Early Childhood Education Internationally Week 8

Issues & Trends in Early Childhood will forever be course that I will never forget. It is amazing how fast this course went. Seems just last week I was stressing about finding an international contact and passing this course. However, I learned a lot about different issues such poverty, equity and excellence, changing demographics and diversity as well as policies and economist. I have a clearer picture of how other countries teach children, what professionals need to teach, and what trainings are available for early childhood professionals.

~Three consequences of learning for international early childhood are as follow:

• I have a different attitude towards the education system in Philadelphia due to learning about Germany education system. In Germany kindergarten or preschool is not free and as a result so many children are entering elementary school academically behind because they are home. While I always came down on my community education system I'm learning to be apprecative because at least parents are not paying out of pocket expenses for there child or children preschool and kindergarten education. Also, I learned that child care funds are nearly impossible to receive for families who children are beneath the age of 3. Germany feels that mothers should be at home during the early years of a child life.

• I have learned about Awareness, Affordability, and Access and these three issues has motivated me to become a child advocate. During one of the week assignments it was really heart breaking to hear about how different cultural families who come to the U.S don't know how to find funds for childcare, find high quality child care centers, or how to apply for public assistance like food stamps and medical care. I'm in the process of finding places that will allow information pamphlets on the premises. People from different cultures come to the U.S. for a better life for themselves and their children. They should be aware of everything that will guarantee their child to have a successful life. 

• I have also leanred many things from my international contact Dr. Anika. She has truly helped to appreciate things more in the U.S. She also gave me an understanding of the process of becoming a teacher in Germany. Its crazy how in the U.S. government officials slack on making sure teachers are qualified while in Germany the policies are much harder. I think people in the U.S. abuse the freedom that they have in not providing the best education for children. Also, I learned different ways to raise awareness with policy makers and government officials. Dr Anika has great passion for children just like myself. i truly enjoyed speaking with her through emails.

~One goal in reference to international early childhod

• The one goal that I feel is important is for EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION to take place across the globe. I feel like people are taking but nobody is listening. It is imperative for policy makers, government officials, parents, children, teachers, community leaders, and child advocates to begin speaking out about issues and then begin to resolve them. I learned that parents don't speak out of embarrassment and the thought that nobody cares, government officials don't really assess the issue, and some teachers have a I dont care attitude due to lack of compensation. In order for change to happen everyone needs to come together with one voice and one sound creating change for children.

All the issues pertaining to early childhood can be eliminated if everyone start working together and not against each other...... 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3 Week 7

In preparing for this week discussion I asked Dr. Anika various questions pertaining to quality issues that her country may be experiencing. We discussed what opportunities or requirements exist for early childhood professionals, her professional goals as well as her professional hope, goals, and dreams.

Dr. Anika Schmidt discussed that in Germany issues that are being discussed about quality in early childhood education are the lack of programming for children between the ages of newborn to three, decrease in training for staff members due to budget cost, and improvements that need to be done in regards to special education children. Dr. Anika Schmidt stated that she was concerned about the children (newborn-three) who are denied programming because the government believe that children are suppose to be home with their mothers. In addition, mothers of children newborn to three are faced with lack of work because the government don't have policies that allow there children funding or programs to attend. Dr. Anika believes that the government is not being fair and it should be choice for the mothers as to whether or not she wants to stay home or work. Furthermore, Dr. Anika is concerned that children who start early childhood programs after three may take longer to adjust to settings and have attachment issues. Germany requires early childhood professionals to have a bachelor's degree and Praktikum (internship) before working with children. Inspections and evaluations to facilities are done every 4 to 6 years. Dr. Anika says that outside of the requirements the government decrease the availability for training because their were not enough funds available. She discussed that if individuals wanted to have a deeper understanding of their profession the government encourage them to attend more classes at the university. Lastly, she spoke about how the government needed to improve programs that addressed the needs of  special education children. She discussed how their are too many children between the ages of 5 and 6 who are absent from school due to professionals not being able to address their needs. The government is dragging their feet in providing services for at-risk/and special needs children.

