The World Around Us

It has been such a rewarding experience being able to communicate with other professionals in the early childhood field.  I have learned so much in these last seven weeks and look forward to shoring the information and applying in my future career as a professional.  I can honestly say that I am an advocate for children and will dedicate my time making their lives better by providing them with services and resources that will allow them to achieve academic.  I have learned a lot from my professional contact in which she has been a great inspiration and has given me the motivation to pursue my dream.

Stephanie Olmore is a dedicated professional who has devoted many years of her life as an advocate for children and is now in the position of being able to oversee all of the international efforts of NAEYC.  She has been in many positions that have allowed he to learn about the issues that exist within  the early childhood field as well as participate in many initiatives to address the issues that exist.  My contact with her this week was filled with a lot of information that she provided about issues discussed within her area, opportunities for professional development, professional goals, and her hopes, dreams, and challenges. Stephanie shared with me that she has enjoyed every minute of being a professional in an area that changes the lives of children all over the world.  When asked about the issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals being discussed where she work she stated that the issues were developing high quality early childhood programs that provide all children the opportunity to attend, setting high standards for professionals, consistent training across the states for professionals, and educating families on the benefits of providing their children with learning opportunities at an early age.  She also stated that within the NAEYC there are several opportunities for professionals to receive professional development which includes workshops, online learning, training DVDs, and conferences.  She stated that NAEYC is devoted to providing professionals with the necessary tools and information needed in order for them to better serve the children throughout the world.  In addition, I was able to gain information about her personal goals and dreams in which she wants to be able to develop initiative and programs as partnerships with as many international memberships with the NAEYC.  She feels that regardless of the location of the child or where they are in the world. they have the right to receive a quality education that will allow them to be successful throughout their entire education.  Her dream is to one day provide children to necessary tools and services needed to become model citizens.

This has been one interesting and wonderful learning experience and I have enjoyed every minute of it.  The information I have learned will allow me to be a better early childhood professional in the future.         

Sharing Web Resources

I am just so happy that I chose the Harlem Children’s Zone as my website of choice to learn more about what it has to offer children and families in Harlem.  This has to be one of the most successful community-based programs that exist in the United States.  The website is so full of information and resources that are valuable to families, children, and adults who are seeking a better life for themselves.  I just enjoy clicking on the different links and reading all of the information on the progress of the organization, the impact it is making on the community, and the lives of the people that they are changing on a daily basis.  While searching this week on the website, I notice that none of the links led to outside materials or websites and most of the links related to information about the organization.  However, I was very pleased to come across one of the programs being offered in the early childhood programs for parents and children referred to as the Baby College.  

The Baby College is an early childhood program that is offered to pregnant mothers and mother with children up to age 3.  The programs provides services, resources, and classes that teach the mothers how to care for their children as well as become teachers for their children.  According to Team HCZ Newsletter (2002), “The Baby College goal is to parents with information and support necessary to bring up happy and healthy children who enter school ready to learn ” (p. 2).  This program allows the parents to learn from professionals and a curriculum that will teach them about child development and effective methods to enhance their child’s learning.  Being that the first five years of a child’s life is when they learn the most; I feel that this program will be very helpful to the people in the community in which they will begin at an early age molding the children into productive citizens.  It made me feel really good reading the article and knowing that my future colleagues are making such an impact on the lives of children and their families.  This makes me so excited about becoming an early childhood professionals and turning things around for the children and families I will serve.    

Also while searching the website; I was also able to find information about the type of races and families that are served in which the organization has a diverse range of families that live within the community they serves.  Due to demographic changes, more and more immigrant and minority families are moving into Harlem and receiving some of the services provided by the Harlem Children’s Zone.  According to Team HCZ Newsletter (2002), “Today Central Harlem is about 15 percent Hispanic, and people of many different ethnic, racial, and national backgrounds are streaming into the neighborhood, including a growing population of West African immigrants” (p. 2).  This means that the Harlem Children’s Zone has to be able to meet the needs of the different cultures and make them aware of the programs and services that are being offered.  This also means that the professionals of the organization have to be informed of the different cultures and develop ways to get the families involved in their child’s education.  Reading the information on the website has basically provided evidence that the world is coming more divers and as early childhood professionals we have to be ready for the challenge and provide high quality services and programs for everyone.      

