Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I did not receive any responses from either of my international contacts. Therefore, I moved onto the alternative assignment.


World Forum Radio
I listened to the World Forum podcast with Maysoun Chehab. She works with the Arab Resource Collective (ARC). As part of her work with ARC, she promotes early childhood awareness in the local communities. She also provides training for early childhood caretakers. Another passion for Maysoun Chehab is providing psychosocial interventions for children and their families after devastating events such as war. Because I was waiting to hear from my previous international contacts, I was not able to establish contact with Maysoun Chehab. However, if I were able to communicate with her I would be interested in finding out if early childhood programs in the Middle East are equitable. Can anyone attend regardless of income or gender?

Maysoun Chehab. Episode 4. Retrieved from
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio
Harvard’s Global Children’s Initiative
While exploring the Global Children’s Initiative by Harvard University, I learned that Latin America is only in the beginning stages of implementing high-quality early childhood programs. Chile will be the first country to implement Un Buen Cominezo which means “A Good Start” program that provides teachers with professional development, healthcare interventions for families, and socioemotional development.
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ubc/

I liked the Global Children’s Initiative’s mission to bring awareness and change to the early childhood field by supplying resources, programs, and support around the world. I think what I’m learning this week about early childhood programs around the globe is that people are becoming aware. They are aware that the early years are an important time for development (physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively). Their awareness is leading to social change through policies and programs that promote early learning opportunities. But we have a long way to go in bringing equity and excellence to all children around the world!

Harlem Children's Zone

Harlem Children's Zone http://hcz.org/home

As I was exploring HCZ's website, I was particulary focused on learning about the Project Pipeline.  The best way I can describe it is as a continuum of learning from birth to adulthood which is built upon connections and partnerships.  Project Pipeline is divided into five sections - early childhood, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.  All these sections are built around family, community, and health.

The Early Childhood sector of the Project Pipeline offers free programs which include Baby College, The Three Year Old Journey, Get Ready for PreK, and Harlem Gems. For a description of these programs, visit http://hcz.org/the-hcz-project-pipeline/early-childhood .

This week we've been learning how economists, politicians, and neuroscientists are contributing to the early childhood field.  HCZ's Geoffrey  Canada particpates in many national educational reforms along side local, state, and federal politicians. HCZ philosophy and work is supported by  President Obama.

In 2008, HCZ began collaborating with Policy‑
Link, a national research and action institute.As the concept of the federal Promise Neighborhoods and Choice Neighborhoods programs take shape for the Obama administration, HCZ and PolicyLink have provided ongoing information and counsel. In 2010, the Obama administration allocated $75 million in the federal budget for the two federal programs.

http://www.hcz.org/hcz/downloads/path_to_sustainability.pdf


HCZ is an investment in the eyes of economists with outstanding paybacks.

HCZ has invested $300 million over 10 years for programming in the Harlem community and an additional $43 million in capital.

• Unprecedented results—painstaking, regular evaluation shows our children are thriving.

• We are providing critical data to a field with a dearth of research.

• HCZ is a powerful economic engine in the neighborhood—with 2,000 employees, 800 full time, we are one of the largest employers in Harlem.

• About half of all HCZ employees live in the community or surrounding neighborhoods, creating economic opportunity in areas that typically have two or three times the unemployment rate of the city and nation.

• In 2010, HCZ’s free tax-assistance program helped nearly 5,000 residents receive refunds totaling $8.54 million—resources that they can spend in the community, improving the neighborhood economy.

• Hundreds of our high school and college students obtain invaluable work experience in summer jobs and internships every year through HCZ.

• More than 600 students are now in college, a cohort that will increase by the hundreds each year, preparing themselves for the highskills job market.

This return on investment is overwhelming evidence that we have begun to break the cycle of generational poverty in our community.



http://www.hcz.org/hcz/downloads/path_to_sustainability.pd %20And

And where do the neuroscientists fit in the picture? Well, poverty affects the development of young children and HCZ is committed to healthy development of children and their families. 

This website has so much information on issues and trends in Harlem that are relevant all across our country.  I find myself getting lost in the magnitude of information that HCZ offers about their community organization.  And, the most surprising part of HCZ is that all their programs are FREE!  People, businesses, politicians, and etc... are donating to this organization and it's working. Their investments are returning rewards!

Poverty and the wage gap

During my local search about poverty, the Fulton County Center for Families emailed me some information that included the following link:
http://www.circlesadamscounty.org/wagegapvideo.html
On this website,  you'll find a youtube video about the wage gap and why it is so hard to get out of poverty. This really made a lot of things click together so I could see the whole picture.

