Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 3

Podcast Alternative:

Episode 10: Susan Lyon

Susan Lyon was intrigued by a small child’s conception of the word “city”, and began pondering how children think, eventually visiting Reggio Emilia and then bringing the “100 Languages of Children” exhibit to the San Francisco Bay area on two occasions. She initiated the Innovative Teacher Project, and began working with the Presidio Child Care Center and the San Francisco public schools. Currently she is working with an Italian architect to rehab a San Francisco structure into the first Italian immersion preschool. The Presidio Child Development Center was featured in the Program Showcase section of the March/April 2011 issue of Exchange magazine.

My podcast participant is Susan Lyon. She was an educator since 22, starting with teaching with children who has learning disability and emotional problems. Mrs. Lyon would say that was the beginning of her passion. For children, specifically this one little boy in particular that she was trying to and he had a spelling list and he was trying to learn the word city. He wanted her to tell him what the word was and she felt that she shouldn't give him the answer, but he kept asking and finally she said okay. Um mm tell you that the word is city. She spelled out the word city. The little boy said to Mrs. Lyon that is such a small word for such a big place. She said that was kind of a wonderful experience that she had with that young boy and she think he was in the first grade. She saw a window in the children minds that was quite different. That was the beginning of how she really was trying to understand how children see things, children understand the world. It was quite fascinating to her and she learned about the schools in Reggio Emilia when she went to visit these schools and she was very inspired by their work because they have a particular way of looking at children. The very progressive image of the child. Mrs. Lyon thinks it is really important for the world actually, so she was inspired about the exhibit- "100 Languages of Children." The exhibit moved her very much and she decided that she was going to move it here to Northern California and she did that. She brought the exhibit and meantime she was moving into academic teaching on the college level. She was at Dominican College in San Moor Fran and she brought the college here for four months and they did professional development, bringing the entire educators and that became a catalyst for the whole area in terms of the approach for Reggio Emilia, professional development, a way to advocate for children in this way, a way of really listening to children, and a way of relief by using environments that children thrive in. In the meantime, she started a project called the Innovative Teacher Project which is a project that incompetence a network of schools who is interesting in this in depth approach to children inspired by Reggio and they have a big network of schools and round tables every month in the schools, they open the schools up, the teachers present their schools, the participants walk the environment, and there is a big discussion group at the end. This has been a huge impact here in the bay area. We have public and private schools participating, which is wonderful. The project started in 1994, so the schools have really evolved in some of these very unique qualities places fro children and teachers are using this project for their own professional development. Mrs. Lyon will say that one of the big impacts is that she wanted to prove somehow that this kind of work, this kind of quality work can happen in a public center. She did a Pilot Project at school in the child development center- stand along center infant toddler and preschoolers in the city, it happens to be located in the Presidio- The Big National Park. It is now a 10 years old project and the school is striving and we really was able to with of course the assistance of the educators in Italy. A lot of people, colleagues, and the United States coming in and working with us. The school has become a real inspiration.

The first insights that I gained from the website this week is that in cases where the government has limited resources, a pro-poor policy can redistribute resources by reducing state support for the more privileged. Central governments must ensure an equitable distribution of resources among different populations and especially those who live in the most disadvantaged regions. This approach aims to expand access without creating serious regional inequities. However, where there is universal provision for a certain age group while the overall enrollment in other age groups is low, this policy can create inequity. Privileged children of the target age group benefit from state investment, while poor children of non-target ages receive scant government attention. A policy of universalize  with targeting can minimize inequity where governments aim for universal access among the target age group, but simultaneously prioritize the poor.

The second insights that I gained from the website this week is that high quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness. Active involvement from parents and communities and relevant play and learning materials ensure that early childhood services remain relevant to the needs of the children and all other stakeholders and increases sustainability.

The third insights that I gained from the website is that coordination issues include coherent regulation, funding and staffing schemes and a common vision of care and education. Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments.

Sharing Web Resources

Answer to the five questions:

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

The outside link that I chose was titled Early Childhood News and Resources. It lead me to various experts and parents who write articles for this site on a number of topics. These topics includes: Parents, Activities, Childcare, Special Needs, Health, Social/Emotional, Humor, and Literacy.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

The area that I thoroughly searched was childcare because this was one of the topics that are continuing to be discussed throughout this course. I felt like since I was getting my Master's in this field, why not find out all that I can so that it can prepare me when I do get my job in this field. I found out that this site consisted of Emergent Literacy (newest site), Mommy Perks, Weiss Business Solutions, Personal Child Stories, Parenting Tips with Dr. Sally, and Music Guide. I browsed all of these sites and thought that they had important educational information that will help me with expanding my knowledge.

