International Consequences

As I have researched several topics throughout this semester my attention was always brought to the plight of poverty that is so widespread throughout this nation.  The effects of poverty are detrimental to the family as a unit however, as a child that has grown up in that situation the effects are long lasting.

The consequences that I have learned are:

Awareness:  I needed to learn what was going on in other nations around the world.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to get out of your comfort zone and realize what issues are going on around you.  Not just in your own backyard. Learning about poverty in other nations make me realize that there are lots of resources that we have here in the United States that other countries may not have.  I also realized that giving a little can mean so much to somebody in need.  Because of my new found insight I have donated clothing and necessities to Sierra Leone.  My co worker is from Sierra Leone and monthly she sends necessities to her family in Africa.  She stated that where they are from it is very poor and they do not have a lot. So I decided to help her.  We filled up two drums and sent them to Africa.

Another consequence is academic achievement:  Research has shown that children that come from  poverty may have lower academic achievement throughout their years in school but especially in early childhood. Children in poverty have the right to receive quality education.  The importance of education should be stressed and reinforced by parents and the community at large. The schools should provide linkage between themselves and social services.  This may help reduce the achievement gap and cause a higher graduation rate among high school seniors.  I can help close this gap by being the best teacher I can and help my preschoolers learn about the world through play.  The exposure that I give them will enable them to develop the skills that are needed to succeed in higher grade levels.

Finally the last consequence that I learned about was public policies.  Programs should be made available to help assist families that are experiencing poverty.  Policies that would allow the parents to bring home more in their paychecks by tax breaks.  Public information about services that can help assist with nutrition, health care preventive and maintenance, housing subsidies and other programs that help the families.


One goal that I have is to continue to donate to local and national organizations that support children and their families in poverty.

Getting To Know You International Contacts Part 3

Since I was unable to establish a professional international contact I visited the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO website.  UNESCO is dedicated to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information http://www.unesco.org . The primary focus of the organization is Africa and gender equality however, there are other over lapping objectives that are focused upon.  

• Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning
• Mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development
• Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges
• Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace
• Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication

On the website I found areas that interested me such as an article that is titled, Fighting Racism and Discrimination. This article discuss cities around the world that are dealing with high discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and education.  The areas are addressed, analyzed and policies are developed to help change these problem areas. 

International Jazz Day- I was interested in this area because I love Jazz music and play it a lot in my classroom.  The children seem to enjoy it as well as I does. I never knew there was an International Jazz Day. 

The Day is intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. Many governments, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music will embrace the opportunity to foster greater appreciation not only for the music but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies.

Jazz has been a force for positive social transformation throughout its history, and it remains so today. This is why UNESCO created International Jazz Day. From its roots in slavery, this music has raised a passionate voice against all forms of oppression. It speaks a language of freedom that is meaningful to all cultures.The same goals guide UNESCO in its efforts to build bridges of dialogue and understanding between all cultures and societies. 

Irina Bokova, Director General
Message for International Jazz Day

Why International Jazz Day?

• Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
• Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
• Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
• Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
• Jazz fosters gender equality;
• Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
• Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
• Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/international-jazz-day/ .

What is special about this website is that it deals with global issues and provides resources that are beneficial to set the beginning of awareness.   From our studies it is evident that the United States and the world has a long way to go to totally establish and implement resources that will eliminate poverty, provide adequate employment and education for all children regardless of adverse situations. 

Sharing Web Resources

The Children’s Defense Fund

As I search through the website one link that caught my attention is the Multimedia and News column.  Under this section you can gain information on varies topics that have been published in varies newspapers and columns around the United States.   One article that caught my attention was published in the Huffington Post, February 2011 was titled, Law of Unintended Consequences.  I liked this article because it discussed the short comings o f the No Child Left Behind Act.  It described the inequality of the initiatives that surrounded the NCLB act.  The website has a section, Public Priorities that has a section dedicated to Early Childhood Education and Care.

New Data on Early Childhood Education and Care

The State of America's Children® 2012, a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on key child indicators, including early childhood education and care. Among other selections, the Early Childhood section of the report includes state data Head Start enrollment, the cost of child care and child care subsidies, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, the Child Care and Development Fund, Pre-K enrollment, and state-by-state comparisons of child care center regulations. Only 3 percent of eligible infants and toddlers are able to secure spots in Early Head Start due to limited funding. Learn more about what our failure to invest in children in the early years means for all of us through our "Be Careful What You Cut” campaign". (http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/early-childhood-education-care/.

Through this website I have gained a better understanding of issues related to children of all ages, policies and how the different initiatives effects the programs funding, and different social issues that relate to the development and care of children and their families.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

As I visited the website http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/, it is clear that early childhood education is a global concern.  As the understanding of the practices of early childhood education grows countries are now developing ways to calculate and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs in place to determine if they are highly qualified and beneficial for the children and their families.

Three countries that are focused on the website are Zambia, Brazil and Chile.  Each country has joined with others organizations inside and outside of the United States to develop policies and  assessment tools to help determine the validity of their program.  

In Zambia, the collaborations with the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University are to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. The children in Zambia  are assessed in physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers (http://developingchild.harvard.edu, 2009). 

In Brazil, their is an ongoing effort to use the science of child health and development to ascertain stronger policies to support the children and their families. There first effort outside of the United States produced the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância project.

In Chile, a program was developed to improve early childhood education by providing teacher professional development .  Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), “A Good Start,” was developed to improve the educational needs of preschoolers and kindergartners. Special attention was given to the area of language and to the socio-emotional development of children. Furthermore, interventions were arranged to increase family involvement and student attendance.

It is evident to me that early childhood education is important nation wide.  Resources are steadily increasing to produce effectiveness and high quality teachers and learning environment for our nation's children.