References

Team HCZ Newsletter. (2002). A look inside.  Retrieved from http://www.hcz.org/images/stories/pdfs/ali_summerfall2002.pdf.

Excellence and Equity

Once again I was able to communicate with Ms. Stephanie Olmore, in which she was more eager than I to share with me NAEYC's focus on the concept of equity in education.  NAEYC is well-known for its participation in different alliances in which it works with other organizations as a team effort in order to address the issues that are arising within the early childhood field.  One current alliance that NAEYC is a part of is the World Forum Foundation.  NAEYC along with 15 other alliance members which include organizations such as the Canadian Childcare Federation, Early Childhood Australia, South African Congress for Early Childhood Early Childhood Development and many others are dedicated to providing a quality and equal education to children all over the world.  The alliance serves as a global exchange of information and ideas that focus on the well-being of children and the providing of high quality services for children and families.  I was also informed by Ms. Olmore that the NAEYC is also a member of the membership organization referred to as the International Step by Step Association that also focuses on equity in education.  Basically the organization serves as the connection point between professionals and organizations in order to determine what is needed in the early childhood field.  According to the International Step by Step Association (n.d.), " ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s network today stretches across the globe from Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia, Asia, and the Americas" (p. 1).  This membership allows the NAEYC the opportunity to work with other countries and seek information on the state of education in other countries.  

World Forum Foundation

https://www.worldforumfoundation.org/

International Step by Step Association

http://www.issa.nl/

After communicating with Stephanie, I realized that there are many organizations around that world that is dedicating their time, services, and resources to help families and children. This fight for children cannot be done a lone in which it takes a village to raise a child. Therefore, an early childhood professional, I dedicated my time to serving others. 

References

International Step by Step Association.  (n.d.).  Home.  Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl /index.html.

Sharing Web Resources

Well everyone, I am here again to share with you more information on an organization that is making a big impact on the lives in children in Harlem.  The Harlem Children’s Zone is dedicated to providing children with the necessary programs and services that will allow them to develop into model citizens who will give back to their community.  The website for the organization is filled with valuable information for any parent, child, or professional, especially those who work within the early childhood field.  As I searched through the website, I became overwhelmed and overjoyed with the amount of information that seemed particularly relevant to my current professional development.  One specific section that caught my eye was the one that was titled Issues.  Many of the issues discussed in this section are issues that are occurring with children and professionals all over the world.  The resources in this section provided different literature on topics such as long-term success of children, list of effective programs, and federal initiatives.  Another section that is relevant to my current professional development is the section on programs that are being implemented by the organization.  This section will allow me to view actual programs that have been effective and which can be applied in my community as well.  It gives any professional an idea of what works and what is effective when it comes to serving children and families.   

As I continued to browse the website I came across a newsletter that was printed in 2009.  The thing that caught my attention about this newsletter was the effort that the organization put forth in order to keep things going and impacting children.  This made me think about all of the programs that have been started in my community that later failed.  What were they doing wrong? How were the programs evaluated?  These are questions I began to ask myself and wonder why they couldn’t be successful like the Harlem Children’s Zone.  This organization receives help from celebrities, volunteers, community officials and makes sure that everything that is done focuses on their core values.  I feel that this is an organization that could help other organizations progress and change things for the better in other communities.  I was even able to find information that adds to my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field.  The Harlem Children’s Zone has developed a Quality Assurance Team to make sure that their programs are effective and that the resources and services the children receive will pay off in the future.  According to Team HCZ Newsletter (2009), “QAT was developed to improve that division’s quality of work, while building upon HCZ’s core values.  On an ongoing basis, QAT now reviews and evaluates the output of preventive’s five branches to ensure that the division is servicing its clients and families to the best of its abilities and performing at its optimum potential” (p. 2).   

As an early childhood professional, I am so glad that the Harlem Children’s Zone is dedicated to changing the lives of children and I hope to one day be a part of an organization that has the drive and force like this one.

References

Team HCZ Newsletter. (2009). 100 days of Peace and purpose.  Retrieved from http://www.hcz.org/images/stories/pdfs/teamHCZ_spring09_v4.pdf.