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

I did not see no where on this site where there was an e-newsletter, but it did have those sites that was related to one of the issues that I have been studying. The new information that is available is that the Early Childhood News and Resources Music Guide, it is a part of the Mommy Perks family of sites. At the Mommy Perks, we believe that music should play an integral role in every childhood.

• Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

Yes, the website contain numerous of information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. In the Personal Child Stories, there were articles in which some of them were related to PCS books while others are on Parenting, Play or Literacy focus.

• What other new insights about the issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

The new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field that I gained this week from exploring the website is that there was a topic called The trouble with childcare reports (Commentary) that was published on Monday, January 17, 2011. It was about an author name Shara Lawrence-Weiss who arrived at home and when she came to her office to work, interestingly, she saw a Google Alert about a new study done on childcare by the University of Illinois. The Psychologists have pinpointed a few factors which involved in kids who grow up to be aggressive and "popular" (i.e. the "mean kids").

Here's what they say:

Psychologists found that both tough children spent a larger proportion of time in center-based care, experienced lower quality care, and had mothers who were significantly less sensitive to their emotional needs than model children.

She appreciate this study very much. This case study seems to have concluded what my own years of experience have indicated: three primary considerations to account for: The amount of time spent in childcare, the quality (or lack of) of childcare and the attention (or lack of) given at home before and after childcare. I really had fun exploring this website because it just kept linking me to other sites that helped me to learn new information and I did not want to get off, but I finally got to a stopping point and exited.

Getting to Know My International Contacts- Part 2

Podcast:
George Forman grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, received his doctorate in developmental psychology at the University of Alabama, worked with Howard Gardner at Project Zero, and then moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where he is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Massachusetts and the President of Videatives, Inc. He has also been involved with programs in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

His interest in video began in Buffalo, New York working with Irv Siegel. “We had these huge reel-to-reel tape machines” and made hours and hours of videotapes of children and, “I began to see small nuances of behavior that I might never have seen if we hadn’t had the video, and I began to realize how powerful it was.”

The new insights and information that I have gained from the podcast is that when Mr. Forman was doing his dissertation at the University of Alabama, the learning theory was very much evolved. Pidaget was just beginning, but his dissertation was discrimination learning where you have to child chose one or two things. Most of the research back than were these haves that the child was doing and it wasn't rewarding because he would watch children on the playground and he didn't understand why they would get delighted at this. Mr. Forman think that Pidaget got interesting in play, so he contracted it with a local group that he could go serve children and he saw this little boy, but this wasn't a epiphany for him. He was walking across the backyard (2 years old) dragging with him this large log (fireplace log) and then he got distracted and then he rested it on its end so that it was vertical and he let it go of the log, then he turned around and he noticed the log was standing and the light on his face. Mr. Forman said, there's something going on here and why wouldn't he be so surprised. Well you know, then Mr. Forman begin to think about the log not fallen, so he begin to think about that kind of knowledge when a child sees something is not something else and he begin to realize that the ideal that it was standing is far of a verb, part of an approach of the world. He think that was a message from Pidaget that we should think more of children's learning the world of action events as oppose to nouns. He think that the little boy really got him to thinking about the power of seeing the world in terms of how things change or don't change as oppose to what things are. It is true in preschool education somewhat because of the influence of Montessori that we thought the mission of early education was to help children name things even in a more refine way, not just red and blue, but red and pink and fusion and the discriminate of how how things look. Pidaget's message was to talk about how things changed, how they become pink if they are red, what do you have to add red to make it pink. This whole ideal of features and events and verbs, he think begin with that one little realization what the little boy was doing was seeing that log as an action, it was standing as oppose to it was just a tower. If you listen to preschool teachers talk a lot of times, they ask children what do we name this, what is this, is this a circle or square, but Mr. Forman think the thing that has kinda guided his writing and his thinking about early education and the curriculum is to help children understand how to change things from one state to another, so that's kinda of my how to go to you in a nutshell. He think, one thing that he would like to mention is another sort of change, not a fundamental change, but a change in strategy is when he started going to Northern Italy Reggio and he saw how they were taking mini media play and drawing and wiring and puppies movement using and helping children think about their thinking, it wasn't simple music, it was kinda a symbolization that helped children see their thinking making thinking visible and that was very helpful. When Mr. Forman ran the school constructive play and would do the setups and have proclamation and help children solve problems at a higher level, but he think what Reggio did was that they showed that even fantasies could be a way to help children reflect on their thinking. Mr. Forman been sort of focused on the physical environment and Reggio helped him to see the power of narrative and discourse as a way to understand what it is that you don't understand.

