are all realistic fears, based on the pressure of politicians and most parents, and the ever-present reality of very limited resources in most early childhood programs and elementary schools. And, finally, there is the reality that, all too often, computers are used in ways that are simply developmentally inappropriate - most often used for drill and practice purposes (Haugland, 1999). So, how can we implement computers into the curriculum in a positive way?

Use of technology in the early childhood program must not be a goal unto itself: the purpose is not to teach children how to use computers; they can do this as they get older, just as they can learn to drive a car later in their lives (Wardle, 1999). Appropriate use of technology in the classroom is to expand, enrich, implement, individualize, differentiate, and extend the overall curriculum. And, obviously, curricula goals change with age, and differ from program to program. If a goal of the literacy curricula for a certain age child is to learn to write personal journals, then the computer can naturally support that through writing software, digital cameras, and other methods.
Elkind, D. (1998). Computers for infants and young children. Child Care Information Exchange. 123, 44-46.

Haugland, S. W. (1999). What role should technology play in young children’s learning? Young Children, 54 (9), 26- 30).

Wardle, D. (Nd). Throw out the computers! Position statement on computers. Elka Park, NY: Plough Publishing House.

NAEYC (1996). Position statement on technology and young children - ages three through eight. Young Children, 51 (6), 11-16.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

My convocation was with one of my friend’s who is the supervisor at the Oliver Gospel Mission here in Columbia SC. Their mission is to see that the broken and homeless are sheltered, given the gospel of Jesus Christ, and equipped to live responsibly.   This area is, surrounded by corn and soybean farms that often employ migrant farm workers, is a few miles away from one of the most impoverished communities in the state. A state that historically has had a very high poverty rate.  We are fighting poverty by adhering to the ideology that poverty is self made by those individuals who refuse to work and can only be undone by deciding to work and the impoverished neighborhoods a short distance away is a public university that graduates about 800 teacher education students per year, 80% of which come from its surrounding communities. I often wondered what situated knowledge my students bring into teacher education courses regarding issues of poverty. How do they build understanding about poverty, what discourses influence their understanding and what impact might this have on their professional practice as teachers?  Understanding the discourses of poverty is crucial for teachers.

I learn that the poverty rate in our community is large then I was thinking. Some of the information I was told I could not post but it was very sad. The number of children I told me that com though his program was 259,429 (24.4%). As a teacher, what do we do? Early Heat Start was form to combat this problem but it seems as if the problem is keeps growing larger.   

I learned so much this week about poverty and our children.

Sharing Web Resources

The purpose for the Center for Child Care Workforce is to provide a voice for individuals that work in the child care field.  In addition, this site provides them with the most recent information on early childhood for personal and professional growth.  The mission of this site is to, formidable the nature and expanse, continues to be transformed by policies and practices that are, more often than not, conceived, developed and evaluated by people who are far removed from the actual work and day-to-day realities of working with children and shaping their young lives (CCW).

            This website is user friendly, it is structured in a way that anyone can use it even you. Yes you! Once entering the site you will see across the top six tabs that are window to other areas of the site. The first tab is the home tab; this will always bring you back to the home page of the site.  Next is the About Us tab, here you will find the mission statement and developed trainings. Following that you have Research and Resources tab; under that tab you will find Early Childhood facts, Wage Data, State Compensation Initiative, Special Populations, Parent Outreach, Licensing Requirements, Quality Rating Systems and Oral Language Development. Right next to that you will see a tab marked Take Action with in this tab you will find, Worthy Wages and Worthy Wage Tales. Fourth is the tab labeled Public Policy under this tab you will see Federal and State Initiatives. The last tab on this page is the News to Use under here is Latest News, Articles, Newsletters and Books.  This will guide you to each link on this side and you can learn some many things about the child care workforce.

            The information available on this site will help you with better understanding child care, resource to help you become a better early childhood educator and show you how to be a voice for your center and early childhood.  The best way to navigate your way in this site is to start with the mission of the site, then go from left to right to get the best results from the page.  Each tab is a guide for the next tab on the page to help you better grasps what the website has to offer.  

I’m going to highlight three areas on the site I will be News to Use, Research and Resources, and Take Action.  Under the tab News to Use they have great articles on early childhood that can assist you in many ways then one. Next is Research and Resources it gives very helpful tips, in addition to fact on child care. The third on is Take Action, this tab gives helpful information when it comes to Wages in child care.

For me this website opened my eyes to a lot of things going on in child care.  It let me know that I have a voice also and it should be heard.

Website:

Center for Child Care Workforce

 http://www.ccw.org/