Dr. Anika expressed that their are opportunities for early childhood professionals to continue their education in either a Master's or Doctorate program. In addition, their are partnership research opportunities at leading public universities under government grants. She has one professional goal and that is work hand in hand with government officials to change policies for mothers and children. She believes in equal education for all children. Before she retires she wants to produce a book about cultural comparison of legislation in early childhood education.

I have truly enjoyed speaking (email) Dr. Anika. I feel that we are both passionate about creating change for children. I really love the fact that she is writing a book and she wants it produced before she retires. Just from the conversations that we had it would really be nice to visit Germany and for Dr. Anika to visit the US.

Sharing Web Resources: Week 6

Save the Children is the resource that I have been sharing information on. Save the Children has a link for blogs and within this link I discovered that the CEO has her own Blog titled Logging Miles. The CEO of Save the Children name is Carolyn Miles. She blogs about all her experiences around the world, how Save the Children is making a difference, and photos of children learning in different parts of the world. Her latest blog was titled "Put the Frontline Health Worker Into the Post-2015 Framework". Her blog spoke about how she visited a maternal and health clinic in Haripur, Pakistan. She stated,  It is one of the most impressive facilities I have seen anywhere in the world at the primary care, or village, level. She gave statistics about how children are saved in small villages due to skilled and trained health workers. In addition, she has partnered with Frontline Health Workers Coalition to honor and acknowledge health workers around the world who go above and beyond everyday to save lives of children and their families. As I was reading her blog it was interesting to see that she is not a CEO who sits behind a desk and gives orders. She is a CEO who is always in the field. She visits all her Save the Children sites around the world and that is amazing.

In the e-newsletter that was published September 2013 Save the Children drew awareness about children who are not being educated due to conflicts within their country. In some countries more than 28 million children are out of school because of conflict zones with the government. Save the Children partnered with Global Partnership for Education in hope to create a push to plan, prioritize, and protect all children. These two organizations are sending their concerns to Education Cannot Wait event coordinator. There plan is as follow:

More Planning for emergency prevention and integration of emergency prepardeness and reovery in education sector plans and national budget.
Prioritizing education in emergencies by increasing humanitarian aid education and improving the way it is delivered on the ground
Protection of children, teachers, and education facilities from attacks.

Save the Children believe "Education should not be interrupted as children who miss out on school are unable to catch up and experience cumulative disadvantage throughout their lives".

I learned from this newsletter that not everybody care about the education of children. Countries bombing schools and forcing children six thru fifth-teen to join armies is ridiculous. As I read about how other children are lacking, it makes me feel like many families in America take advantage of the freedom that they have. When the government don't get alone no one is bombing schools and shooting up classroom boards. Its families right here is the U.S. who don't even take time to send their children to school, read to them, or participate in their education. Quality of education doesn't just come from the school it starts at home and the sooner many people realize that the greater chance of children really excelling. If you would like to read more about Save the Children please click on the following link Save the Children

Getting to Know Your International Contact-Part 2 Week 5

My International contact name is Frau Doktor Anika Schmidt. During our discussions I wanted to get to know more about the early childhood field and what qualifications are required to teach in Germany. My contact and I communicate through email and due her busy schedule she tried to answer as many questions as possible.

Frau emphasized that in Germany there education system is known for having high quality. However, in the Early Childhood Sector there seems to be some on going issues. As mentioned in a previous blog Germany requires or rather have strong morals about mothers who return to work before their child is 6. Germany government believes that children should be at home during their fundamental years. The government does not make it easy for working mothers. Availability full-time childcare in Germany is very scarce. For children 5 and under only 1/3 of them actually receive full-time childcare. Due to the availability mothers are forced to return to work only part-time and working still is very hard or impossible. Frau states, Germany provides publicly-subsidize to childcare facilities in preschool but they come with many restrictions for the parents. In preschool children are only given a half of a day and in kindergarten children are required to go home for lunch. Lunch is not made available for them and the government requires a two hour lunch for the children. This is hard for working mothers because they have to work around the schedule the government provides for them.