The  new insights and information that I have gained from the Harvard website is that in a distinct effort to build an integrated international approach which includes child survival, health, and development in the earliest years of life, the Center on the Developing Child has launched the Global Children's Initiative as the highlight of its global child health and development agenda. The Global Children's Initiative looks forward to moving ahead with the Center's core mission globally by implementing a compelling research, public engagement leadership development agenda in child health and development that is grounded in science and engages researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and student from a wide range of institutions around the world. The Center acknowledges the important contributions made to the development of the Global Children's Initiative by the Mother Child Education Foundation (ACEV) of Turkey, which served as the Funding Partner for the initial planning of the Center's global agenda. The Center and ACEV continue to share a strong belief in the power of science to inform global early childhood development and appreciate the complementary experiences each organization offers to support children and families around the world.  

As part of its Global Children's Initiative, the Center launched Nucleo Ciencia Pela Infancia, its first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with local experts, this project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil.

The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) was launched in 2009, a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children's development in Zambia. In order to measure the full impact of the anti-malaria campaign on Zambia's human capital development, the ZECDP created a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children's physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers, the first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia.

The additional information about issues of equity and excellence that I acquired from my international sources is that other countries are not as fortunate as the United Stated to have technology that can detect things early on. I see where other countries struggle on a daily basis from a variety of things such as clothes, diseases, education, jobs, poverty, water, etc.; whereas the United States take those things for granted.

Sharing Web Resources

The Early Childhood and The Baby College Programs seemed particularly relevant to my current professional development because researchers confirm that the early-childhood years are key to building a strong foundation for future educational success Harlem Children's Zone has been bolstering its work with children and families in these critically important first years. Like all of HCZ’s programs, our early childhood programs provide their services free to the public, which is possible thanks to the generosity of people like you. The Baby College offers a nine-week parenting workshop to expectant parents and those raising a child up to three years old. Among other lessons, the workshops promote reading to children and verbal discipline over corporal punishment. Over the past two years, more than 870 people graduated from The Baby College.

I didn't find any ideas/statements/resources to be controversial, but the website made me think about an issue in new ways. For example, I see that there programs are free of charge. Whereas if this was in the United States, I feel as though some of our programs would charge and want a donations at the same time. The Baby College and The Promise Academy Charter Schools were good programs that focus on children getting a high-quality well-rounded education.

I learned that their last newsletter was from Spring 2009. It was very informative information about TEAM HCZ. The newsletter was titled 100 DAYS OF PEACE AND PURPOSE. The purpose was a look back at some of the people and events that made 100 Days a success. It had numerous of topics such as Public-service campaign helps Harlem community; Volunteers help HCZ; Chess team scores big at national tournament; Promise students excel on statewide exams; Bringing $7 million to Harlem taxpayers; Preventive programs launch Quality Assurance Team; College news; Multi-media arts show; Getting ready for college; Financial Summit for high school students; New initiative to create role models for boys; Showtime Tournament nets several winners. I like this quote by the president: 

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been

waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

- President Barack Obama

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

This week I chose to listen to the podcast from the World Forum Foundation presented by Delfena Mitchell.
Delfena Mitchell is Director of the Liberty Children’s Home, on the outskirts of Belize City. This program opened in the summer of 2005 and is licensed to house up to 40 children, predominantly between birth to 5 years of age. However, older children who have younger siblings in care are and will always be accommodated.All of the children at the care center have been abandoned, abused or orphaned and many have disabilities, special needs or are HIV positive. Further information on this program is available at www.libertyfoundation.org.uk

What I have learned do far from the podcast is that Joseph is a nine years old boy that came to them about nine months ago. When he came to them, he hadn't spoken in over a year because his situation where he was living in was really bad. He was physically abused and he observed his sister and because of that he just shut down and didn't speak for over a year. He came to them with his six other brothers and sisters. At first, what they did with him was just trying to home school him there under the compound for a little bit, then they enrolled him in school out of town, but after the first week, he was kicked out of school and sent home because he seem to have a problem with understanding. One day she took him horse back riding with her and they would go on a 30 minutes horse back ride, so he was on the horse behind her on the same horse. They were riding and all of sudden he started talking and telling her about his grandmother that use to beat him with a stick and how when he was hungry and he wanted to eat, he had to take his food underneath his bed to eat so that the other children in the house or the adults wouldn't take his food away from him. He just started talking about his uncle that he misses and is gone away. Although he was talking, she couldn't understand everything he was saying because it was like he was regressed at his age. The important thing that got her excited was that he started talking again. They finished their ride and things went back to normal and he stopped talking again, but over a period of weeks he would start saying a couple of words. In the meantime, we were just allowing him to have a couple of words in our little informal session of training of schooling and then they would allow him time to be in the gardens on the compound because he liked to be outdoors. With a combination of Joseph going back to school and the medication in a matter of weeks you can see the change in him where he started talking and he was talking a mile a minute. Joseph speaks now and even the kids stop to listen to him because everybody was so use to him not saying anything. When he has anything to say we all want to hear what he has to say.

