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.