Frau states getting the required training and certifications to work with children was challenging. Before she could teach she had to obtain her Bachelor's degree first. Once graduated she entered her Masters program but she also had to register for certification program. In Germany, in the education field the required work consist of hands on approach with children, curriculum, and dissertations. At the end of the studies students are required to take a exam, write a dissertation, and have a exam working with children. She stated that at times it was overwhelming because  of the time frame that assignments were due. In addition, she states the hardest task was completing her German knowledge and language exam. No teacher is allowed to teach without scoring a proficiency score on the exam. Germany requires you know the culture as well as the language.

When asked about issues of equity and excellence she replied with the following comments. Currently, there are no large issues regarding quality. The only topic of discussion is access and further help for single and full-time working parents, increasing the number of guaranteed hours for Early Childhood Education, further integrating Early Childhood Education into the social structure of German culture.

As I continue to read emails from Frau I'm learning that in every part of the world their is always something to be done in regards to better the education system for all children. While she may have found the course work and certifications overwhelming it felt good to know that Germany has high expectations for educators. Not just anybody can work with children. Getting your Bachelor and Master degree is highly important and you also have to prove that you are capable of working with children with the hands on approach. A new insight that still has me at WOW is that in kindergarten children are required to go home for lunch. I thought to hours was a bit long but I understand that meal time with families is important for the German culture.  

Sharing Web Resources

Save the Children has a component called Education. Within this component there are many areas that deal with Education such as Girls Education, A World with no Math, Healing and Education Through the Arts, Reading in Rural America, and Literacy Boost. Those are just of the few areas that are under Education component. HEART (Healing and Education Through the Arts) is the are that really interested me this week. HEART helps children who have experience extreme poverty, limited opportunity, and loss of family and home due to a natural disaster heal emotionally and learn critical skills, so they can achieve their highest potential. HEART has already reached 10,000 children and is looking to reach 50,000 children by the year 2015. This component is relevant to my professional development because I teach children dance on Saturdays and I'm also incorporating it in my daily activities with the children I provide care for.

Dance is a way to express your emotions through movement. I teach liturgical dance which allows children to pick songs that they can relate too and express the song through movement. The younger children normally pick songs that gives them a lot of energy, normally fast and happy songs. I have been dancing for about 12 years. I started dancing right after my parents divorced and dancing really helped me to channel my emotions. In dance classes its not just about moving but I take time to allow children to write and read. They keep a journal of how they feel throughout the week and we have circle time to see what songs describe how they are feeling or what songs can make them feel better.

Save the Children has a Literacy program called Literacy:Success in School: Creating Lifelong Learners. This program helps children in 13 states by expanding the curriculum in English, math, and science. This program is offered to school based programs for disadvantage children. The passion for this program is driven from the fact that 60% of low-income families cant afford to have books in their home. I found this to be very alarming and I find it hard to believe that with the percentage why would government officials close libraries and school?

In various e-newsletters Save the Children foundation provides information on how the government is involved. In April 2013, President Obama wrote a proposal to reform U.S. International Food Assistance Program. Also, in this reform President Obama urges law makers to ensure that these food assistance programs continue to reach the worlds poorest children. Save the Children foundation believes that President Obama proposal will help them in reaching more children if the U.S. International programs were more flexible, timely, and cost effective.

Save the Children foundation is really a great organization after the heart of children. I truly believe that poverty rates will decrease if this program continues to get support from people around the world as well as the government. What I found in this organization is that although they are creating change globally they have a strong desire to help the children in the U.S. first. They are launching programs that goes inside the school to help children. In additional, they have web links of parents who show gratitude for how the Save the Children foundation has their children and family.

Read more of this organization at   http://www.savethechildren.org

Getting to Know Your International Contact: Part 1

After three weeks of posting numerous Facebook post, LinkedIn statuses, emails to numerous of early childhood organizations, and speaking with family and friends I have found one International Contact. I made contact with this person through a mutual friend. The connection was made Thursday and it was better to email her rather than calling.