My new insights and information about the issues of poverty in China is that it has made major strides in poverty reduction in recent years. The economic growth being slower in Western China has cause it to be poorer than Eastern China. China has had helped to reduce chronic poverty due to the fact that it has transition from a centrally planned to a globalized market economy. China receives more foreign investment than any other country in the world except for the US.

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I have selected is Harlem Children's Zone and here is the link:
http://www.hcz.org/index.php

Description of the Organization's focus

HISTORY

Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. has experienced incredible growth - from the number of children we serve to the breadth of our services. But one thing has stayed the same: the agency's "whatever it takes" attitude when it comes to helping children to succeed.

The organization began 1970 as Rheedlen, working with young children and their families as the city's first truancy-prevention program.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the crack epidemic tore through Harlem; open-air drug markets flourished while families disintegrated. While many inside and outside Harlem gave up hope, HCZ's staff believed that new approaches were necessary.

In 1991, the agency was among the first in the city to open a Beacon center. Our Countee Cullen Community Center turned a public school that used to shut its door at the end of the school day into a community center offering a range of services and activities on nights, weekends and summers.

In the 1990s, to help keep local schools safe, the Peacemakers program began placing AmeriCorps participants in classrooms. These young people were a welcome presence assisting teachers during the school day and then running programs after school.

The beginning of the Children's Zone^®
In the early 1990s, HCZ ran a pilot project that brought a range of support services to a single block. The idea was to address all the problems that poor families were facing: from crumbling apartments to failing schools, from violent crime to chronic health problems.

HCZ created a 10-year business plan, then to ensure its best-practice programs were operating as planned, HCZ was in the vanguard of nonprofits that began carefully evaluating and tracking the results of their work. Those evaluation results enabled staff to see if programs were achieving their objectives and to take corrective actions if they were not.

In 1997, the agency began a network of programs for a 24-block area: the Harlem Children's Zone Project. In 2007, the Zone Project grew to almost 100 blocks. Today the Children's Zone^®serves more than 8,000 children and 6,000 adults. Overall, the organization serves more than 10,000 children and more than 7,400 adults.  The FY 2010 budget for the agency overall is over $75 million.

A history of innovation

Over the years, the agency introduced several ground-breaking efforts: in 2000, The Baby College^® parenting workshops; in 2001, the Harlem Gems^® pre-school program; also in 2001, the HCZ Asthma Initiative, which teaches families to better manage the disease; in 2004, the Promise Academy, a high-quality public charter school; and in 2006, an obesity program to help children stay healthy.

Under the visionary leadership of its President and CEO, Geoffrey Canada, HCZ continues to offer innovative, efficiently run programs that are aimed at doing nothing less than breaking the cycle of generational poverty for the thousands of children and families it serves.

What caught my attention from the website is that they have education from early childhood through college. I like the way you can click on each level of education and it provided you with a description of it. There is a donation section that you can give to this organization if you want to. 

Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Alternative Part 1:

I was unable to establish contact with the international early childhood professionals, so I chose the Alternative to Part 1.

First you must download iTunes Application to your computer or laptop, then proceed to these steps:

Steps to listening and subscribing to podcasts:

1. Type in www.worldforumfoundation.org in the web browser

2. In The Blue Search Box: Type in Podcasts

3. Click on World Forum Radio

4. Click on the Subscribe to World Forum Radio

5. After you click on it, it will send you to http://itunes.app.com/podcast/world-forum-radio/id332072980?mt=2

6. Click on the two World Forum Radio that you want and click on View In iTunes

7. A box that say External Protocol Request-Click on Launch Application

8. Listen to the two World Forum Radio that you choose to and then hit subscribe

OR

1. Type in www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/ in the web browser

2. Just scroll down and pick the two Episode that you want and click on to Listen to this episode

Part 2: Expanding Resources

I decided to study Harlem Children's Zone because when I clicked on most of the websites that was provided, it couldn't be found. I like the way this website was set up and I seen where you could sign up for their news letter versus the other sites that I looked at, they didn't have no where for you to sign up or subscribe.