Final Issues and Trends Blog Assignment

Unfortunately, I did not get to speak with any international early childhood educators. I did not realize how difficult contacting educators in other countries would be. I did enjoy reading articles about all of the efforts made by Harvard's Global Children's Initiative to create quality early education programs for children in Brazil. I was also inspired  by last week's podcast, to pursue my dream of operating my own early childhood program. NAEYC proved to be an excellent resource, and the articles provide a wealth of information and guidance to early educators all over the world.

 

My professional goals have not changed; however, I do believe I have an obligation, to advocate for those who can not defend themselves. My faith has increased, and I now know I can be a part of the solution. I can not allow what I see, to dictate what I can accomplish if I put my mind to it, and commit to the cause! I want to thank all of my classmates for the wisdom you offered, and all of the advice you shared.

Getting to know your international contacts

Throughout this course, I attempted to contact international early childhood professionals, but I was not successful. This week I listened to a podcast on World Forum. I was interested in this particular discussion, because it tied into this week's discussion on quality, and professional goals. This week featured an early childhood professional(Barbara Jones) who was displeased with the public school system, and as a result of her displeasure, she left the school district, moved to California in search of a quality program that she said" looked like the early childhood schools she read about in the books" . After working for several montesorri schools, and head start programs, Ms. Barbara Jones, opened her own montesorri school in Falmouth Maine, which was featured in the showcase section of the "Exchange Magazine". I enjoyed hearing all of the steps she took to get to her final goal. She waited for two years, to purchase a boarded up building, she had expressed interest in. I felt inspired, and hopeful about opening my own quality program. When I first enrolled in early childhood( back in 1994),I often dreamed of opening a program assessible to all children and families. I wanted a program financially affordable to all families, and if a family could not afford to pay : their child would still be enrolled. When I discuss my dreams with my friends and family, I began to describe what I see in my mind. I want a staff of caring professionals, skilled in understanding how children develop and learn, and how to create an environment of acceptance, and growth. I also desire to see a uniformed staff in company shirts, with a nice pair of jeans and tennis shoes. I want parents to feel confident, that their children are in good hands. I am so excited.    

Support families

 

   Support children with special needs
 

Sharing Web Resources

Because I know so little about public policies, I decided to explore the public policy section on the  NAECY's website. Under the tab "Take Action", the viewer is given an option, to write the president of the United States, concerning any issues in early education. I decided to write a letter to our president, about the insufficient wages paid to early educators; using myself as an example, I explained the dilemma( struggling finanacially) faced by most highly qualified early childhood educators. Please see a copy of the letter below:

Dear President Obama,

I am currently working as an early childhood assistant teacher for the Saint Louis Public School District. I am sending this email, to express my frustration with my bi-weekly take home wages. Before I go into specific details about my income amount, I would like to give you some insight into my past experience in the early childhood field. I have been an early educator for eighteen years. My original career was medical technology. In 2004, I began my education coursework in early childhood education, and in June 2006 I graduated with an associate degree in early education. In December 2007, I obtained a B.S. in Child Development with a minor in Psychology. In June 2012 I passed the early childhood education Praxis exam. I am currently in a Graduate program, where I am working on a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education Specialties, with an emphasis on adult education and training, in the early education field. My take home pay after taxes is a little over $1100.00 per month! Research supports the positive impact of a quality early education programs, in the lives of young children, and their families. I am committed to providing an enriched learning environment for all children, and I believe if given the opportunity, all children have the ability to learn and have a successful future; unfortunately the wages paid to early childhood educators, cause highly qualified people to seek employment in other fields. When I compare the wages of professional ball players to teacher's salaries, the results are alarming. It sends a message that entertainment is more important, than investing in the lives of young children. I respect you as president, and I believe you desire to see change in our education system. Teachers deserve to earn enough money, to care for their families and invest in their financial future. We won't be able to accomplish anything with so very little money.

Thank You,

Magretta Nelson

I do not know if my letter will be read, but it sure felt good writing it! Under the public policy section, I Iearned that on April 10, 2013, president Obama annouced his proposed investment plans to the field of early education:

New Pre-K Proposal-

 $75 billion over the next ten years(All grants)

 $750 million in competitive discretionary funds for fiscal year 2014

Early HS- $1.4 billion increase to expand early head start

Home visiting-expanded by $15 billion

Head Start- $200 million increase( cost of living expenses, and redesignation costs

Child Care & Development Block Grant- $500 million increase in mandatory funds, and $200 million in discretionary dollars to improve quality

Part C Special Education-$20 million increase

Promise Neighborhoods-$ 300 million increase to help low income communities invest in a range of services to help children and families

If anyone is interested in viewing the above numbers for themselves, please visit www.naeyc.org, choose the "Public Policy" section and learn all of the new information related to the early education field. One of my reasons, for writing the president about the wages of early educators has to do with the issues families face with the inability to afford quality care for their children. Last week I learned through the access of one of my resources"The Child Care Trilemma: how moral orientations influence the field", childcare, and early education programs can't provide affordable care to parents without compromising the wages of the educators. If  you did not choose the article listed above as a resource, you may find some of the points made, quite interesting! Families are struggling  with the option, to provide their children with quality care, because the tuition for such programs, would take a big lump of their income. My prayer is that President Obama's proposed numbers for the investment in early childhood, are supported by members of congress, if not, take a look at what we will continue to see in the lives of our families.

  

 

         The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing

" Albert Einstein, physicist

Let us not be the ones who do nothing.

  

The Science of Childhood in Brazil

Because evidenced based research, has opened doors and paved a path for those promoting the importance of early education across the counrty, I found an article on Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, to be quite interesting. Harvard's Global children's initiative has collaborated with local experts to create a program(Nucleo Ciencia Pela Infancia)that will use the science of child health and development to encourage stronger policies and larger investments, which would assist children and their families in Brazil. The collaboration include Harvard's Center on the Developing Child, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, Fundacao Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, the faculty of Medicine at the University of Sao Paulo, and Insper. The project will give The Center on the Developing child opportunities to work closely with Brazillian scholars , policymakers, and civil society leaders to provide a program model similiar to the center's programmatic model for the local context, which would be the catalyst for the creation of more effective policies and programs, that will create a properous, sustainable and equitable society (Center on the Developing Child,n.d.). Knowing efforts to provide quality care to all children, makes my heart glad!