International Contacts

I was unable to establish contact with any international educators via our website resource list. However, I have a friend, Dani, that is working with the PeaceCorps in Mali as a volunteer with a local school.  I'm able to keep in contact with her through Facebook.   She is working with the school board, teachers, and willing parents to help them understand their role in education.  When I asked her about poverty in Mali, she wrote:

"...Education is not something of importance to most villagers, especially when it come to girls education (because their place is working in home, cooking, caring for children, etc.) Parents send their children to school when they have the money (equal to about $3/student/year for 1st cycle).-meaning in some families only one or two children are able to go. In my village, the money goes to the school board, who is responsible for seeing that all the teachers' houses are well kept, and they also pay the two teacher's salaries. At times, the money can be supplemented for bags rice, students doing chores, fetching water, planting, rebuilding walls that have fallen down in the rain, -pretty much anything... The school year is from Oct- June, working around the planting season, however most of October is consumed with harvesting, which is a priority over attending school.

From personal experience, I have found the education system, and the school in my village a huge challenge. ...Seeing 80 students in one classroom crammed four to a bench, broke my heart, because I knew there was no way all of those students were learning, and no way to have one on one time at all, ever with the teacher-that is just not the way things are run here. Once I was working with a third grader writing letters in the dirt. When asked the letter, he couldn't tell me unless he started reciting the alphabet from the begining to reach that letter. In the 2nd, and 3rd grade classes, USAID provided a board with removable letters I have found that the students can identify the letters when pointed to if they are in the correct order, but not if I mixed up the order."

Also, she wanted me to share her blog link with you. http://bygollymali.blogspot.com/

My other contact is the International School Educators which I contacted through Facebook, too.  I'm not able to discuss independently with a single educator yet but I am receiving responses to my posts. In regards to poverty, ISE responded that the effects of poverty for educators varies from country to country but teachers needs are almost always meet.  They also stated that teachers may find it difficult to see the poverty in the village they are teaching but the villagers adapt by relishing in their culture and heritage. https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/International-School-Educators/126726737416062

This week I've learned that poverty in America is very different from poverty in other parts of the world.  I've learned that poverty tends to be generational but with the recession many first time families are being disadvantaged because of job loss.  There are local, state, and federal resources available to help individuals and families that suffer from generational or temporaray poverty.  It's not always easy to escape the hardships of poverty but there are organizations and/or programs that are dedicated to helping individuals become self-sufficient. As an early childhood educator, there are many resources in my hometown as well as on the worldwide web at my disposal for helping the children and families that I work with that may be disadvantaged for any amount of time. The effects of poverty on a young child's development can be negative and long-lasting so it's important that we provide the necessary support to counteract the negative effects of poverty.

Check out Harlem Children's Zone

Check out Harlem Children's Zone

"Harlem Children's Zone is an organization dedicated to offering education, social services, and community building programs to childrens and families in an effort to combat poverty and its effects on families and the community." Their moto is "Do whatever it takes to educate children and strengthen the community."  Their issue is not really changing demographics and diversity but poverty.

I watched a CNN newscast with Geoffrey Canada, who discussed the need for innovation in education.  He stressed the need for schools and educational professionals to have the flexibility to do whatever is needed for their students to learn.  It reminded me of Dr. Grace in our video who stated that changing demographics and diversity vary depending on the part of the country you live in.  I think they both make an important statement about the future of education and that is simply a cookie cutter approach will not work.  Every school district is faced with their own challenges and it's time for the education system to be reformed as needed to improve student learning.

Part 2: Expanding Resources

As I reviewed and clicked through the list of resources, I was familiar with many of them such as NAEYC and Zero to Three.  The purpose of this part of the assignment is to expand resources so I chose to expand my interest in the Harlem Children's Zone.  It caught my attention and I was drawn in by the website's organization of information.  I clicked on a few videos and learned about the Harlem Children's Zone and it's goals.  I think it will provide valuable information on current issues and trends in Harlem and the surrounding areas.

http://www.hcz.org/

Part 1: Foreign Professional Contact

I have found it very challenging to establish contact with any foreign educator.  Yesterday, I emailed five foreign contacts from Russia, Spain, Mexico, Haiti, and Germany.  Two of the five emails were returned as undeliverable.  Today, I used the Unicef website to obtain email addresses for Mexico, Russia, and Finland. My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping to hear from any of these contacts.  I think these contacts would really enrich my understanding or perspectives of global issues/trends.

Has anyone else established contact? I think I may have to start the alternate assignment which isn't as appealing to me. It'll be informational but not as exciting as being a "pen-pal."