My International Contact name is Frau Doktor Anika Schmidt and she from Germany. She has a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood from Freie Universiate. She also has a Doctorate in Psychology from Freie Universiaet in Berlin. I asked her about what role she plays in the Early childhood field, are there any changes she would like to see happen in her country in the ECE field, and as a ECE professional what are ways she can help to make the early childhood better? She expressed that she works directly with Robert Bosch Siftung Center for Early Childhood Education (which is in conjunction with Freie Universiate) and she professionally assist the Hamburg government on Childhood Education in the political realm. Her desire is for her country to make changes in having more excess to ECE for fulltime working mothers and single parents. In Germany, there are not many funds that support working mothers and single parents. Lack of funds is due to the belief that children are suppose to be at home during the early stages of life. The government also made policies that restrict families of ECE funds for children under 3. As a ECE professional her focus is on political policies in the state of Hamburg encouraging the shift of preschool being regarded as an intrusion the private family life and making it an integral part of the German education system.



In addition, I asked Frau what were her views on poverty. She explain, Living in Hamburg and Berlin, poverty tends to be found in areas outside of the city, and areas tend to have families of ethnic minorities, single parents, and blue-collar workers. There are lower access to ECE in those areas, and the quality of education is lower, although there isn't as much of a disparity as in the US. 

Although, my international contact and I shared two emails I learned a lot in two days. Reading her email made me feel grateful and appreciative because the education system in Germany is way different than the US. In Germany, kindergarten is NOT FREE. The government feel that the children should be at home and children are not suppose to begin school until the age of 6. Germany government forces parents to pay tuition for children enrolled in kindergarten. In addition, I learned that along with the curriculum children must learn the state religion and prepare for jobs in the industry. As I was reading the email I couldn't imagine a 10 year old learning how to work. 

This week I learned that poverty is not a new topic. Poverty is happening globally and that the government needs to pay more attention to this issue. For a country (USA) to be one of the richest countries in the world I find it hard to believe that they are amongst the top countries with the highest homeless rate. In addition, I learned that people living poverty don't want to discuss the issues they have with their living status. It is great to know that there are organizations like "Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness" that are helping to eliminate poverty. I am very excited about this organization and I hope that by sharing this resource others will step up to help policy makers form better decisions about homelessness and poverty. 

If you would like to read more about source here is the link: Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness

Sharing Web Resources

Save the Children is a leading organization whose automate goal is to change lives of children across the nation. This organization work with other organizations, governments, non-profits and local partners to create a lasting change in the lives of children. Save the children helps families who have experienced disasters, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and diseases. This is an organization that welcomes all people who have a desire to help children and their families. You can become an advocate, donate funds, sign-up for their monthly newsletter, spread the word thru social sites, send ecards, become a volunteer and sponsor a child. I encourage everyone who has a passion for change to visit this website and see in what ways you can help. Here is the link Save The Children.

·         Each month the organization releases a publication in reference to an area that is harming children. In September, Save the Children release an publication called "Beyond School Walls- A Boost for Readers. This publication discussed how children are failing to read and learn globally. This really stuck out to me because there are so many children who don't know to read and this shouldn't be. This publication showed that 250 million primary school age children cannot read or write and this whether they attend school or not, 20% of children that live in poverty are 4 times more likely to be out of school than children living in wealthy populations and 60% of children in the U.S who come from low-income families have no reading books at home. Save the Children created a program called Literacy Boost which is currently helping 24 countries around the world. Some of the countries are Haiti, Afghanistan, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. This program is designed to help children read and learn in as well as out of the classroom. Literacy Boost is also helping children living in extreme poverty and girls have the highest rate of being illiterate. Currently, more than 30 million girls are out of school every day. I really feel that this website addresses lot needs of children and more educational professionals should get involved. Children not reading, living in poverty, dealing with hunger, and not having medical supplies is not just a U.S issue it a GLOBAL ISSUE!!!

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·         Read more of this article: Beyond School Walls